Topic: Cerebral Dopamine Neurotrophic Factor

Nucleus Accumbens (Nacb) dopamine (DA) regulates behavioral activation and effort-related decision-making in motivated behaviors. DA depletion has been shown to induce anergia and fatigue in effort-based decision tasks. The Cerebral Dopamine Neurotrophic Factor (CDNF) promotes the survival and function of dopaminergic neurons, and it is used to restore midbrain dopaminergic neurons in animal models of Parkinson’s disease. However, little is known about the role of CDNF in Nacb and if this neurotrophic factor can be affected by factors such as sex or age, behavioral manipulations or drugs that

Effort-related symptoms, such as anergia and fatigue, play a central role in many psychopathologies and neurological diseases. The mesolimbic dopamine (DA) pathway projecting to nucleus accumbens, (NAcb) modulates behavioral activation and effort exertion. Depletion of DA levels in Nacb leads to anergia and influences choices toward less effortful demanding options. DA function seems to be diminished with age. Our laboratory has developed behavioral tasks for rodents, including the PROG/sucrose task, for the study of effort-related choices linked to DA signaling in NAcb. Male Wistar rats of di