Current Biology
Volume 26, Issue 2, 25 January 2016, Pages 263-269
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Motor Behavior Mediated by Continuously Generated Dopaminergic Neurons in the Zebrafish Hypothalamus Recovers after Cell Ablation

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.11.064Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Dopaminergic th2+ neurons in the zebrafish hypothalamus arise from Dlx+ precursors

  • th2+ neurons are continuously generated into adulthood and recover after ablation

  • Swim frequency is decreased by ablation and increased by activation of th2+ neurons

  • Recovery of th2+ neurons correlates with restoration of swim behavior

Summary

Postembryonic neurogenesis has been observed in several regions of the vertebrate brain, including the dentate gyrus and rostral migratory stream in mammals, and is required for normal behavior [1, 2, 3]. Recently, the hypothalamus has also been shown to undergo continuous neurogenesis as a way to mediate energy balance [4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]. As the hypothalamus regulates multiple functional outputs, it is likely that additional behaviors may be affected by postembryonic neurogenesis in this brain structure. Here, we have identified a progenitor population in the zebrafish hypothalamus that continuously generates neurons that express tyrosine hydroxylase 2 (th2). We develop and use novel transgenic tools to characterize the lineage of th2+ cells and demonstrate that they are dopaminergic. Through genetic ablation and optogenetic activation, we then show that th2+ neurons modulate the initiation of swimming behavior in zebrafish larvae. Finally, we find that the generation of new th2+ neurons following ablation correlates with restoration of normal behavior. This work thus identifies for the first time a population of dopaminergic neurons that regulates motor behavior capable of functional recovery.

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