Segregation of dopamine and glutamate release sites in dopamine neuron axons: regulation by striatal target cells

Dopamine (DA) is a key regulator of circuits controlling movement and motivation. A subset of midbrain DA neurons has been shown to express the vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT)2, underlying their capacity for glutamate release. Glutamate release is found mainly by DA neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and can be detected at terminals contacting ventral, but not dorsal, striatal neurons, suggesting the possibility that target-derived signals regulate the neurotransmitter phenotype of DA neurons. Whether glutamate can be released from the same terminals that release DA or from a special subset of axon terminals is unclear. Here, we provide in vitro and in vivo data supporting the hypothesis that DA and glutamate-releasing terminals in mice are mostly segregated and that striatal neurons regulate the cophenotype of midbrain DA neurons and the segregation of release sites. Our work unveils a fundamental feature of dual neurotransmission and plasticity of the DA system.Fortin, G. M., Ducrot, C., Giguere, N., Kouwenhoven, W. M., Bourque, M.-J., Pacelli, C., Varaschin, R. K., Brill, M., Singh, S., Wiseman, P. W., Trudeau, L.-E. Segregation of dopamine and glutamate release sites in dopamine neuron axons: regulation by striatal target cells.