A study led by a researcher at Children's Hospital and the UW is shedding light on neurological processes that play a role in movement disorders such as Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases.

Nigel Bamford, assistant professor of neurology and pediatrics at the UW and pediatric neurologist at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, led the research on the effect of dopamine on synaptic function in the brains of mice. Dopamine is a brain chemical that regulates the firing of neurons.

Researchers found that dopamine selectively reduces the release of glutamate, a neurotransmitter involved in motor control, by activating pre-synaptic receptors located on glutamate nerve endings. The most active nerve endings were selectively resistant to dopamine, while the remaining nerve endings saw reduced activity. The selective filtering of cortical information by dopamine helps to explain how the brain processes motor commands.

The group's findings were published in the May 27 issue of the journal Neuron.