Data from: Functional PET/MRI reveals active inhibition of neuronal activity during optogenetic activation of the nigrostriatal pathway

The dopaminergic system is a central component of the brain's
neurobiological framework, governing motor control, reward responses, and
playing an essential role in various brain disorders. Within this complex
network, the nigrostriatal pathway represents a critical circuit for
dopamine neurotransmission from the substantia nigra to the striatum.
However, stand-alone functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is
unable to study the intricate interplay between brain activation and its
molecular underpinnings. In our study, the use of a functional [18F]FDG
positron emission tomography (fPET) approach simultaneously with blood
oxygen level-dependent (BOLD)-fMRI provided an important insight that
demonstrates an active suppression of the nigrostriatal activity during
optogenetic stimulation. This result increases our understanding of the
molecular mechanisms of brain function and provides an important
perspective on how dopamine influences hemodynamic responses in the brain.

多巴胺能系统（dopaminergic system）是大脑神经生物学框架的核心组成部分，调控运动控制与奖赏反应，并在多种脑部疾病中发挥关键作用。在这一复杂神经网络中，黑质纹状体通路（nigrostriatal pathway）是介导黑质（substantia nigra）向纹状体（striatum）传递多巴胺能神经信号的关键环路。然而，单一的功能磁共振成像（fMRI）无法探究大脑激活与其分子基础之间的精细相互作用。本研究采用功能型[18F]氟代脱氧葡萄糖正电子发射断层成像（fPET）与血氧水平依赖功能磁共振成像（BOLD-fMRI）同步联用的技术方案，获得了重要发现：光遗传刺激过程中，黑质纹状体活动受到主动抑制。该结果加深了我们对大脑功能分子机制的理解，并为多巴胺如何影响大脑血流动力学反应提供了重要研究视角。