Degree Name

Department

Neuroscience

College

Life Sciences

Defense Date

2022-12-02

Publication Date

2026-01-01

First Faculty Advisor

Jordan Yorgason

First Faculty Reader

Scott Steffensen

Second Faculty Reader

Arminda Suli

Honors Coordinator

Rebekka Matheson

Keywords

ATP, FSCV, Dopamine, Clodronate, Exocytosis, Spontaneous

Abstract

ATP and DA are neurotransmitters that play important roles in the NAc. They can be released spontaneously or following electrical stimulation. However, the release mechanism of transient ATP has not been well characterized in the literature. Using FSCV, the current study found evidence that spontaneous ATP release is mediated via a vesicular release mechanism. The release mechanism of ATP transients in the NAc is affected by voltage changes in the pre-synaptic membrane, affecting the release amplitude and trending towards affecting the release frequency. The ATP transient release mechanism is not dependent on DA release, but co-release is estimated to occur in about 25% of events. Similar to DA release, ATP release was also modulated by D₂activation. While blocking the VNUT had no effects on electrically evoked DA and ATP release, clodronate administration significantly decreased both DA and ATP transient amplitude. This suggests that ATP vesicular packaging plays a role in DA spontaneous release. In general, spontaneous ATP and DA each influence the release of the other, speaking to the role of ATP in DA signaling in the NAc, an area of the brain associated with reward and drugs of abuse.