Modeling the public health impact of e-cigarettes on adolescents and adults.

Since the introduction of electronic cigarettes to the U.S. market in 2007, vaping prevalence has surged in both adult and adolescent populations.

Local cortical overexpression of human wild-type alpha-synuclein leads to increased dendritic spine density in mouse.

Lewy body dementias are characterized by deposition of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) protein aggregates known as Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites in cortical regions, in addition to brainstem. These aggregates are thought to cause the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and other vulnerable cell types in patients, leading to parkinsonism. There is evidence from mice that localized overexpression of wild-type α-syn leads to dopaminergic cell death in the substantia nigra.

Striatal dopamine and the temporal control of behavior.

Striatal dopamine strongly regulates how individuals use time to guide behavior. Dopamine acts on D1- and D2- dopamine receptors in the striatum. However, the relative role of these receptors in the temporal control of behavior is unclear.