Changes in neuronal activity of cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic networks induced by acute dopaminergic manipulations in rats
The basal ganglia are thought to be particularly sensitive to changes in dopaminergic tone, and the realization that reduced dopaminergic signaling causes pronounced motor dysfunction is the rationale behind dopamine replacement therapy in Parkinson's disease. It has, however, proven difficult to identify which neurophysiological changes that ultimately lead to motor dysfunctions. To clarify this,