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Research progress on the role of dopamine system in regulating hippocampal related brain functions

REN Jing¹, MO Wei-Yi¹, WANG Ling^1,2,3,4, NI Guang-Jian^1,2,3,4, YANG Jia-Jia^1,2,3,4,*

¹Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China；²Brain-Computer Interaction and Human-Machine Fusion Haihe Laboratory, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China；³Tianjin Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Neural Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China；⁴State Key Laboratory of Advanced Medical Materials and Devices, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China

Abstract

Dopamine, as a catecholamine neurotransmitter widely distributed in the central nervous system, is involved in physiological functions such as motivation, arousal, reinforcement, and movement through various dopamine signaling pathways. The hippocampus receives dopaminergic neuron projections from regions such as the ventral tegmental area, locus coeruleus, and substantia nigra. Through D1-like and D2-like receptors, dopamine exerts significant regulatory effects such as spatial navigation, episodic memory, fear, anxiety, and reward. This review mainly summarizes the research progress on the functions of dopamine in the hippocampus from aspects including the sources of dopamine, receptor distribution and function, and the association of hippocampal dopamine system dysregulation with neurodegenerative diseases. The aim is to provide insights into the involvement of the dopamine system in hippocampal functions and the diagnosis and treatment of related diseases.

Key words: Hippocampus; dopamine; dopamine receptor; learning and memory; neurodegenerative diseases

Received: 　　Accepted:

Corresponding author: 杨佳佳　　E-mail:

DOI: 10.13294/j.aps.2025.0055

Citing This Article：

REN Jing, MO Wei-Yi, WANG Ling, NI Guang-Jian, YANG Jia-Jia. Research progress on the role of dopamine system in regulating hippocampal related brain functions. Acta Physiol Sin 2025; 77 (5): 893-904 (in Chinese with English abstract).