A population of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra is required for food-anticipatory activity.

Deletion of tyrosine hydroxylase in approximately 25% of substantia nigra dopamine neurons significantly reduces food-anticipatory locomotion in mice.

• Why it matters: Understanding the neural basis of food anticipation is crucial because it is a conserved circadian behavior that persists even without the master clock, yet its specific neuronal substrates are unclear.
• What they did: Researchers used conditional gene deletion of tyrosine hydroxylase in defined dopamine neuron populations, focusing on the substantia nigra, to identify neurons essential for food-anticipatory activity.
• The result: Findings reveal that a small Calbindin1-positive dopamine neuron subset in the substantia nigra is necessary for anticipatory locomotion, enabling the dissociation of behavioral components of food anticipation.