Dysfunction of the dopamine system is commonly linked to conditions including schizophrenia and substance-use disorders. While current antipsychotic therapies based on D2 antagonism have limited effect on cognitive disabilities, such issues are also part of psychiatric symptoms, alongside psychosis. A recent study from Columbia University School of Medicine has indicated that adolescent intervention with the dopamine mesofrontal pathway can create long-term circuit changes that could positively reverse cognitive deficits by activating dopamine D1 receptors in mice. The findings suggest potential new approaches to psychiatric treatment. The researchers employed both chemogenetic and optogenetic methods to restore normal circuit function.
https://elifesciences.org/reviewed-preprints/87414v1