Rebekah C. Evans

Brainstem cholinergic cell loss causes slowly-developing motor impairments

This study develops a mouse model of brainstem cholinergic cell loss to show delayed motor impairments and circuit reorganization in Parkinson's disease.

Dendrite-specific synaptic inputs onto dopaminergic SNc neurons

The paper identifies dendrite-specific synaptic inputs onto dopaminergic SNc neurons from STN, PPN, and SNr, revealing distinct functional roles of these inputs.

α-Synuclein pathology differentially alters T-type calcium currents in vulnerable and resilient substantia nigra dopaminergic subpopulations.

This study examines how α-synuclein pathology affects T-type calcium currents in vulnerable and resilient dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra.

Sex-specific effects of exercise on motor coordination and extended basal ganglia physiology.

The paper investigates sex-specific effects of exercise on motor coordination and basal ganglia physiology in mice, finding differential impacts on neural activity and structure in males and females.

Chronic nicotine reduces nigral dopaminergic activity and remodels pedunculopontine cholinergic subpopulations

This study examines how chronic nicotine affects dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and cholinergic neurons in the pedunculopontine nucleus, revealing changes in their activity and morphology that may contribute to Parkinson's disease resilience.

Corticonigral projections recruit substantia nigra pars lateralis dopaminergic neurons for auditory threat memories

The paper identifies robust corticonigral projections to substantia nigra pars lateralis dopaminergic neurons involved in auditory threat memory, contrasting with sparse cortical input to other nigral populations.

Inhibitory basal ganglia nuclei differentially innervate pedunculopontine nucleus subpopulations and evoke opposite motor and valence behaviors.

The paper shows that the SNr and GPe have non-canonical effects on locomotion and reward by differentially inhibiting PPN subpopulations.

Muscarinic receptor activation preferentially inhibits rebound in vulnerable dopaminergic neurons

The paper shows muscarinic receptor activation inhibits rebound activity more in vulnerable SNc dopaminergic neurons than resilient ones, through a non-canonical pathway.

Comparing tonic and phasic calcium in the dendrites of vulnerable midbrain neurons

This study compares the role of L-type calcium channels in tonic and phasic calcium dynamics between SNc and PPN neurons, finding distinct contributions to calcium signaling in these cell types.

Functional dissection of basal ganglia inhibitory input onto SNc dopaminergic neurons

The paper identifies inhibitory inputs to SNc dopaminergic neurons and shows that striosomal inputs can produce pause-rebound firing independently of excitatory input.