IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v16y2025i1d10.1038_s41467-025-63079-w.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Caudate serotonin signaling during social exchange distinguishes essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease patients

Author

Listed:
  • Alec E. Hartle

    (Virginia Tech)

  • Kenneth T. Kishida

    (Wake Forest University
    Wake Forest University School of Medicine
    Wake Forest University School of Medicine)

  • L. Paul Sands

    (Virginia Tech)

  • Seth R. Batten

    (Virginia Tech)

  • Leonardo S. Barbosa

    (Virginia Tech)

  • Dan Bang

    (Virginia Tech
    Aarhus University)

  • Terry Lohrenz

    (Virginia Tech)

  • Jason P. White

    (Virginia Tech)

  • Arian K. Sohrabi

    (Wake Forest University School of Medicine)

  • Rebecca L. Calafiore

    (Wake Forest University School of Medicine)

  • Alexandra G. DiFeliceantonio

    (Virginia Tech
    Virginia Tech)

  • Adrian W. Laxton

    (Wake Forest University School of Medicine)

  • Stephen B. Tatter

    (Wake Forest University School of Medicine)

  • Mark R. Witcher

    (Virginia Tech
    Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine)

  • P. Read Montague

    (Virginia Tech
    Virginia Tech
    University College London)

  • W. Matt Howe

    (Virginia Tech)

Abstract

Dynamic changes in dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin release are believed to causally contribute to the neural computations that support reward-based decision making. Accordingly, changes in signaling by these systems are hypothesized to underwrite multiple cognitive and behavioral symptoms observed in many neurological disorders. Here, we characterize the release of these neurotransmitters measured concurrently in the caudate of patients with Parkinson’s disease or essential tremor undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery as they played a social exchange game. We show that violations in the expected value of monetary offers are encoded by opponent patterns of dopamine and serotonin release in essential tremor, but not Parkinson’s disease, patients. We also demonstrate that these changes in serotonin signaling comprise a neurochemical boundary that subsegments these two neuromotor diseases. Our combined results point to a neural signature of altered reward processing that can be used to understand the signaling deficiencies that underwrite these diseases.

Suggested Citation

  • Alec E. Hartle & Kenneth T. Kishida & L. Paul Sands & Seth R. Batten & Leonardo S. Barbosa & Dan Bang & Terry Lohrenz & Jason P. White & Arian K. Sohrabi & Rebecca L. Calafiore & Alexandra G. DiFelice, 2025. "Caudate serotonin signaling during social exchange distinguishes essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease patients," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-63079-w
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-63079-w
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63079-w
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-025-63079-w?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paul E. M. Phillips & Garret D. Stuber & Michael L. A. V. Heien & R. Mark Wightman & Regina M. Carelli, 2003. "Subsecond dopamine release promotes cocaine seeking," Nature, Nature, vol. 422(6932), pages 614-618, April.
    2. Daniel F. Cardozo Pinto & Matthew B. Pomrenze & Michaela Y. Guo & Gavin C. Touponse & Allen P. F. Chen & Brandon S. Bentzley & Neir Eshel & Robert C. Malenka, 2025. "Opponent control of reinforcement by striatal dopamine and serotonin," Nature, Nature, vol. 639(8053), pages 143-152, March.
    3. Paul E. M. Phillips & Garret D. Stuber & Michael L. A. V. Heien & R. Mark Wightman & Regina M. Carelli, 2003. "Erratum: Subsecond dopamine release promotes cocaine seeking," Nature, Nature, vol. 423(6938), pages 461-461, May.
    4. Seth R. Batten & Dan Bang & Brian H. Kopell & Arianna N. Davis & Matthew Heflin & Qixiu Fu & Ofer Perl & Kimia Ziafat & Alice Hashemi & Ignacio Saez & Leonardo S. Barbosa & Thomas Twomey & Terry Lohre, 2024. "Dopamine and serotonin in human substantia nigra track social context and value signals during economic exchange," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 8(4), pages 718-728, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yongli Qi & Dongyeol Jang & Jaehyeon Ryu & Tianyu Bai & Yieljae Shin & Wen Gu & Aditya Iyer & Gen Li & Hongtao Ma & Jyun-you Liou & Matthijs Meer & Yi Qiang & Hui Fang, 2025. "Stabilized carbon coating on microelectrodes for scalable and interoperable neurotransmitter sensing," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-14, December.
    2. Ayaka Kato & Kenji Morita, 2016. "Forgetting in Reinforcement Learning Links Sustained Dopamine Signals to Motivation," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(10), pages 1-41, October.
    3. Natalie L. Johnson & Anamaria Cotelo-Larrea & Lucas A. Stetzik & Umit M. Akkaya & Zihao Zhang & Marie A. Gadziola & Adrienn G. Varga & Minghong Ma & Daniel W. Wesson, 2025. "Dopaminergic signaling to ventral striatum neurons initiates sniffing behavior," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-23, December.
    4. Yu-Hsuan Lin & Kuan-I Lin & Yuan-Chien Pan & Sheng-Hsuan Lin, 2020. "Investigation of the Role of Anxiety and Depression on the Formation of Phantom Vibration and Ringing Syndrome Caused by Working Stress during Medical Internship," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-10, October.
    5. Miguel Á. Luján & Dan P. Covey & Reana Young-Morrison & LanYuan Zhang & Andrew Kim & Fiorella Morgado & Sachin Patel & Caroline E. Bass & Carlos Paladini & Joseph F. Cheer, 2023. "Mobilization of endocannabinoids by midbrain dopamine neurons is required for the encoding of reward prediction," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    6. Min Jung Kim & Daniel J. Gibson & Dan Hu & Tomoko Yoshida & Emily Hueske & Ayano Matsushima & Ara Mahar & Cynthia J. Schofield & Patlapa Sompolpong & Kathy T. Tran & Lin Tian & Ann M. Graybiel, 2024. "Dopamine release plateau and outcome signals in dorsal striatum contrast with classic reinforcement learning formulations," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-20, December.
    7. Lauren M. Burgeno & Ryan D. Farero & Nicole L. Murray & Marios C. Panayi & Jennifer S. Steger & Marta E. Soden & Scott B. Evans & Stefan G. Sandberg & Ingo Willuhn & Larry S. Zweifel & Paul E. M. Phil, 2025. "Cocaine seeking and consumption are oppositely regulated by mesolimbic dopamine in male rats," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-15, December.
    8. Seth R. Batten & Dan Bang & Brian H. Kopell & Arianna N. Davis & Matthew Heflin & Qixiu Fu & Ofer Perl & Kimia Ziafat & Alice Hashemi & Ignacio Saez & Leonardo S. Barbosa & Thomas Twomey & Terry Lohre, 2024. "Dopamine and serotonin in human substantia nigra track social context and value signals during economic exchange," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 8(4), pages 718-728, April.
    9. repec:plo:pone00:0007362 is not listed on IDEAS

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-63079-w. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.