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 suppresses 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 suprachiasmatic nucleus, yet its specific neuronal substrates are not well defined.
• What they did: The study used conditional deletion of tyrosine hydroxylase in molecularly defined dopamine neuron populations, including targeted deletion in substantia nigra neurons with Calb1 Cre, affecting about 25% of these neurons.
• The result: Findings show that this specific dopamine population is necessary for anticipatory locomotion, and that different components of food anticipation can be genetically separated, advancing knowledge of circadian food behaviors.