The substantia nigra (SN) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) are vital for the control of movement, goal-directed behavior, and encoding reward. Here we show that the firing of specific neuronal subtypes in these nuclei can be modulated by physiological changes in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PCO₂). The resting conductance of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons in young animals (postnatal days 7–10) and GABAergic neurons in the VTA is modulated by changes in the level of CO₂. We provide several lines of evidence that this CO₂-sensitive conductance results from connexin 26 (Cx26) hemichannel expression. Since the levels of PCO₂ in the blood will vary depending on physiological activity and pathology, this suggests that changes in PCO₂ could potentially modulate motor activity, reward behavior, and wakefulness.

黑质 (SN) 和腹侧被盖区 (VTA) 对于控制运动、目标导向行为和编码奖励至关重要。在这里，我们表明这些细胞核中特定神经元亚型的放电可以通过二氧化碳分压 (PCO ₂ ) 的生理变化来调节。年轻动物（出生后第 7-10 天）中黑质多巴胺能神经元和 VTA 中 GABA 能神经元的静息电导受 CO ₂水平变化的调节。我们提供了几行证据表明这种 CO ₂敏感电导是由连接蛋白 26 (Cx26) 半通道表达引起的。由于 PCO _2的水平血液中的 PCO 2 会因生理活动和病理而异，这表明 PCO ₂的变化可能会调节运动活动、奖赏行为和觉醒。