A permissive role for dopamine in the production of vigorous movements

Dopamine is essential for the production of vigorous movements, but how dopamine modifies the gain of motor commands remains unclear. Here, we developed a dexterous motor task in which head-restrained mice self-initiate fast and large-amplitude lever pushes with their left forelimb to earn rewards. We show that this task is goal-directed and depends on cortico-striatal circuits in the hemisphere contralateral to the limb used to push the lever. We find that unilateral loss of midbrain dopamine neurons reduces the speed and amplitude of lever pushes, and that levodopa treatment rapidly restores motor vigor, consistent with parkinsonian bradykinesia. Photometry recordings of striatal dopamine levels indicate that the therapeutic efficacy of levodopa does not require phasic dopamine release. In dopamine-intact mice, optogenetic stimulation of midbrain dopamine neurons calibrated to mimic transients evoked by rewards is also insufficient to increase the speed and amplitude of forelimb movements. Together, our data show that phasic dopamine transients are unlikely to specify the vigor of forelimb movements online as they are being executed, and suggest instead that dopamine plays a permissive role in the selection and production of vigorous movements. Our findings have important implications for our understanding of how the basal ganglia contribute to motor control under physiological conditions and in Parkinson’s disease.