Parkinson's disease-vulnerable and -resilient dopamine neurons display opposite responses to excitatory input

Dopamine (DA) neurons of the substantia nigra (SN) are essential for motor control and selectively degenerate in Parkinsons disease (PD). However, DA neurons are molecularly heterogeneous, with some showing greater vulnerability and others resilience. Here, we show that the DA subtype marker Anxa1, identified in mice, labels PD-vulnerable DA neurons in human SN. Using mice, we found that excitatory inputs from subthalamic (STN) and pedunculopontine (PPN) nuclei evoked frequency-dependent excitation in SN GABA neurons, but complex multiphasic DA neuron responses, suggesting heterogeneous DA subtype responses. Indeed, excitatory inputs evoked differential DA responses in striatal subregions, an increase in caudal striatum, but inhibition followed by rebound in dorsolateral striatum. Additionally, PD-resilient Vglut2+ DA neurons were excited by STN/PPN input, while vulnerable Anxa1+ DA neurons were inhibited. These findings demonstrate that DA subtypes are embedded in distinct functional networks, suggesting that some therapeutic interventions may differentially impact vulnerable and resilient DA subtypes.