Opening Neurotransmission's Gatekeepers
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 - 13:31
in Physics & Chemistry
In 2015, Harel Weinstein's team used the Titan supercomputer at the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to produce the first end-to-end simulation of a sodium ion, the fuel that powers neurotransmitter sodium symporters, moving from the synapse into the cell via the dopamine transporter (DAT), the gatekeeper for the neurotransmitter dopamine that is associated with reward-motivated behavior.