Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2008 Aug 2.
Published in final edited form as: Neuron. 2007 Aug 2;55(3):435–447. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2007.06.038

Figure 9. Hypothetical model for the control of the Ebony molecular rhythm and the regulation of adult locomotor activity.

Figure 9

The model postulates that ebony expression may be regulated by autonomous glial oscillators and by output from clock neurons. In turn, rhythms in Ebony activity are postulated to control the excitability of dopaminergic or other neurons that regulate locomotor activity, perhaps by rhythmic production of NBAD. Presumably, dopamine (DA) and NBAD are actively synthesized during the daytime, as a consequence of rhythmic TH and Ebony activities, both of which are high during the day. According to the model, DA is released from dopaminergic terminals and taken up by ebony-containing glial cells. Ebony (BAS) activity then conjugates dopamine to β-alanine to produce N-β-alanine-dopamine (NBAD) which may be released from glia to regulate neuronal excitability and the activation of circuits controlling locomotor activity.