Exercise increases caudate dopamine release and ventral striatal activation in Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Aerobic exercise alters the responsivity of the ventral striatum, likely related to changes to the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway, and increases evoked dopamine release in the caudate nucleus. This suggests that the therapeutic benefits of exercise are in part related to corticostriatal plasticity and enhanced dopamine release. © 2019 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.