Dopamine signaling between skin exposure and memory

Yoon et al. Experimental & Molecular Medicine. 2024;56:1401-1411.

Co-corresponding author collaboration

This study was conducted with Dong Hun Lee and the co-corresponding authors listed below.

Jin Ho Chung
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University Graduate School, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Laboratory of Cutaneous Aging Research, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Human-Environmental Interface Biology, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Institute on Aging, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Yong-Seok Lee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University Graduate School, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Physiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Wide River Institute of Immunology, Seoul National University, Hongcheon, Republic of Korea
Dong Hun Lee / EASI Lab PI
- Laboratory of Cutaneous Aging Research, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Human-Environmental Interface Biology, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Names and affiliations are as published in the article.

01 / The question

The question

Which signals connect repeated UV exposure of the skin with changes in brain function?

02 / How we tested it

How we tested it

In a mouse model of chronic skin UV exposure, LC–MS measured dopamine in peripheral tissues and brain regions. Behavioral memory tests, hippocampal electrophysiology, immunofluorescence and RNA-seq were combined with dopamine administration and D1/D5 receptor antagonism.

How the evidence connects

This multidisciplinary collaborative study integrated measurements and RNA-seq generated in mouse experiments, connecting dermatology, physiology, genomics and analytical expertise.

03 / What the study found

What the study found

UV exposure was associated with poorer memory performance and reduced hippocampal synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis-related readouts. D1/D5 receptor antagonism supported reversal of these changes. Dopamine increased in skin, adrenal glands and selected brain regions.

04 / Interpreting the evidence

Interpreting the evidence

These findings were obtained under specific exposure conditions in female mice and do not establish cognitive effects or treatment efficacy in humans. Increased hippocampal dopamine was not detected, and the precise route connecting skin exposure to brain changes remains unresolved.

Figures from the paper

Figure 1h shows hippocampal DCX and Ki-67/DAPI immunofluorescence in control and UV-exposed mice. Scale bar: 150 μm. It does not directly show dopamine measurements or receptor-antagonism results.

Hippocampal DCX, Ki-67 and DAPI staining in control mice and mice exposed to chronic skin UV irradiation. Scale bar: 150 μm. — **Fig. 1h · Yoon et al. · Exp. Mol. Med. (2024)**
LC–MS, receptor antagonism, behavioral tests and electrophysiology investigate links between skin UV exposure and memory. Shown here: hippocampal immunofluorescence.
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The next question

A question to explore together

Can separating local skin responses from systemic mediators clarify the pathways of UV-associated skin–brain interaction?

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