Dopamine News and Research

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Dopamine is a hormone and neurotransmitter occurring in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the brain, this phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five types of dopamine receptors — D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5, and their variants. Dopamine is produced in several areas of the brain, including the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area. Dopamine is also a neurohormone released by the hypothalamus. Its main function as a hormone is to inhibit the release of prolactin from the anterior lobe of the pituitary. Dopamine has many functions in the brain, including important roles in behavior and cognition, motor activity, motivation and reward, inhibition of prolactin production (involved in lactation), sleep, mood, attention, and learning. Dopaminergic neurons (i.e., neurons whose primary neurotransmitter is dopamine) are present chiefly in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the midbrain, substantia nigra pars compacta, and arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus.

Researchers find new treatment option for schizophrenia

A research group led by professor Jesper Ekelund showed that by giving a very large dose of famotidine (200 mg daily), sufficient amounts of the drug are able to penetrate the so-called blood-brain barrier to affect the histamine system in the brain.

1 Jul 2013

Study: Pluripotent stem cell line-derived neurons survive and respond to cues in the primate brain

A team of researchers from Rush University, Yale University, the University of Colorado and the St. Kitts Biomedical Research Foundation transplanted human embryonic stem cells into primate laboratory animals modeled with Parkinson's disease and found "robust survival" of the cells after six weeks and indications that the cells were "well integrated" into the host animals.

29 Jun 2013

Ritalin helps improve brain function in cocaine addiction

A single dose of a commonly-prescribed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug helps improve brain function in cocaine addiction, according to an imaging study conducted by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

28 Jun 2013

Eisai submits BELVIQ NDS with Health Canada

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that Eisai Limited (based in Mississauga, Ontario), a subsidiary of Eisai Inc., has submitted a New Drug Submission for BELVIQ (lorcaserin HCl) with Health Canada.

26 Jun 2013

Safinamide improves responder rates in fluctuating Parkinson's patients in Phase III study

Newron Pharmaceuticals S.p.A. ("Newron"), a research and development company focused on novel CNS and pain therapies, and its partner Zambon S.p.A., a pharmaceutical company strongly committed to the respiratory, primary care and CNS therapeutic areas, presented results from SETTLE Phase III study with safinamide at the 17th International Congress of Parkinson's disease and Movement Disorders, taking place from June 16 to 20, 2013, at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Sydney, Australia.

19 Jun 2013

Teva to present abstracts on AZILECT at MDS meeting

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today that a number of abstracts will be presented during the 17th Annual International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders in Sydney, Australia, June 16-20, 2013, also known as the Movement Disorders Society.

15 Jun 2013

Researchers identify genetic variants that can predispose children to dyslexia, language impairment

A new study of the genetic origins of dyslexia and other learning disabilities could allow for earlier diagnoses and more successful interventions, according to researchers at Yale School of Medicine. Many students now are not diagnosed until high school, at which point treatments are less effective.

14 Jun 2013

Johns Hopkins expert in brain imaging receives 2013 Paul C. Aebersold Award

A Johns Hopkins expert in brain imaging, Dean F. Wong, M.D., Ph.D., has been honored with the prestigious 2013 Paul C. Aebersold Award for his contributions over the past 30 years in applying basic science to the field of nuclear medicine.

11 Jun 2013

Sugar ingestion associated with low dopamine release in patients with insulin resistance

Using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of the brain, researchers have identified a sweet spot that operates in a disorderly way when simple sugars are introduced to people with insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes.

11 Jun 2013

Dog-interaction activities improve mood among teenagers living in treatment centers

Lindsay Ellsworth is prescribing a new, mood-boosting therapy for teenagers in drug and alcohol treatment: shelter dogs. On Friday afternoons, about four dogs from the Spokane Humane Society take a field trip to Excelsior Youth Center as a group of teenage boys eagerly await their arrival. Ellsworth, a doctoral candidate in animal sciences at Washington State University, organizes the meet-ups where participants can help brush, feed and play with the dogs.

4 Jun 2013

NeuroDerm receives MJFF grant to develop ND0612 for treatment of Parkinson's disease

NeuroDerm, Ltd. was informed today that it was awarded, for the second time, a grant of $1M by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to support the clinical development of its subcutaneously delivered drug for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

3 Jun 2013

New animal model provides insight into early stages of Parkinson's disease

At the present, no cure exists for Parkinson's disease, although symptomatic intervention, including treatment with dopamine agonists, can alleviate patients' motor impairment. Parkinson's is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, after Alzheimer's disease; it is estimated that 100,000 to 300,000 patients are affected by Parkinson's disease in Germany alone.

28 May 2013

Discovery could aid research into motor neuron disease

Scientists have found that a key hormone allows young zebrafish to develop and replace their motor neurons - a kind of nerve cell found in the spinal cord.

24 May 2013

Emory University researchers identify a protein that stimulates orphan receptors in the brain

Researchers at Emory University have identified a protein that stimulates a pair of "orphan receptors" found in the brain, solving a long-standing biological puzzle and possibly leading to future treatments for neurological diseases.

22 May 2013

Takeda, Lundbeck announce presentation of data from four studies that evaluate vortioxetine for MDD

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and H. Lundbeck A/S today announced that the companies will be presenting new data from four studies that evaluated effectiveness in treating the overall symptoms of depression in patients taking vortioxetine, an investigational agent under review with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of major depressive disorder.

20 May 2013

First alcoholic drink during puberty increases risk of alcohol problems

Research shows that the earlier the age at which youth take their first alcoholic drink, the greater the risk of developing alcohol problems. Thus, age at first drink (AFD) is generally considered a powerful predictor of progression to alcohol-related harm.

18 May 2013

Neupro reduces PLMS and total NSBP elevations in patients with RLS, study finds

UCB today announced data from a double-blind, placebo-controlled study that found that Neupro (Rotigotine Transdermal System) reduced total nocturnal systolic blood pressure elevations associated with periodic limb movements during sleep and total PLMS in patients with idiopathic moderate-to-severe Restless Legs Syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease.

18 May 2013

Researchers successfully test new anti-cocaine vaccine in primates

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have successfully tested their novel anti-cocaine vaccine in primates, bringing them closer to launching human clinical trials.

13 May 2013

Nicotine in peppers and tomatoes may provide protective effect against Parkinson's disease

New research reveals that Solanaceae-a flowering plant family with some species producing foods that are edible sources of nicotine-may provide a protective effect against Parkinson's disease. The study appearing today in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, suggests that eating foods that contain even a small amount of nicotine, such as peppers and tomatoes, may reduce risk of developing Parkinson's.

9 May 2013

Brain scan studies may provide clues about how the device improves depression

For nearly a decade, doctors have used an implanted electronic stimulator to treat severe depression in people who don't respond to standard antidepressant therapy.

8 May 2013