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.

Methamphetamine users more likely to develop Parkinson's disease

People who abused methamphetamine or other amphetamine-like stimulants were more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than those who did not, in a new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

27 Jul 2011

Essential criteria for clinical diagnosis of restless legs syndrome

We've all experienced abnormal sensations in our legs at one time or another, but for as many as 10 percent of the US population, restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a daily occurrence. Characterized by throbbing, pulling, tingling, itching, and crawling sensations, RLS is a neurological disorder that produces unpleasant physical sensations in the extremities and an urge to counteract that sensation by movement.

21 Jul 2011

Scientists discover new dominant gene linked to Parkinson's

The newly discovered gene is known as VPS35, the sixth one which has been associated with Parkinson's disease and the third dominant gene.

20 Jul 2011

Lack of kidney dopamine leads to high blood pressure and shorter life span

The neurotransmitter dopamine is best known for its roles in the brain - in signaling pathways that control movement, motivation, reward, learning and memory.

20 Jul 2011

Gut hormone changes the ability of food-related cues to alter dopamine levels

New research findings to be presented at the upcoming annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), the foremost society for research into all aspects of eating and drinking behavior, finds that ghrelin, a natural gut hormone that stimulates feeding, also modulates the ability of tasty food and food-related cues to alter dopamine levels within the striatum, a critical component of the brain's reward system.

12 Jul 2011

Eating disorder behavior may directly affect brain function

Bulimia nervosa is a severe eating disorder associated with episodic binge eating followed by extreme behaviors to avoid weight gain such as self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives or excessive exercise.

12 Jul 2011

PDF announces $1M for 11 novel Parkinson's research projects

The Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF) is pleased to announce awards totaling more than $1 million for 11 novel investigator-initiated research projects designed to understand the causes of and find a cure for Parkinson's disease.

8 Jul 2011

BioLineRx initiates enrollment in BL-1020 Phase II/III trial against schizophrenia

BioLineRx, a biopharmaceutical development company, announced today the enrollment of the first patient in the Phase II/III CLARITY clinical trial of BL-1020, a first in class, orally available, GABA-enhanced antipsychotic for the treatment of schizophrenia.

28 Jun 2011

McMaster researchers to use tiny worms for Parkinson's project

McMaster researchers from three disciplines are deploying thousands of tiny worms and a homegrown invention to test drugs in a collaborative bid to defeat Parkinson's Disease.

27 Jun 2011

ACS to honor Brookhaven Lab's senior chemist for brain research

Joanna Fowler, a senior chemist and director of radiotracer chemistry, instrumentation, and biological imaging at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, is one of 23 women from around the world who has been chosen to receive a Distinguished Women in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Award, sponsored by the American Chemical Society (ACS).

27 Jun 2011

Cocaine contaminated with livestock de-worming drug causes painful purpura

If the obvious reasons for avoiding recreational drug use aren't off-putting enough, physicians have yet another detrimental consequence to add to the list - crusty, purplish areas of dead skin that are extremely painful and can open the door to nasty infections.

24 Jun 2011

USPTO issues Notice of Allowance for Neurocrine's NBI-98854 to treat tardive dyskinesia

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a Notice of Allowance for the Company's proprietary Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2 inhibitor, NBI-98854.

24 Jun 2011

Enrollment complete in Rexahn's Serdaxin Phase IIb clinical trial for major depressive disorder

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing potential best in class oncology and CNS therapeutics, today announced that it has completed enrollment in its Phase IIb clinical trial of Serdaxin to treat major depressive disorder (MDD).

22 Jun 2011

Prior GID diagnosis impacts health outcomes of patients with Parkinson's

A new study investigating the incidence and impact of gastrointestinal disorders (GID) among patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) found that patients who received both a PD diagnosis and a prior GID diagnosis appeared to have worse health outcomes compared to patients who received a diagnosis for PD with no prior GID diagnosis.

16 Jun 2011

Music and drama therapy improve physical, emotional components of Parkinson's

Twice a month a jam session takes place on the third floor of Northwestern Memorial's Prentice Women's Hospital. A diverse group of men and women, ranging in age and ethnicity, gather in a circle with instruments in hand and sing together. This is no ordinary jam band; all its members have Parkinson's disease.

16 Jun 2011

Study investigates effects of dopamine replacement therapy on cognition in patients with Parkinson's

Dopamine replacement therapy, which is used to manage motor symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease, can, at times, adversely affect cognition.

15 Jun 2011

New findings from Deplin clinical trial on major depressive disorder presented at NCDEU

New findings from a multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study of Deplin 15mg added to commonly prescribed antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors showed that all patients who achieved remission at 30 days using Deplin 15mg adjuvant therapy, and who chose to enter a 12 month maintenance phase, maintained their remission after a year of treatment.

14 Jun 2011

Platelet-derived growth factor-BB restores function in rats with Parkinson's disease

Few treatments for Parkinson's disease (PD) restore function for extended periods. In a new study published today in the inaugural issue of the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, an international group of researchers report that platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) restored function in rodents and shows promise as a clinical candidate drug for treatment of PD.

10 Jun 2011

Scripps Research receives $2.2M NIH grant to develop novel therapeutics for substance abuse

The Scripps Research Institute has been awarded a $2.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop novel therapeutics for the treatment of addiction to multiple substances in a national effort with the University of Kansas.