Dopamine News and Research

RSS

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.

Scientists discover unknown function of dopamine in brain

A study of the salamander brain has led researchers at Karolinska Institutet to discover a hitherto unknown function of the neurotransmitter dopamine. In an article published in the scientific journal Cell Stem Cell they show how in acting as a kind of switch for stem cells, dopamine controls the formation of new neurons in the adult brain. Their findings may one day contribute to new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's.

8 Apr 2011

Workers exposed to welding fumes may face risk of developing brain damage

New research suggests that workers exposed to welding fumes may be at risk for developing brain damage in an area of the brain also affected in Parkinson's disease. The study is published in the April 6, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Apr 2011

Neurocrine completes NBI-98854 Phase IIa study in schizophrenia patients with dyskinesia

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. announced today that it has completed the dosing and preliminary assessment of the initial cohort of Tardive Dyskinesia patients using its proprietary Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2 inhibitor, NBI-98854.

6 Apr 2011

Food addicts appear to have high neural activity in brain

Persons with an addictive-like eating behavior appear to have greater neural activity in certain regions of the brain similar to substance dependence, including elevated activation in reward circuitry in response to food cues, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the August print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

5 Apr 2011

Researchers suggest link between dopamine-related genes and person's risk of addiction

There is growing evidence that the risk factors for addiction change throughout the lifespan. The risk factors for developing addiction in adolescence are the most intensively studied because this life phase is associated with the highest addiction risk.

31 Mar 2011

Parkinson's disease drugs may lead to impulse control disorders

Mayo Clinic researchers found that dopamine agonists used in treating Parkinson's disease result in impulse control disorders in as many as 22 percent of patients.

25 Mar 2011

Brain's pleasure and reward circuitry gets a big boost after a sleepless night

A sleepless night can make us cranky and moody. But a lesser known side effect of sleep deprivation is short-term euphoria, which can potentially lead to poor judgment and addictive behavior, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley.

24 Mar 2011

Dopamine agonists used in treatment of Parkinson's disease may lead to impulse control disorders

Mayo Clinic researchers found that dopamine agonists used in treating Parkinson's disease result in impulse control disorders in as many as 22 percent of patients.

24 Mar 2011

Rexahn completes 33% of 300 patient enrollment in 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 enrolled 33 percent of the total projected patients required for its Phase IIb clinical trial of Serdaxin to treat major depressive disorder (MDD).

24 Mar 2011

High sugar, high fat diets during pregnancy may cause infants to become junk food junkies

A new research report published online in The FASEB Journal suggests that pregnant mothers who eat high sugar and high fat diets have babies who are likely to become junk food junkies themselves. According to the report, which used rats, this happens because the high fat and high sugar diet leads to changes in the fetal brain's reward pathway, altering food preferences.

24 Mar 2011

Researchers discover a type of 'cellular bilingualism' in brain

A team of researchers from the University of Montreal and McGill University have discovered a type of "cellular bilingualism" - a phenomenon that allows a single neuron to use two different methods of communication to exchange information.

18 Mar 2011

Gene therapy holds promise for Parkinson's treatment

A first-of-its-kind study of gene therapy in the treatment of Parkinson's disease determined that half of all patients who received the treatment had "clinically meaningful improvements" of their symptoms within six months of surgery.

17 Mar 2011

The Lancet Neurology publishes Neurologix NLX-P101 Phase 2 trial results against PD

Neurologix, Inc., announced today that the results of the Company's Phase 2 clinical trial for its novel, investigational gene therapy NLX-P101 for the treatment of Parkinson's disease were published in an online-first edition of The Lancet Neurology.

17 Mar 2011

Results from first successful phase 2 trial of gene therapy for Parkinson's or any neurologic disorder

A gene therapy called NLX-P101 dramatically reduces movement impairment in Parkinson's patients, according to results of a Phase 2 study published today in the journal Lancet Neurology. The approach introduces a gene into the brain to normalize chemical signaling.

16 Mar 2011

Euthymics Bioscience initiates EB-1010 phase 2b/3a TRIADE clinical trial for major depressive disorder

Euthymics Bioscience, Inc. today announced the initiation of an advanced clinical study of its lead product candidate EB-1010 for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). The TRIADE (Triple Reuptake Inhibitor Anti-Depressant Effects) trial is a phase 2b/3a clinical trial designed to assess the safety and efficacy of EB-1010, a novel serotonin-preferring triple reuptake inhibitor.

14 Mar 2011

NeuroDerm commences ND0611 Phase I/II trial to treat Parkinson's disease

NeuroDerm, Ltd. announced today the enrollment of the first group of patients in its Phase I/II clinical trial of ND0611, a new patch for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

9 Mar 2011

Parkinson's disease medication turns on critical gene, protects brain cells

In a major breakthrough in the battle against Parkinson's disease, researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have discovered a drug that stops the progression of the degenerative illness in mice and is now being tested in humans.

9 Mar 2011

Unique gene therapy to combat Parkinson's disease

Physicians at Rush University Medical Center are testing a unique gene therapy product called CERE-120 to evaluate if its use can improve the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Rush is one of 11 sites in the U.S. and the only site in Illinois enrolling patients into the new, double-blinded trial.

9 Mar 2011

Scientists find link between ADHD and bipolar disorders with regard to rapid mood swings

Thanks in part to a Norwegian research biobank, researchers have generated important new insight into ADHD and how the condition manifests itself. Among other things, they have found that there is some overlap between ADHD and bipolar disorders with regard to rapid mood swings.

2 Mar 2011

Brain's reward/motivation circuits linked to compulsive overeating

A brain imaging study at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory reveals a subtle difference between ordinary obese subjects and those who compulsively overeat, or binge: In binge eaters but not ordinary obese subjects, the mere sight or smell of favorite foods triggers a spike in dopamine - a brain chemical linked to reward and motivation.

1 Mar 2011

Dopamine News and Research

Further Reading

Scientists discover unknown function of dopamine in brain

Workers exposed to welding fumes may face risk of developing brain damage

Neurocrine completes NBI-98854 Phase IIa study in schizophrenia patients with dyskinesia

Food addicts appear to have high neural activity in brain

Researchers suggest link between dopamine-related genes and person's risk of addiction

Parkinson's disease drugs may lead to impulse control disorders

Brain's pleasure and reward circuitry gets a big boost after a sleepless night

Dopamine agonists used in treatment of Parkinson's disease may lead to impulse control disorders

Rexahn completes 33% of 300 patient enrollment in Serdaxin Phase IIb clinical trial for major depressive disorder

High sugar, high fat diets during pregnancy may cause infants to become junk food junkies

Researchers discover a type of 'cellular bilingualism' in brain

Gene therapy holds promise for Parkinson's treatment

The Lancet Neurology publishes Neurologix NLX-P101 Phase 2 trial results against PD

Results from first successful phase 2 trial of gene therapy for Parkinson's or any neurologic disorder

Euthymics Bioscience initiates EB-1010 phase 2b/3a TRIADE clinical trial for major depressive disorder

NeuroDerm commences ND0611 Phase I/II trial to treat Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease medication turns on critical gene, protects brain cells

Unique gene therapy to combat Parkinson's disease

Scientists find link between ADHD and bipolar disorders with regard to rapid mood swings

Brain's reward/motivation circuits linked to compulsive overeating

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

Latest News