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.

Damaged alpha-synuclein proteins can spread in a 'prion-like' manner: Study

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, reveals that damaged alpha-synuclein proteins can spread in a 'prion-like' manner, an infection model previously described for diseases such as BSE.

20 Jan 2011

Study demonstrates role of alpha-synuclein cell-to-cell transfer in Parkinson's disease pathogenesis

The misfolding of abnormal proteins in brain cells is a key element in Parkinson's disease development. A recent study suggests that the sick proteins slowly move between cells, eventually triggering the destruction of the new host cell. The discovery could potentially lead to new therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases aimed at blocking the spread of protein misfolding throughout the brain.

19 Jan 2011

Deep brain stimulation stabilizes motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease over time

Parkinson's disease symptoms begin subtly and worsen as damage to certain brain cells continues. But an electrical stimulation device implanted deep in the brain and programmed remotely, along with medications, may provide some control of "motor symptoms" common to the disease, such as shaking, stiffness, and loss of muscle control.

19 Jan 2011

The neuroscience of musical chills

Scientists have found that the pleasurable experience of listening to music releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain important for more tangible pleasures associated with rewards such as food, drugs and sex. The new study from The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro at McGill University also reveals that even the anticipation of pleasurable music induces dopamine release [as is the case with food, drug, and sex cues].

13 Jan 2011

Unique vaccine produces long-lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice

Researchers from The Scripps Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Cornell University have produced a long-lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice by giving them a unique vaccine that combines bits of the common cold virus with a particle that mimics cocaine.

5 Jan 2011

Researchers develop unique vaccine that produces long-lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice

5 Jan 2011

Whites with mutations more likely to be susceptible to cocaine abuse

Nearly one in five whites could carry a genetic variant that substantially increases their odds of being susceptible to severe cocaine abuse, according to new research.

21 Dec 2010

Ipsen discontinues development of chimeric compound BIM 23A760 for acromegaly

Ipsen announced today that the preliminary data from the ongoing phase IIb study in patients with acromegaly for its chimeric compound BIM 23A760 does not meet the expected inhibition of growth hormone (GH) and IGF-1 levels after repeat dosing. Preliminary phase IIb data showed a strong dopaminergic activity but only weak evidence of somatostatinergic activity.

15 Dec 2010

Research sheds new light on dopamine's role in brain's reward system

Researchers have shed new light on dopamine's role in the brain's reward system, which could provide insight into impulse control problems associated with addiction and a number of psychiatric disorders.

9 Dec 2010

Rexahn presents data from Serdaxin Phase IIa study at 49th ACNP Annual Meeting

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing potential best in class oncology and central nervous system (CNS) therapeutics, today announced the presentation of data from its proof of concept study with lead CNS compound Serdaxin® at the 49th American College of Neuropsychopharmacologists (ACNP) Annual Meeting, held in Miami Beach, FL, December 5-9, 2010 at the Fountainbleau Resort.

9 Dec 2010

Sunovion reports results of Latuda third phase 3 worldwide clinical trial for schizophrenia

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced the results of the PEARL 3 study, the third phase 3 worldwide clinical trial of Latuda® (lurasidone HCl) tablets, a once-daily atypical antipsychotic agent recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. In this six-week, placebo-controlled trial, both fixed doses of LATUDA 80 and 160 mg once-daily, demonstrated statistically significant improvement in symptoms of schizophrenia versus placebo across both primary and secondary efficacy measures.

9 Dec 2010

Euthymics announces EB-1010 Phase II data for major depressive disorder at ACNP meeting

9 Dec 2010

Euthymics's EB-1010 effective in treatment of major depressive disorder: Study

Euthymics Bioscience, Inc. today will present Phase II clinical data demonstrating that its lead product candidate EB-1010, a next-generation antidepressant, is effective for treating major depressive disorder (MDD) based on multiple standard measures of outcome for depression. EB-1010 also improved measures of anhedonia, a hallmark symptom of MDD, which is characterized by the inability to experience pleasure.

9 Dec 2010

Drug prescribed for Parkinson's disease may also treat restless leg syndrome: MCG researchers

A drug prescribed for Parkinson's disease may also treat restless leg syndrome without the adverse side effects of current therapies, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.

7 Dec 2010

Genes linked to one-night stands and acts of infidelity

So, he or she has cheated on you for the umpteenth time and their only excuse is: "I just can't help it." According to researchers at Binghamton University, they may be right. The propensity for infidelity could very well be in their DNA.

1 Dec 2010

Clinicians should assess sleep-wake disturbances to understand physiology of Parkinson's disease

Nearly three-quarters of patients with Parkinson's disease experience fatigue or excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), but clinicians should assess both problems separately in order to improve the profession's understanding of their distinct, but overlapping, physiology. That is the key finding of a study published in the December issue of the European Journal of Neurology.

1 Dec 2010

New brain imaging technique can trace effects of SYN115 drug in Parkinson's disease

Neuroscientists using a new brain imaging technique could see an investigational drug for Parkinson's disease get into a patient's brain and affect blood flow in several key structures, an indicator the drug may be effective.

1 Dec 2010

Cyrenaic announces results of CYR-101 Phase IIa clinical trial for schizophrenia

Cyrenaic Pharmaceuticals Inc. a private drug development company focused on the treatment of CNS disorders, today announced Phase IIa clinical results for CYR-101, its novel investigational drug for the treatment of schizophrenia. The results from the study showed that the drug alleviated the symptoms of the disease, including the negative and cognitive symptoms.

30 Nov 2010

CAMH neuroscientists develop novel protein peptide for targeted treatment of depression

Neuroscientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have developed a protein peptide that may be a novel type of highly targeted treatment for depression with a low side-effect profile. Depression affects one in ten Canadians at some time in their lives and is a leading cause of disability worldwide.

30 Nov 2010

XenoPort receives grant from Michael J. Fox Foundation to support Parkinson's disease therapies

XenoPort, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to support a preclinical study of the efficacy and safety of a novel, orally administered prodrug of acamprosate in reducing L-Dopa induced dyskinesias (LID) in a pre-clinical model of Parkinson's disease.

24 Nov 2010

Dopamine News and Research

Further Reading

Damaged alpha-synuclein proteins can spread in a 'prion-like' manner: Study

Study demonstrates role of alpha-synuclein cell-to-cell transfer in Parkinson's disease pathogenesis

Deep brain stimulation stabilizes motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease over time

The neuroscience of musical chills

Unique vaccine produces long-lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice

Researchers develop unique vaccine that produces long-lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice

Whites with mutations more likely to be susceptible to cocaine abuse

Ipsen discontinues development of chimeric compound BIM 23A760 for acromegaly

Research sheds new light on dopamine's role in brain's reward system

Rexahn presents data from Serdaxin Phase IIa study at 49th ACNP Annual Meeting

Sunovion reports results of Latuda third phase 3 worldwide clinical trial for schizophrenia

Euthymics announces EB-1010 Phase II data for major depressive disorder at ACNP meeting

Euthymics's EB-1010 effective in treatment of major depressive disorder: Study

Drug prescribed for Parkinson's disease may also treat restless leg syndrome: MCG researchers

Genes linked to one-night stands and acts of infidelity

Clinicians should assess sleep-wake disturbances to understand physiology of Parkinson's disease

New brain imaging technique can trace effects of SYN115 drug in Parkinson's disease

Cyrenaic announces results of CYR-101 Phase IIa clinical trial for schizophrenia

CAMH neuroscientists develop novel protein peptide for targeted treatment of depression

XenoPort receives grant from Michael J. Fox Foundation to support Parkinson's disease therapies

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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