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.

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals' Phase IIa clinical results of Serdaxin for MDD: Additional insights

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing potential best in class oncology and central nervous system (CNS) therapeutics, today offered additional commentary, clarifications and insights on yesterday's announcement of its Phase IIa clinical results of Serdaxin® in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD).

15 Apr 2010

Synosia Therapeutics presents data from phase 2a clinical study of SYN-115 in PD

Synosia Therapeutics today announced the presentation of data from a phase 2a clinical study of the company's adenosine 2a receptor antagonist (SYN-115) in Parkinson's disease. The data demonstrate that SYN-115 significantly improves measures of motor and non-motor function in patients with Parkinson's disease either alone or in combination with levodopa.

15 Apr 2010

Phase IIa clinical trial results of Serdaxin for treatment of MDD

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing potential best in class oncology and central nervous system therapeutics, today announced clinical results with its investigational new drug, Serdaxin®for the treatment of major depressive disorder.

15 Apr 2010

Study supports use of Fisher Wallace Cranial Stimulator for treating depression, anxiety and insomnia

Fisher Wallace Laboratories today announced the results of a brain stimulation study involving the Fisher Wallace Cranial Stimulator, a portable medical device that treats depression, anxiety and insomnia. The study, published in The Neuroscientist and authored by Dr. Felipe Fregni, assistant professor in neurology at Harvard Medical School, analyzes a decade's worth of research on the brain stimulation technology used by the Fisher Wallace Cranial Stimulator.

13 Apr 2010

Parents lack understanding of causes, signs and symptoms of dehydration in children

Dehydration is a condition that can have a significant impact on children and, if left untreated, may lead to serious complications and hospitalization. A national survey of more than 800 parents with children between the ages of one month and 10 years found that three out of five parents reported needing to know more information about dehydration, such as when to see a physician, warning signs, and treatment, if their child became sick - pointing to a greater need for awareness and education around the condition and its treatment.

From Baxter International Inc. 8 Apr 2010

Non-conscious, learning systems of the brain simpler and evolutionarily older, study substantiates

A new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet provides evidence that basic human learning systems use areas of the brain that also exist in the most primitive vertebrates, such as certain fish, reptiles and amphibians. The study involved an investigation into the limbic striatum, one of the evolutionarily oldest parts of the brain, and the ability to learn movements, consciously and unconsciously, through repetition.

7 Apr 2010

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals submits Phase II protocol for study of Serdaxin in treatment of PD

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company commercializing potential best in class oncology and CNS therapeutics, today announced that it has submitted a Phase II protocol to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the clinical study of Serdaxin® for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD).

5 Apr 2010

"Mouse model" study finds LRRK2 gene mutation may cause inherited Parkinson's disease

2 Apr 2010

Pramipexole ER uptake to be inhibited by availability of generic version

HealthLeaders-InterStudy and Fingertip Formulary find that the uptake of Boehringer Ingelheim's pramipexole ER, the once-daily formulation of its market leading dopamine agonist Mirapex that was approved earlier this month, will be inhibited by competition from generic pramipexole which became available earlier this year.

1 Apr 2010

Insight into how mutations in LRRK2 gene may cause familial Parkinson's disease

Using new one-of-a-kind "mouse models" that promise to have a significant impact on future Parkinson's disease research, Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers are among the first to discover how mutations in a gene called LRRK2 may cause inherited (or "familial") Parkinson's disease, the most common form of the disease. The study, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, is the first in vivo evidence that LRRK2 regulates dopamine transmission and controls motor performance, and that the mutation of LRRK2 eliminates the normal function of LRRK2, leading to Parkinson's disease.

1 Apr 2010

Unrestricted availability of food can trigger overconsumption and obesity

Some of the same brain mechanisms that fuel drug addiction in humans accompany the emergence of compulsive eating behaviors and the development of obesity in animals, according to research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health.

29 Mar 2010

Addiction to high calorie fat rich food: likened to cocaine and heroin addiction

In a new research our worst fears are confirmed – fatty, fried and fattening foods are addictive. The addiction with these delicious ‘yummies’ may be as potent as that with cocaine or heroin. The study was conducted on experimental animals, rats in this case. When fed with fatty foods in great quantities these rats showed a compulsive need to eat.

29 Mar 2010

Study provides new clues to obesity epidemic

In a newly published study, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have shown for the first time that the same molecular mechanisms that drive people into drug addiction are behind the compulsion to overeat, pushing people into obesity.

29 Mar 2010

Study: Cell-based strategy for treating neurodegenerative diseases

UCSF scientists have used a novel cell-based strategy to treat motor symptoms in rats with a disease designed to mimic Parkinson's disease.

26 Mar 2010

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals commences second Phase III study of NicVAX for treating nicotine addiction

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals announced that it has initiated the second of two pivotal Phase III clinical trials for NicVAX® (Nicotine Conjugate Vaccine), the company's innovative and proprietary vaccine to treat nicotine addiction and prevent smoking relapse. The FDA has agreed with Nabi on the study design, protocol and end points through a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA). The SPA forms a basic foundation to support approval of a New Drug Application. The Company also received scientific advice from the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) that confirms and supports the trial protocol.

17 Mar 2010

Differences in brain's reward system may underlie vulnerability to psychopathy: Study

Normal individuals who scored high on a measure of impulsive/antisocial traits display a hypersensitive brain reward system, according to a brain imaging study by researchers at Vanderbilt University. The findings provide the first evidence of differences in the brain's reward system that may underlie vulnerability to what's typically referred to as psychopathy.

16 Mar 2010

Ipsen commences dosing in two BIM 23A760 phase II studies for neuroendocrine tumors and acromegaly

Ipsen announced today the initiation of dosing in two phase II clinical studies to evaluate efficacy and safety of BIM 23A760 in two groups of patients, one suffering from carcinoid syndrome due to neuroendocrine tumors, the other from acromegaly.

15 Mar 2010

Ampicillin activates torsinA, improves cell function to reduce movement disorders

Discovery of an antibiotic's capacity to improve cell function in laboratory tests is providing movement disorder researchers with leads to more desirable molecules with potentially similar traits, according to University of Alabama scientists co-authoring a paper publishing March 10 in the journal Disease Models & Mechanisms.

11 Mar 2010

DSPA's lurasidone NDA accepted for FDA review

Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently accepted for review the lurasidone New Drug Application (NDA) for the treatment of patients with acute schizophrenia. The NDA was submitted to FDA on December 30, 2009 and will receive a standard review.

10 Mar 2010

Scientists show Ritalin boosts cognitive abilities by enhancing brain plasticity

Doctors treat millions of children with Ritalin every year to improve their ability to focus on tasks, but scientists now report that Ritalin also directly enhances the speed of learning.

8 Mar 2010

Dopamine News and Research

Further Reading

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals' Phase IIa clinical results of Serdaxin for MDD: Additional insights

Synosia Therapeutics presents data from phase 2a clinical study of SYN-115 in PD

Phase IIa clinical trial results of Serdaxin for treatment of MDD

Study supports use of Fisher Wallace Cranial Stimulator for treating depression, anxiety and insomnia

Parents lack understanding of causes, signs and symptoms of dehydration in children

Non-conscious, learning systems of the brain simpler and evolutionarily older, study substantiates

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals submits Phase II protocol for study of Serdaxin in treatment of PD

"Mouse model" study finds LRRK2 gene mutation may cause inherited Parkinson's disease

Pramipexole ER uptake to be inhibited by availability of generic version

Insight into how mutations in LRRK2 gene may cause familial Parkinson's disease

Unrestricted availability of food can trigger overconsumption and obesity

Addiction to high calorie fat rich food: likened to cocaine and heroin addiction

Study provides new clues to obesity epidemic

Study: Cell-based strategy for treating neurodegenerative diseases

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals commences second Phase III study of NicVAX for treating nicotine addiction

Differences in brain's reward system may underlie vulnerability to psychopathy: Study

Ipsen commences dosing in two BIM 23A760 phase II studies for neuroendocrine tumors and acromegaly

Ampicillin activates torsinA, improves cell function to reduce movement disorders

DSPA's lurasidone NDA accepted for FDA review

Scientists show Ritalin boosts cognitive abilities by enhancing brain plasticity

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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