Dopamine News and Research

Latest Dopamine News and Research

Jumping genes help make functional brain cells in a lab dish

The process of making functional brain cells in a lab dish requires the precise activation of selfish genetic elements known as LINE-1 (L1) retrotransposons.

26 Mar 2020

Research team identifies a molecule that directs neurons

The habenula is a small region at the centre of the brain, but is crucial for people's lives. It is made up of groups of nerve cells that control the "neurotransmitters" of the brain, that is to say substances like dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin.

24 Mar 2020

How Ritalin works: focus on benefits rather than costs of work

A new study published in the journal Science shows that brain stimulant drugs like Ritalin, often used to treat concentration problems in conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), work in a different way than commonly thought.

19 Mar 2020

Psychosis may be caused by problems with specialized nerve cells

A new Japanese study in mice published in the journal Nature indicates that the cause of the profound mental disturbance termed psychosis could be due to defects in the functioning of specialized nerve cells deep inside the brain, and due to some types of learning behavior. This could help understand how delusions arise in psychosis or schizophrenia, and eventually to develop therapies for these conditions.

18 Mar 2020

Study provides new insights into brain evolution

Their researches on the lamprey brain has enabled researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden to push the birth of the cortex back in time by some 300 million years to over 500 million years ago, providing new insights into brain evolution.

16 Mar 2020

NTHU research team develops new treatment for Parkinson’s disease

Ultrasound is widely used for conducting physical examinations, and plans are underway for expanding its application to the treatment of Parkinson's disease, dementia, and diabetes.

12 Mar 2020

Study sheds new light on the neurobiology of starvation in patients with anorexia nervosa

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have discovered differences in brain circuitry that contribute to starvation and weight loss in people with anorexia nervosa

12 Mar 2020

How effective is Gabapentin in alcohol use disorder?

A new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine in March 2020 reports the striking efficacy of the drug gabapentin in helping people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) with their alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

9 Mar 2020

Scientists map novel structure of so-called 'neurotransmitter: sodium symporter’

A novel structure of a so-called 'neurotransmitter: sodium symporter’ has been mapped at the University of Copenhagen.

6 Mar 2020

Researchers uncover novel neurotransmitter system in the brain

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that transmit signals between neurons or from neurons to other cells. They interact with specific receptors found in the brain of humans and animals, controlling a variety of biological processes, e.g. fear, anger, pleasure, memory, energy, appetite and sleep.

5 Mar 2020

Fatty nutrients control certain neurons in the reward circuit

Energy-dense food, obesity and compulsive food intake bordering addiction: the scientific literature has been pointing to connections between these for years.

5 Mar 2020

Researchers identify mechanism that explains why women experience more pain than men

Imagine taking a pill to control your pain and, instead, the medication actually increases the pain you feel.

5 Mar 2020

Smartphone users have more headaches, find less relief from the medication

A new study published in the March 2020 issue of the journal Neurology Clinical Practice reports that smartphone use by people who have headaches is associated with greater use of medication but less relief, compared to those who do not use smartphones when they have headaches. This does not prove that smartphone use is responsible for the increased need for drugs or the relative intractability of the headaches, but shows a linkage.

4 Mar 2020

Antidepressant shows promise in helping men with recurrent prostate cancer

An antidepressant in use for decades, repurposed to fight prostate cancer, shows promise in helping patients whose disease has returned following surgery or radiation, a pilot study at USC shows.

4 Mar 2020

Experimental drug offers hope for improving movement symptoms of Parkinson's

Results from a study looking at an experimental drug to tackle the debilitating side effect of dyskinesia, have offered hope that it may have potential as a future treatment for people with Parkinson's.

2 Mar 2020

Renishaw completes main part of Phase 1-2 clinical trial along with Herantis Pharma for treatment of Parkinson’s disease

Global engineering technologies company, Renishaw, announces that its award-winning intraparenchymal drug delivery device, has played a critical role in a joint Phase 1-2 clinical study with Herantis Pharma plc, for the investigation of cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF)as a treatment for Parkinson's disease.

27 Feb 2020

Renishaw Announces Completion of the Main Part of a Multi-Centre Clinical Trial Jointly Undertaken with Herantis Pharma plc for the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease Patients

Renishaw, announces that its drug delivery device has played a critical role in the investigation CDNF as a treatment for Parkinson's disease.

From Renishaw plc - Additive Manufacturing for Healthcare Applications 26 Feb 2020

Promising molecule could stop or slow Parkinson’s

A promising molecule has offered hope for a new treatment that could stop or slow Parkinson’s, something no treatment can currently do.

14 Feb 2020

New study may lead to better treatments for Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a long-term (chronic) neurological condition that affects around 12,000 people in Ireland and between 7 and 10 million people worldwide. The disease affects the way the brain co-ordinates body movements like walking and talking, but cognitive abilities are also affected.

13 Feb 2020

Light-activated protein restores mitochondrion function in fruit fly model of Parkinson’s disease

A light-sensitive protein can restore mitochondria function in fruit flies bearing a gene mutation associated with Parkinson’s disease and relieve its symptoms, report researchers at Juntendo University in the journal Communications Biology.

13 Feb 2020