Dopamine News and Research

Latest Dopamine News and Research

Human drugs alter cricket personality

Crickets that are exposed to human drugs that alter serotonin levels in the brain are less active and less aggressive than crickets that have had no drug exposure, according to a new study led by researchers from Linköping University. The findings have been published in Scientific Reports.

18 Nov 2018

Inhibition of one protein clears toxic clumps seen in Parkinson's disease, study finds

A defining feature of Parkinson's disease is the clumps of alpha-synuclein protein that accumulate in the brain's motor control area, destroying dopamine-producing neurons.

14 Nov 2018

Stem cells transplanted for treatment of Parkinson’s disease

Japanese researchers have last week transplanted stem cells into a patient’s brain as part of an experimental therapy for Parkinson’s disease. The team at Kyoto University used induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells for their procedure. These iPS cells have the capacity to turn into any cell in the body.

11 Nov 2018

Study of gaze fixation in monkeys reveals role of dopamine neurons in response inhibition

A University of Tsukuba-led study of gaze fixation in monkeys and their refusal to redirect the gaze onto a target in return for a reward reveals that dopamine neurons are key to inhibiting preplanned actions.

8 Nov 2018

Predictive model could improve sepsis care

Researchers from MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital have developed a predictive model that could guide clinicians in deciding when to give potentially life-saving drugs to patients being treated for sepsis in the emergency room.

7 Nov 2018

NIH increases funding through the BRAIN Initiative

The National Institutes of Health announces funding of more than 200 new awards, totaling over $220 million, through the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative, an exciting trans-agency effort to arm researchers with revolutionary tools to fundamentally understand the neural circuits that underlie the healthy and diseased brain.

2 Nov 2018

Dopamine neurons play role in reinforcing addictive effects of heroin

Scientists have made a major advance in untangling the brain circuits that lead to the powerful addictive effects of heroin, a study in the open-access journal eLife reports.

30 Oct 2018

Study reveals safety, efficacy of brexpiprazole for schizophrenia patients with severe psychotic symptoms

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and H. Lundbeck A/S announced study results on the safety and efficacy of brexpiprazole in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia experiencing severe psychotic symptoms during an acute episode. The data will be presented at the upcoming Psych Congress, held in Orlando from October 25-28, 2018.

26 Oct 2018

Alcohol changes the molecular basis of memory formation

A new study has shown how alcohol consumption fuels addiction by hijacking a conserved memory pathway in the brain and changing memory formation.

25 Oct 2018

Kessler Foundation fellow receives award to explore behavioral patterns in children with ADHD

Joman Y. Natsheh, MD, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in Pediatric Neuroscience and Neuropsychology Research at Kessler Foundation, has received a $13,500 pilot award from Texas Woman's University, Woodcock Institute for the Advancement of Neurocognitive Research and Applied Practice.

24 Oct 2018

Cocaine overdoses on the rise with fentanyl combo flooding the market

According to the figures from Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) there has been a sharp up-rise in the cocaine overdose over the last two years. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has also said there has been an inflow of Columbian cocaine into the United States.

24 Oct 2018

Scientists discover primary, direct target of alcohol in the brain

When alcohol enters the brain, it causes neurons in a specialized region called the ventral tegmental area, or VTA -- also known as the "pleasure center" -- to release dopamine, a neurotransmitter that produces those feel-good sensations, and tells the brain that whatever it just experienced is worth getting more of.

23 Oct 2018

Father’s exposure to nicotine may cause cognitive deficits in descendants

A father’s exposure to nicotine may cause cognitive deficits in his children and even grandchildren, according to a study in mice publishing on October 16 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Pradeep Bhide of Florida State University in Tallahassee and colleagues.

19 Oct 2018

Study: Alterations in genes encoding proteins contribute to ADHD development

A team from I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University together with foreign colleagues analyzed the genomes of several families that have members with ADHD.

12 Oct 2018

Scientists reprogram mature inhibitory neurons into dopaminergic cells

Attempting to make dopamine-producing neurons out of glial cells in mouse brains, a group of researchers instead converted mature inhibitory neurons into dopaminergic cells.

12 Oct 2018

Study: Brain's neurons are more changeable in adulthood than previously thought

UT Southwestern researchers attempting to transform supporting brain cells into neurons instead reprogrammed mature inhibitory neurons into a different type of neuron that creates the neurotransmitter lost in Parkinson's disease.

12 Oct 2018

New transgenic mouse model sheds light on biological causes of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that presents clinically with abnormal movement and tremors at rest.

12 Oct 2018

Change in short-term beliefs related to dopamine function, study shows

For the first time, scientists have been able to image brain activity when people change their short-term beliefs, and to relate this brain activity to dopamine function in humans.

9 Oct 2018

Poor self-esteem associated with increased risk for opioid use

Health, family and romance problems appear to be the particular life stressors most associated with increased risk for using opioids to cope, and individuals with low self-esteem appear to be at risk for these connections, according to a new paper including researchers at Binghamton University, State University at New York.

3 Oct 2018

Fruit fly protein shows protective effect on dopamine-producing neurons

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects dopamine-producing or dopaminergic neurons. The progressive loss of these neurons is what leads to impairment in movement coordination in those suffering from the illness.

3 Oct 2018