Dopamine News and Research

Latest Dopamine News and Research

Buck researchers identify new, potential drug targets for sporadic PD

Research at the Buck Institute shows the same mechanisms that lead to neuronal cell death in mice genetically fated to develop Parkinson's disease (PD) are involved in the much more common sporadic form of the age-related, neurodegenerative disorder that robs people of the ability to move normally.

2 Jun 2016

Vocal learning in songbirds sheds more light on developmental disorders in humans

Adult songbirds modify their vocalizations when singing to juveniles in the same way that humans alter their speech when talking to babies. The resulting brain activity in young birds could shed light on speech learning and certain developmental disorders in humans, according to a study by McGill University researchers.

1 Jun 2016

Understanding how opiates affect brain pathways to drive addiction cycle

New research by Steven Laviolette's research team at Western University is contributing to a better understanding of the ways opiate-class drugs modify brain circuits to drive the addiction cycle.

1 Jun 2016

Neurological problems can impair sexuality

Neurological disorders can impair sexuality on a much more massive scale than frequently assumed, leaving loss of desire, erection problems and infertility in their wake.

31 May 2016

New player in calcium signalling pathways acts as molecular brake to Orai activation

Information flow in cells relies on calcium as a key agent in several signalling pathways. Calcium dependent signalling is crucial in nearly every aspect of life - muscle movement, immune reactions, nerve function, light sensing and many such processes.

28 May 2016

New understanding of neurotransmitter transporter mechanism gives hope for treating depression, addicition

When nerve cells have to communicate with each other in our brains, it involves release of small signal molecules, the so-called neurotransmitters, which act as chemical messengers in specific points of contact between nerve cells, called synapses.

27 May 2016

Researchers find new clue to understanding 'chemo brain' in cancer patients

During and after chemotherapy, many cancer patients describe feeling a mental fog, a condition that has been dubbed "chemo brain." Why this happens is unclear, but researchers have found a new clue to understanding this syndrome.

26 May 2016

Increasing ghrelin levels during hunger can negatively affect decision making capabilities

Never make a decision when you are hungry. The hormone ghrelin - that is released before meals and known to increase appetite - has a negative effect on both decision making and impulse control. Such were the results of a recently conducted study at Sahlgrenska University.

10 May 2016

Oral administration of Jakinibs reduces Parkinson's disease pathogenesis in rat model

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers report the first documentation that suppressing a key cell-signaling pathway in a rat model of Parkinson's disease reduces pathogenesis. Oral administration of AZD1480 — one of the JAK/STAT pathway inhibitors generally known as Jakinibs — lessened the destructive inflammation and nerve cell degradation in the area of the brain affected by Parkinson's.

4 May 2016

Lund study shows transplanted nerve cells can survive for many years in diseased human brain

In the late 1980s and over the 1990s, researchers at Lund University in Sweden pioneered the transplantation of new nerve cells into the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease. The outcomes proved for the first time that transplanted nerve cells can survive and function in the diseased human brain. Some patients showed marked improvement after the transplantation while others showed moderate or no relief of symptoms.

4 May 2016

Nuplazid (pimavanserin) tablets approved to treat hallucinations and delusions

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Nuplazid (pimavanserin) tablets, the first drug approved to treat hallucinations and delusions associated with psychosis experienced by some people with Parkinson's disease.

30 Apr 2016

Researchers explore changes in Parkinson's-affected cells at different stages of the disease

It's an unsettling thought: You could be walking around for 20 years developing Parkinson's disease and not even know it.

29 Apr 2016

Dopamine neuron transplants controlled by designer drug may fight Parkinson's disease in mice

A University of Wisconsin-Madison neuroscientist has inserted a genetic switch into nerve cells so a patient can alter their activity by taking designer drugs that would not affect any other cell. The cells in question are neurons and make the neurotransmitter dopamine, whose deficiency is the culprit in the widespread movement disorder Parkinson's disease.

29 Apr 2016

New rat study shows specific genetic factors may contribute to differences in addiction among humans

Why does one person who tries cocaine get addicted, while another might use it and then leave it alone? Why do some people who kick a drug habit manage to stay clean, while others relapse? And why do some families seem more prone to addiction than others?

27 Apr 2016

Scientists unravel mystery of disrupted communication between brain cells in Parkinson's patients

A possible cause has been found for the disrupted communication between brain cells exhibited by Parkinson's patients. Bettina Schwab, a researcher at the University of Twente in The Netherlands, discovered that this group of patients have increased concentrations of a certain type of protein. Ms Schwab defended her doctoral dissertation on Friday 22 April.

27 Apr 2016

Brain chemical dopamine plays key role in representing or encoding movement

Princeton University researchers have found that dopamine - a brain chemical involved in learning, motivation and many other functions - also has a direct role in representing or encoding movement. The finding could help researchers better understand dopamine's role in movement-related disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

26 Apr 2016

Dopamine D2 receptor gene can prolong lifespan

Researchers at the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions have discovered how a gene in the brain's dopamine system can play an important role in prolonging lifespan: it must be coupled with a healthy environment that includes exercise.

25 Apr 2016

Researchers use BMG LABTECH's microplate readers to measure binding events in kinetic over minutes

Single reading events of a signaling molecule at a given time should no longer be considered as the only insightful indicator to predict the usefulness of a new drug candidate.

From BMG LABTECH GmbH 19 Apr 2016

Heavy marijuana use may lead to lower dopamine release in the brain

In a recent study, researchers found evidence of a compromised dopamine system in heavy users of marijuana. Lower dopamine release was found in the striatum - a region of the brain that is involved in working memory, impulsive behavior, and attention. Previous studies have shown that addiction to other drugs of abuse, such as cocaine and heroin, have similar effects on dopamine release, but such evidence for cannabis was missing until now.

16 Apr 2016

Parkinson's disease medications could lead to impulse control disorders

Drugs commonly prescribed to treat Parkinson's disease have been linked to impulse control disorders such as pathological gambling, compulsive buying, hypersexuality and binge eating in some patients, report neurologists from Loyola Medicine and Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

6 Apr 2016

Dopamine News and Research

Latest Dopamine News and Research

Buck researchers identify new, potential drug targets for sporadic PD

Vocal learning in songbirds sheds more light on developmental disorders in humans

Understanding how opiates affect brain pathways to drive addiction cycle

Neurological problems can impair sexuality

New player in calcium signalling pathways acts as molecular brake to Orai activation

New understanding of neurotransmitter transporter mechanism gives hope for treating depression, addicition

Researchers find new clue to understanding 'chemo brain' in cancer patients

Increasing ghrelin levels during hunger can negatively affect decision making capabilities

Oral administration of Jakinibs reduces Parkinson's disease pathogenesis in rat model

Lund study shows transplanted nerve cells can survive for many years in diseased human brain

Nuplazid (pimavanserin) tablets approved to treat hallucinations and delusions

Researchers explore changes in Parkinson's-affected cells at different stages of the disease

Dopamine neuron transplants controlled by designer drug may fight Parkinson's disease in mice

New rat study shows specific genetic factors may contribute to differences in addiction among humans

Scientists unravel mystery of disrupted communication between brain cells in Parkinson's patients

Brain chemical dopamine plays key role in representing or encoding movement

Dopamine D2 receptor gene can prolong lifespan

Researchers use BMG LABTECH's microplate readers to measure binding events in kinetic over minutes

Heavy marijuana use may lead to lower dopamine release in the brain

Parkinson's disease medications could lead to impulse control disorders

Quality, Patient Safety and Innovation Manager at Elsevier

How Bruker worked with the University of Manchester on mapping the dynamics of complex protein

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Dopamine News and Research

Latest Dopamine News and Research

Quality, Patient Safety and Innovation Manager at Elsevier

How Bruker worked with the University of Manchester on mapping the dynamics of complex protein

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

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