Dopamine-deficient (DA-/-) mice were created by targeted inactivation of the tyrosine hydroxylase gene in dopaminergic neurons. The locomotor activity response of these mutants to dopamine D1 or D2 receptor agonists and l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA) was 3- to 13-fold greater than the response elicited from wild-type mice. The enhanced sensitivity of DA-/- mice to agonists was independen...

Identifying the correct cause of hyperprolactinemia is crucial for treatment. Prolactinoma is the most common pathologic cause of hyperprolactinemia. Dopamine agonists are efficacious in about 80% to 90% of patients with prolactinoma, leading to reduction of serum prolactin levels and tumor dimensions. Neurosurgery, mainly by the transsphenoidal route, is indicated in cases of intolerant and re...

Dopamine agonists are the first line treatment of prolactinomas and Parkinson’s disease. Has shown an association between the use of high doses of ergot dopamine agonists, cabergoline and pergolide, and development of clinically significant (moderate to severe) heart valve regurgitation, valvular thickening and retraction in patients with Parkinson’s disease [1,2]. Because of this, he has appea...

Opioids increase dopamine release in the brain through inhibition of GABA-A IPSCs onto dopamine cells. Immunolabeling indicates that GABA neurons in the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), also known as the tail of the ventral tegmental area, send a dense projection to midbrain dopamine neurons stain for μ-opioid receptors. There is however, little functional evidence that these neurons play...

Sir, I read with interest the manuscript by Dr Thobois and colleagues (Thobois et al., 2010), in which the authors report the occurrence of depression and apathy after deep brain stimulation surgery for Parkinson’s disease and correlate these symptoms with mesolimbic dopaminergic denervation on neuroimaging studies. I agree with the authors’ interpretation of post-surgical apathy as a drug with...

The role of dopamine in regulating spinal cord function is receiving increasing attention, but its actions on spinal motor networks responsible for rhythmic behaviors remain poorly understood. Here, we have explored the modulatory influence of dopamine on locomotory central pattern generator (CPG) circuitry in the spinal cord of premetamorphic Xenopus laevis tadpoles. Bath application of exogen...

Dopamine (DA) is one of the main catecholamines in the brain and is crucial for movement coordination, endocrine function, reward, mood, memory and emotions. The dopaminergic system is the primary therapeutic target in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD), drug addiction and schizophrenia. Notwithstanding, dysfunction of central dopaminergic neurotransmission has also been associated to de...

Dopaminergic mechanisms have been suggested to play a role in migraine. Here, electrophysiological techniques were used to study the effects of intravenously administered centrally or peripherally active dopamine receptor agonists and antagonists on evoked firing in the trigeminocervical complex (TCC). After establishing baseline firing evoked by electrical stimulation of the dural middle menin...