Since the year 2000, prospective dental students at Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria, have undergone both theoretical and practical preadmission exams, called the Dental Admission Test (DAT). The aim of this investigation was to assess the suitability and outcome of this selection practice. Five classes from 2001 to 2005 (N=97; forty-three female, fifty-four male) were retrospec...

Mice lacking the dopamine transporter (DAT-/-) are characterized by high extracellular dopamine levels and spontaneous hyperlocomotion. We performed a detailed analysis of the behavioural phenotype of DAT-/- mice in order to identify other behavioural impairments associated with the hyperdopaminergic tone of these mutant mice. In particular, we investigated locomotor activity, exploration, and ...

There is debate regarding the integrity of semantic memory in dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). One view argues that DAT is associated with a breakdown in semantic memory; the other argues that DAT is associated with predominantly preserved semantic memory and a breakdown in retrieval. The classic release from proactive interference (RPI) paradigm was used to shed light on this debate. Indi...

Uptake through the dopamine transporter (DAT) represents the primary mechanism used to terminate dopaminergic transmission in brain. Although it is well known that dopamine (DA) taken up by the transporter is used to replenish synaptic vesicle stores for subsequent release, the molecular details of this mechanism are not completely understood. Here, we identified the synaptic vesicle protein sy...

The dopamine transporter (DAT) plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence (AD) and major depression (MD), and males have more risk factors for the development of AD. However, imaging studies on brain DAT availability in males with AD comorbid with MD (AD/MD) are limited, and the association of DAT availability with cognitive function and depressive scores in patients with AD...

The dopamine transporter (DAT) terminates dopamine (DA) neurotransmission by reuptake of DA into presynaptic neurons. Regulation of DA uptake by D(2) dopamine receptors (D(2)R) has been reported. The high affinity of DA and other DAT substrates for the D(2)R, however, has complicated investigation of the intracellular mechanisms mediating this effect. The present studies used the fluorescent DA...

Although many schools use scores on the Dental Admission Test (DAT) to evaluate applicants, the association of these scores with students' performance on Part I of the National Board Dental Examinations (NBDE) has not been recently evaluated. In this study, the hypothesis that the DAT scores would be a significant predictor of Part I of the NBDE scores was tested. We analyzed by multiple regres...

Despite the critical role of the presynaptic dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT, SLC6A3) in DA clearance and psychostimulant responses, evidence that DAT dysfunction supports risk for mental illness is indirect. Recently, we identified a rare, nonsynonymous Slc6a3 variant that produces the DAT substitution Ala559Val in two male siblings who share a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disor...

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AHA) is a common complication in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The UK LRF CLL4 trial is the largest prospective trial in CLL to examine the prognostic impact of both a positive direct antiglobulin test (DAT) and AHA. Seven-hundred seventy-seven patients were randomized to receive chlorambucil or fludarabine, alone or with cyclophosphamide (FC). The incidence p...

The profound alterations produced by cocaine on dopamine (DA) neurotransmission raise the possibility that dopamine transporter (DAT)-expressing neurons may modify DA transport in response to repeated cocaine exposure to maintain the appropriate efficiency of DA clearance. In this study, we determined the changes in molecular mechanisms of DAT regulation in rats with a history of repeated cocai...