BACKGROUND Although most studies have suggested an increased risk of valvulopathy (primarily regurgitation) with pergolide mesylate use, one study suggested that this problem may also occur with use of the non-ergot-derived dopamine agonists pramipexole dihydrochloride and ropinirole hydrochloride. OBJECTIVE To determine if cardiac valve regurgitation occurs more commonly in patients with Par...

It would seem established beyond peradventure that dopamine is formed in the kidney from circulating L-dopa. The likely site would appear to be the renal tubular cells but the contribution of the renal dopaminergic nerves needs further evaluation. Moreover it is probably that dopamine formed within the kidney acts there on specific receptors. This results in vasodilatation of renal blood vessel...

Neurotransmitter transporters play an important role in maintaining synaptic homeostasis and in the actions of many drugs. Utilizing a technique for measuring the kinetics (synthesis, degradation, and half-life) of the dopamine transporter (DAT) protein in the rat striatum and nucleus accumbens, we have investigated the effects of systemic administration of dopamine receptor agonists and antago...

Pathological behaviors such as problem gambling or shopping are characterized by compulsive choice despite alternative options and negative costs. Reinforcement learning algorithms allow a computation of prediction error, a comparison of actual and expected outcomes, which updates our predictions and influences our subsequent choices. Using a reinforcement learning model, we show data consisten...

Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by movement abnormalities, is frequently complicated by psychiatric syndromes. Psychiatric symptoms may be the direct result of PD, its co-morbid pathologies, or occur as a side effect of its pharmacotherapy. Pramipexole, like other dopamine agonists for treating Parkinson's disease , has a tendency to induce psychotic and manic sy...

Prolactinomas are a frequent cause of gonadal dysfunction and infertility, especially in women. Dopamine agonists are first-line therapy and their efficacy in the treatment of prolactinomas is well established. Current challenges related to the management of prolactinomas remain in the recurrence of the disease after withdrawal of dopamine agonists, the potential of increased risk of cardiac va...

Trace-amine associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) is the best-characterized member of the family of TAARs. TAAR1 is broadly expressed in the brain, especially within the monoaminergic systems. Evidence from electrophysiological and neurochemical studies evaluating the effects of genetic and pharmacological interventions on TAAR1 revealed that TAAR1 modulates transmission of monoamines, especially dopam...

Schizophrenia is a severe disorder of personality which has a genetic basis. Schizophrenia arises from a change in brain development. There is no strong evidence that disturbances in neurotransmitter systems are a primary cause. Anti-psychotic drugs act primarily through D2 and D3 dopamine receptors. The atypical drug clozapine may act through a number of different receptors, including D2, D3 a...

The effects of dopamine receptor agonists on the levels of the striatal serotonin 5-HT2A receptor and its mRNA were investigated in rats lesioned with 6-OHDA as neonates. The mRNA encoding for the 5-HT2A receptor was detected by in situ hybridization histochemistry and the binding of 5-HT2A receptors was revealed with [125I](2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)2-aminopropane ([125I]DOI). In adult contro...