OBJECTIVE Dopamine exists in the immune system and has obvious immunomodulating action. However, receptor mechanism underlying the dopamine immunomodulation remains to be clarified. In the present study, we provide the evidence for existence of dopamine receptor subtypes in T lymphocytes and show the roles of the receptors and the receptor-coupled signaling in mediating the dopamine immunomodul...

BACKGROUND In auditory fear conditioning, the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA) integrates a conditioned stimulus (CS) from the auditory thalamus (MGN) and the auditory association cortex (Te3) with an aversive unconditioned stimulus. The thalamic input provides a basic version of the CS, while the cortical input provides a processed representation of the stimulus. Dopamine (DA) is released ...

Quercetin, a biot1avonoid (100-300 mg/kg) produced dose dependent increase in tail-flick latency, the analgesic effect bei ng sensitive to reversa l by naloxone (1 mg/kg) . Prior trea tment with haloperidol (I mg/kg), 0 1/02 receptor antagoni st haloperidol , sulpiridc (50 mg/kg), a selective O2 receptor antagonist, yohimbine (5 mg/kg), a a2-adrenoreceptor antagoni st but not by SCH 23390 a, se...

To characterize the signaling pathway by which the neurotransmitter dopamine modulates progesterone receptor (PR) activation, the steroid-dependent behavior lordosis was used in estrogen-primed ovariectomized Sprague-Dawley rats with stereotaxic implanted third ventricle cannulas. Lordosis was observed in response to solicitous males in females after central administration of the D1-like agonis...

Low-dose intravenous cocaine administration to pregnant rabbits causes permanent structural alterations in dopamine-rich cerebral cortical areas, substantially reduced dopamine D1 receptor coupling to G(s)-protein, and deficits in cognitive function. The developmental influences of reduced D1-G(s) coupling and the underlying cellular basis are unknown. Using primary neuronal cultures derived fr...

Dopaminergic inputs to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are important for the integration of neuronal signals, the formation of working memory, and the establishment of memory fields. A detailed characterization of cellular mechanisms underlying the effects of dopamine on PFC is still emerging. We have examined how dopamine affects excitatory synaptic transmission in the PFC using whole-cell patch-c...

The amygdala and dopaminergic innervation thereunto are considered to cooperatively regulate emotional states and behaviors. The present experiments examined effects of dopamine on lateral amygdala (LA) neuron excitability by whole cell recordings. Bath application of dopamine induced slow afterdepolarization (sADP). This sADP lasted for >5 s, and its magnitude varied in a concentration-depende...

Dopamine (DA) and other neurotransmitters affect nonneuronal tissues in insects by circulating in the hemolymph. In several organisms, DA has been shown to modulate distinct aspects of cardiac function but the signal transduction pathways that mediate dopaminergic effects on the heart are not well characterized. Here, we used a semiintact Drosophila melanogaster larva preparation and drugs targ...

Dopamine (DA) plays a crucial role in the modulation of striatal function. Striatal cholinergic interneurons represent an important synaptic target of dopaminergic fibers arising from the substantia nigra and cortical glutamatergic inputs. By means of an electrophysiological approach from corticostriatal slices, we isolated three distinct synaptic inputs to cholinergic interneurons: glutamate-m...