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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Comprehensive Profiling of Dopamine Regulation in Substantia Nigra and Ventral Tegmental Area
Published on: August 10, 2012
Do dopamine receptors mediate part of MAC?
Yasumasa Tanifuji1, Yi Zhang, Mark Liao
1Department of Anesthesia, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0464, USA.
Dopamine receptors do not mediate the immobility caused by inhaled anesthetics. Blocking dopamine transmission with droperidol did not alter the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of various anesthetics in rats.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Anesthesiology
Background:
- Central nervous system catecholamines, like dopamine, influence the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of inhaled anesthetics.
- Dopamine's role in MAC suggests potential mediation by dopamine receptors in anesthetic-induced immobility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether D2 dopamine receptors mediate the immobility produced by inhaled anesthetics.
- To determine the effect of blocking dopamine transmission on MAC.
Main Methods:
- Rats were administered droperidol to block D2 dopamine receptors.
- The effect on the MAC of cyclopropane, desflurane, halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane was measured.
- The impact on etomidate's immobility-inducing dose was also assessed.
Main Results:
- Droperidol blockade of D2 dopamine receptors did not decrease the MAC of tested inhaled anesthetics.
- Droperidol did not alter the effective dose of etomidate for immobility.
Conclusions:
- Dopamine receptors (D1 and D2) do not appear to mediate the immobility induced by inhaled anesthetics.
- These findings challenge the hypothesis that dopamine pathways are involved in anesthetic immobility.
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