Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026
07:56
A Plate-Based Assay for the Measurement of Endogenous Monoamine Release in Acute Brain Slices
Published on: August 11, 2021
Catecholamine/Serotonin interactions: systems thinking for brain function and disease
Julie G Hensler1, Francesc Artigas, Analía Bortolozzi
1Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Advances in Pharmacology (San Diego, Calif.)
|September 24, 2013
Summary
This research explores how monoamine neurotransmission impacts central nervous system disorders like schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease. Targeting specific transporters and receptors offers new therapeutic avenues for cognitive deficits and motor symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Complex central nervous system diseases involve intricate monoamine pathways.
- Schizophrenia's cognitive and negative symptoms are linked to prefrontal cortex (PFC) dopaminergic hypofunction.
- Parkinson's disease involves nigrostriatal dopaminergic neuron degeneration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review integrative approaches for treating central nervous system disorders.
- To explore novel therapeutic targets for schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, and depression.
- To understand how monoamine interactions influence disease pathophysiology.
Main Methods:
- Review of current research on neurotransmitter systems and disease.
- Analysis of dopaminergic, noradrenergic, and serotonergic pathways.
- Investigation of transporter proteins (e.g., norepinephrine transporter, organic cation transporters) as drug targets.
Main Results:
- Noradrenergic and serotonergic targets show promise for improving schizophrenia symptoms.
- Understanding dopamine clearance mechanisms may enhance Parkinson's treatment with l-DOPA.
- Novel transporter targets offer potential for improved antidepressant therapies.
Conclusions:
- Integrated understanding of monoamine systems is crucial for CNS disease treatment.
- Targeting specific transporters and receptors can address core symptoms across different neurological disorders.
- Future therapies may focus on symptom dimensions rather than disease classification.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Release or Uptake
Certain drugs can affect how neurotransmitters called catecholamines, are released or taken back up in the adrenergic neuron. They can have different effects on the body's sympathetic transmission. Reserpine, a natural compound found in the Rauwolfia shrub, blocks a transporter called vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT), which leads to a buildup of catecholamines in the cell and reduces sympathetic transmission. Another drug called guanethidine works in multiple ways, including blocking...
01:31Neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters are essential chemical messengers within the nervous system, facilitating the communication between neurons. These chemical messengers, varying in function and effect, are critical for sustaining various aspects of neurological health and emotional well-being.
01:29Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Synthesis
Drugs affecting neurotransmitter synthesis can impact the adrenergic neuron and the synthesis of neurotransmitters. For example, α-methyltyrosine and carbidopa target specific enzymes involved in catecholamine synthesis. α-methyltyrosine inhibits the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase, which converts tyrosine into dopamine. By blocking this enzyme, α-methyltyrosine reduces dopamine production and other catecholamines. Carbidopa, on the other hand, inhibits the enzyme dopa decarboxylase, which converts...
01:26Neurochemical Transmission: Sites of Drug Action
Neurochemical transmission, the conduction of electrical impulses between neurons mediated by neurotransmitters, plays a vital role in various physiological processes. Autonomic drugs exert their effects by modulating neurotransmission within the autonomic nervous system. For instance, drugs such as hemicholinium block the precursor uptake necessary for synthesizing acetylcholine, an essential autonomic neurotransmitter. Following synthesis, neurotransmitters are stored in vesicles. Metyrosine...
01:30Introduction to Biological Bases of Psychology
Biopsychology serves as a vital bridge connecting the intricate domains of biology and psychology, shedding light on how biological systems influence psychological phenomena. This field scrutinizes the biological substrates of behavior and mental processes, emphasizing the nervous system along with the roles of neurotransmitters, hormones, and genetics. It also incorporates evolutionary perspectives to explain the adaptive nature of mental functions.
The nervous system, the cornerstone of...
The nervous system, the cornerstone of...
01:29Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters
When an action potential reaches the presynaptic axon terminal, it releases neurotransmitters from the neuron into the synaptic cleft at a chemical synapse. The released neurotransmitter can be excitatory or inhibitory. The critical criteria commonly used to determine whether a molecule is a neurotransmitter at a chemical synapse are the molecule's presence in the presynaptic neuron. Second, its release is in response to strong presynaptic depolarization. And lastly, the presence of specific...