Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026

Identification of Dopamine D1-Alpha Receptor Within Rodent Nucleus Accumbens by an Innovative RNA In Situ Detection Technology
Published on: March 27, 2018
The role of D2-autoreceptors in regulating dopamine neuron activity and transmission
1Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106-4970, United States; Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106-4970, United States.
Abstract:
Dopamine D2-autoreceptors play a key role in regulating the activity of dopamine neurons and control the synthesis, release and uptake of dopamine. These Gi/o-coupled inhibitory receptors play a major part in shaping dopamine transmission. Found at both somatodendritic and axonal sites, autoreceptors regulate the firing patterns of dopamine neurons and control the timing and amount of dopamine released from their terminals in target regions. Alterations in the expression and activity of autoreceptors are thought to contribute to Parkinson's disease as well as schizophrenia, drug addiction and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which emphasizes the importance of D2-autoreceptors in regulating the dopamine system. This review will summarize the cellular actions of dopamine autoreceptors and discuss recent advances that have furthered our understanding of the mechanisms by which D2-receptors control dopamine transmission.
Related Concept Videos
Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Synthesis
Neurochemical Transmission: Sites of Drug Action
Adrenergic Neurons: Neurotransmission
Synthesis: Catecholamine synthesis requires tyrosine, which...
Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Release or Uptake
Classification of Neurotransmitters
Sympathetic Signaling
Sympathetic preganglionic fibers release the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) onto the ganglionic neurons in the...

