here is considerable evidence that dopamine D2 receptors can modulate AMPA receptor-mediated neurotoxicity. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this process remains essentially unclear. Here we report that D2 receptors inhibit AMPA-mediated neurotoxicity through two pathways: the activation of phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI-3K) and downregulation of AMPA receptor plasma membrane expressi...

The dopamine D2 receptors were investigated in vivo in eight neuroleptic-free patients with persistent tardive dyskinesia using positron emission tomography and 76Br-bromospiperone. The striatal receptor density, estimated by the striatum/cerebellum radioligand concentration ratio, was not elevated in patients as compared with age-matched controls but was positively correlated with the severity...

The serine/threonine kinase Akt is a downstream target of dopamine receptor signaling that is inhibited/dephosphorylated in response to direct and indirect dopamine receptor agonists. Although pharmacological studies uncovered the involvement of D2-class dopamine receptors in Akt regulation, they did not identify the role of individual receptor subtypes in this process. Here we used knock-out m...

BACKGROUND Variation of the gene coding for D2 receptors (DRD2) has been associated with risk for schizophrenia and with working memory deficits. A functional intronic SNP (rs1076560) predicts relative expression of the two D2 receptors isoforms, D2S (mainly pre-synaptic) and D2L (mainly post-synaptic). However, the effect of functional genetic variation of DRD2 on striatal dopamine D2 signalin...

Quantitative receptor autoradiography was performed on neonatal and adult cat brains. Serial sections through the basal ganglia were assayed for D1- and D2-dopamine receptors and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) staining. The neonatal basal ganglia revealed patches of increased D1-receptor density that frequently overlapped with patches of increased AChE staining, while the D2-receptor distribution ...

There is considerable interest in developing highly selective dopamine (DA) D3 receptor ligands for a variety of mental health disorders. DA D3 receptors have been implicated in Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders. The most concrete evidence suggests a role for the D3 receptor in drug-seeking behaviors. D3 receptors are a subtype of D2 receptors,...

The D1/D2 dopamine agonist apomorphine, microinjected into the medial preoptic area (MPOA), facilitates male rat sexual behavior and the D1/D2 antagonist cis-flupenthixol in the MPOA impairs it. The present study investigated the roles of D1 and D2 receptors in the regulation of copulation by microinjecting drugs selective for these receptors into the MPOA. The D2 agonist LY-163502 delayed the ...

Dopamine is known to regulate several behavioral phenomena, including sensorimotor gating and aspects of motor activity. The roles of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in these behaviors have been documented in the rat literature, but few reports exist on their role in mice. We used dopamine transporter (DAT) (-/-) mice to examine the behavioral consequences of a chronically hyperdopaminergic state,...