The inhibition of fibril formation of amyloid beta proteins (A beta) would be attractive therapeutic targets for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Dopamine (DA) and other catechol derivatives were used as inhibitory factors for A beta fibril formation. The fibril formation of A beta was monitored by Thioflavin T fluorescence, a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and a total interna...

39 Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive debilitating neurodegenerative disorder clinically 40 manifest by motor, posture and gait abnormalities. Human neurophysiological studies recording 41 local field potentials within the subthalamic nucleus and scalp-based electroencephalography 42 have shown pathological beta synchrony throughout the basal ganglia-thalamic-cortical motor 43 network in...

R-(-)-1-(Benzofuran-2-yl)-2-propylaminopentane [(-)-BPAP] is a catecholaminergic and serotonergic activity enhancer that increases impulse-evoked catecholamine and serotonin release from nerve terminals, and is a candidate for symptomatic treatment of early Parkinson's disease. We now report the catecholamine and serotonin transporter-mediated actions of (-)-BPAP. The effects of (-)-BPAP on inh...

Methamphetamine intoxication causes long-lasting damage to dopamine nerve endings in the striatum. The mechanisms underlying this neurotoxicity are not known but oxidative stress has been implicated. Microglia are the major antigen-presenting cells in brain and when activated, they secrete an array of factors that cause neuronal damage. Surprisingly, very little work has been directed at the st...

BACKGROUND The effects of 17beta-estradiol (E2) and xenoestrogens (XEs) on dopamine transport may have important implications for the increased incidence of neurologic disorders, especially in women during life stages characterized by frequent hormonal fluctuations. OBJECTIVE We examined low concentrations of XEs [dieldrin, endosulfan, o', p'-dichlorodiphenyl-ethylene (DDE), nonylphenol (NP),...

The ability of dopamine D(4) and D(2) receptors to activate extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) 1 and 2 was compared using Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells transfected with D(4.2), D(4.4), D(4.7), and D(2L) receptors. Dopamine stimulation of D(4) or D(2L) receptors produced a transient, dose-dependent increase in ERK1/2 activity. Receptor-specific activation of the ERK mitogen-act...