Blood platelets accumulate, store and release a variety of biogenic amines including norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine (DA) which are known to act as neurotransmitter substances. Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) shares many biochemical properties with the mitochondrial MAO present in brain tissue. For these reasons it has been suggested that platelets might serve as a diagnostic and resear...

ECL of several amines containing different numbers of hydroxyl and amino groups was investigated. N-butyldiethanolamine is found to be more effective than 2-(dibutylamino)ethanol at gold and platinum electrodes, and is the most effective coreactant reported until now. Surprisingly, ECL intensities of monoamines, such as 2-(dibutylamino)ethanol and N-butyldiethanolamine, are much stronger than t...

possibly involved in the regulation of sleep. The present study was designed to investigate the role of brain monoamines in the sleep disorder of MMC-dosed rats and attempts to elucidate the MMC-induced sleep disorder from the standpoint of changes in the concentrations of brain monoamines. MMC was administered orally to 12 Sprague-Dawley male rats 8 weeks age at a dose of 15 mg MMC/kg body wei...

The addictive drugs cocaine and amphetamine stimulate locomotion and provide behavioral reward. They have multiple molecular sites of action, of which those on sodiumand chloride-dependent neurotransmitter transporters are thought to be particularly important [1,2]. Both drugs bind to the plasma-membrane transporters for dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, inhibiting reuptake into neurons o...

Effect of administration of the standardized extract of Ginkgo biloba leaves (EGb 761) on learning, memory and exploratory behavior was estimated in water maze and hole-board tests. Rats (18-month old) received for three months EGb 761 at doses: 50, 100 and 150 mg/kg b.w. per day. After completion of the behavioral experiment, concentrations of neurotransmitters were estimated in selected brain...

To assess the role of exocytotic release in signaling by monoamines, we have disrupted the neuronal vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) gene. VMAT2-/- mice move little, feed poorly, and die within a few days after birth. Monoamine cell groups and their projections are indistinguishable from those of wild-type littermates, but the brains of mutant mice show a drastic reduction in monoamine...

Four types of chief cells can be discerned in the cat carotid body. These cells are referred to as types 1 to 4. They are characterized--in the given order--by decreasing amounts of noradrenaline (argentaffin reaction) and acidic protein(s) (HCl hydrolysis/basic dye methods). The concentrations of acidic protein roughly parallel that of noradrenaline, being highest in type 1 and lowest in type ...

Mood and sleep are intrinsically linked whereby biochemical or environmental disturbances can influence a cascade of dysregulation and disease manifestation. The ‘monoamine hypothesis’ suggests that the development of mood, sleep and behaviour disorders occurs when monoamines, such as the neurotransmitters serotonin and noradrenaline, are at insufficient levels in the synaptic cleft. Therefore,...

Arsenic exposure has been associated with sensory, motor, memory, and learning alterations in humans and alterations in locomotor activity, behavioral tasks, and neurotransmitters systems in rodents. In this study, CD1 mice were exposed to 0.5 or 5.0 mg As/L of drinking water for 6 months. Locomotor activity, aggression, interspecific behavior and physical appearance, monoamines levels, and exp...