The recently cloned, distant member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) family, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), has potent trophic actions on fetal mesencephalic dopamine neurons. GDNF also has protective and restorative activity on adult mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons and potently protects motoneurons from axotomy-induced cell death. However, evidence for ...

In order to develop a better dopamine receptor radioligand, [3H[apomorphine was prepared and tested for dopamine-like binding properties in both calf and human brain tissues. Specific binding of [3H]apomorphine was defined as that binding which occurred in the presence of 1 muM (-)-butaclamol (an inactive neuroleptic) minus that occurring in the presence of 1 muM (+)-butaclamol (active neurolep...

Dopamine can be detected selectively in the presence of ascorbate at a gold electrode modified by a beta-cyclodextrin/thioctic acid mixed monolayer.

Investigation of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) serum activity as a potential diagnostic/prognostic tool for neuroblastoma did not confirm previous reports. However, age-dependent differences in normal children's DBH "activation" by water dilution +/- copper addition was revealed. These findings of age-related DBH effector differences suggest that the strong age relationship of DBH activity ma...

Polar amino acids lying within three hydrophobic regions of the dopamine transporter (DAT) are analogous to those important for ligand recognition by catecholamine receptors. Possible functional significance of these amino acids was examined by expressing DAT cDNAs mutated in these polar residues. Replacement of aspartate at position 79 with alanine, glycine, or glutamate dramatically reduced u...

Cocaine blocks the normal role of the dopamine transporter (DAT) in terminating dopamine signaling through molecular interactions that are only partially understood. Cocaine analog structure-activity studies have suggested roles for both cationic and aromatic interactions among DAT, dopamine, and cocaine. We hypothesized that phenylalanine residues lying in putative DAT transmembrane (TM) domai...

Introduction Although previous research suggests that genetic variation in dopaminergic genes may affect recognition memory, the role dopamine transporter expression may have on the behavioral and EEG correlates of recognition memory has not been well established. Objectives The study aims to reveal how individual differences in dopaminergic functioning due to genetic variations in the dopami...