DOPAMINE RECEPTORS
PHARMACOLOGY 1
By:-
Manisha
M.Pharm. (Pharmacology)
Deptt. of Pharmaceutical sciences
M.D. University Rohtak, 124001
Contents
Dopamine
Biosynthesis of dopamine
Functions of dopamine
Dopaminergic pathways
Dopamine receptors
Dopamine agonists
Dopamine antagonists
Dopamine related diseases
Dopamine
Dopamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter
that upon binding to a dopamine receptor
releases a variety of downstream signals.
Biosynthesis of dopamine
Dopamine is synthesized in a restricted set of cell type
called dopaminergic neurons.
The metabolic pathway is: -
L-Tyrosine
L-DOPA
Dopamine
Functions of dopamine
Some of its notable functions are in:
Movement
Memory
Pleasurable reward
Behavior and cognition
Inhibition of prolactin production
Nausea and vomiting
Dopaminergic pathway
•Nigrostriatal pathway- substantia nigra to the caudate
putamen (dorsal striatum) , primarily associated with motor
acivity
• Mesolimbic pathways- VTA to the limbic areas of the
brain (accumbens, ventral striatum and amygdala), associated
with cognition and behavior
• Mesocortical pathway-VTA to the cortex (medial,
prefrontal, cingulate and entorhinal cortex), associated with
reward and schizophrenia
•Tuberoinfundibular pathway- arcuate and
periventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus to the intermediate
lobe of the pituitary and the median eminence, inhibitory
control of prolactin
Dopaminergic pathways
Dopamine receptor
Dopamine receptors are a class of G protein-
coupled receptors
Dopamine Receptor Subtypes
D1- like family :
• Includes subtypes D1 and D5
• Activation is coupled to G
s
; activates adenylyl cyclase
which leads to increase in concentration of cAMP
•These receptor genes do not contain introns in their
coding genes
D2- like family :
• Includes D2, D3 and D4
•Activation is coupled to G
i
; inhibits adenylyl cyclase
leading in decreased concentration of cAMP
•Genes that encodes these receptors contain introns
Locations and MOA of dopamine
receptors
Receptors
D
1
Like D
2
like
D
1
D
5
D
2
D
3
D
4
Locations
Dopamine related diseases
Parkinson’s disease
Caused by the loss of dopaminargic neurons in the
substantia nigra.
• Signs and symptoms-
Rigidity, tremors, bradykinesia
Schizophrenia
Hyperactive dopaminergic signal transduction
• Signs and symptoms-
Hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking and
speech
Drug addiction
Dopamine is the primary neurotransmitter involved in the
reward pathway in the brain.
Recreational drugs (cocaine and substituted amphetamines)
inhibit the dopamine transporter (DAT), the protein responsible for
removing dopamine from the neural synapse.
synapse floods with dopamine
increases dopaminergic signaling (particularly in nucleus accumbens)
mediates the "rewarding" stimulus of drug intake.
Attention-deficit hyperactivity
disorder
Due to decreased level of dopamine
•Signs and symptoms
Impaired cognitive control, attentional control, inhibitory
control, forgetting things or missing details
References
Marsden A. Charles, “Dopamine: the rewarding years”,
British Journal Pharmacology, published online 2008 Jan
9, doi- 10.1038/sj.bjp.0706473
Missale Cristina, Nash S. Russel, “ Dopamine
Receptor:From structure to function”, Physiological
Reviews, Published 1 Jan 1998, vol. 78, no. 1, 189-225
Brisch Ralf, Saniotis Arthur,”The Role of Dopamine in
Schizophrenia fron a Neurobiological and Evolutionary
Perspective: old fashioned but still in vogye”, Published
online 2014 May 19, doi. 10.3389/fpsyt 2014.00047