Dopamine: Functions, Signaling, and Association with Neurological Diseases

• Published in: Cellular and molecular neurobiology Vol. 39; no. 1; pp. 31 - 59
• Main Authors: Klein, Marianne O., Battagello, Daniella S., Cardoso, Ariel R., Hauser, David N., Bittencourt, Jackson C., Correa, Ricardo G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-01-2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Addictions; Animals; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain - metabolism; Brain - pathology; Cell Biology; Central nervous system; Cognitive ability; Dopamine; Dopamine - biosynthesis; Dopamine - metabolism; Dopamine receptors; Drug development; G protein-coupled receptors; Humans; Mental disorders; Models, Biological; Molecular modelling; Motivation; Motor task performance; Nervous system; Nervous System Diseases - diagnosis; Nervous System Diseases - metabolism; Nervous System Diseases - therapy; Neurobiology; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neurological diseases; Neuromodulation; Neurosciences; Quality of life; Receptor mechanisms; Reinforcement; Review Paper; Schizophrenia; Signal Transduction; Neurotransmitter; Dopamine pathway; Neurodegenerative diseases; Central nervous system
• ISSN: 0272-4340; 1573-6830; 1573-6830
• DOI: 10.1007/s10571-018-0632-3

The dopaminergic system plays important roles in neuromodulation, such as motor control, motivation, reward, cognitive function, maternal, and reproductive behaviors. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, synthesized in both central nervous system and the periphery, that exerts its actions upon binding to G protein-coupled receptors. Dopamine receptors are widely expressed in the body and function in both the peripheral and the central nervous systems. Dopaminergic signaling pathways are crucial to the maintenance of physiological processes and an unbalanced activity may lead to dysfunctions that are related to neurodegenerative diseases. Unveiling the neurobiology and the molecular mechanisms that underlie these illnesses may contribute to the development of new therapies that could promote a better quality of life for patients worldwide. In this review, we summarize the aspects of dopamine as a catecholaminergic neurotransmitter and discuss dopamine signaling pathways elicited through dopamine receptor activation in normal brain function. Furthermore, we describe the potential involvement of these signaling pathways in evoking the onset and progression of some diseases in the nervous system, such as Parkinson’s, Schizophrenia, Huntington’s, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, and Addiction. A brief description of new dopaminergic drugs recently approved and under development treatments for these ailments is also provided.