Publisher's Synopsis
A comprehensive literature review that examines the neurobiological underpinnings concerning the regulation of synthesis, neurotransmission, and neuroplasticity taking place within the nigrostriatal (mesostriatal) and mesocorticolimbic Dopamine (DA) systems. It is hypothesized that DA neurons in the mesocorticolimbic and nigrostriatal circuits are regulated by similar biomolecular mechanisms, which may be why multiple DA systems are affected in pathogenic situations. For the purposes of this review, Schizophrenia, Parkinson's Disease and Addiction are used as paradigms to examine the neurobiological changes that take place throughout the DA systems. Some of the cellular modifications caused by these disease states include altered size and shape of neuron cell bodies, distorted dendritic outgrowth, reduced levels of DA and tyrosine hydroxylase, down-regulation of dopamine D2-type receptors, up-regulation of GABA-A receptors, and altered expression of the dopamine (DAT) and vesicular monoamine transporters (VMAT2). By examining the genetic and epigenetic changes that take place throughout DA neurons of the basal ganglia, we may better understand how to treat and prevent neuropsychiatric illnesses.
