dopamine

dopamine
n.
a catecholamine derived from dopa that functions as a neurotransmitter, acting on specific dopamine receptors and also on adrenoceptors throughout the body, especially in the limbic system and extrapyramidal system of the brain as well as the arteries and the heart. It also stimulates the release of noradrenaline from nerve endings. The effects vary with location and concentration. Dopamine is used as a drug to increase the strength of contraction of the heart in heart failure, shock, severe trauma, and septicaemia. It is administered by injection in carefully controlled dosage. Possible side-effects include unduly rapid or irregular heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, breathlessness, angina pectoris, and kidney damage.
Certain drugs (dopamine receptor agonists) have an effect on the body similar to that of dopamine. They include apomorphine, bromocriptine, pergolide, ropinirole, cabergoline, and pramipexole and are used to treat parkinsonism. Drugs that compete with dopamine to occupy and block the dopamine receptor sites in the body are known as dopamine receptor antagonists. They include some antipsychotic drugs (e.g. the phenothiazines and butyrophenones) and certain drugs (e.g. domperidone and metoclopramide) used to treat nausea and vomiting.

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  • Dopamine — Molécule de dopamine Général …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Dopamine —    Dopamine is a neurotransmitter belonging chemically to the class of catecholamines.    The efficacy of many antipsychotic drugs is thought to reside in their success in blocking the receptors for dopamine in the brain, especially the D2… …   Historical dictionary of Psychiatry

  • dopamine — [ dɔpamin ] n. f. • 1949; de dopa et amine ♦ Physiol. Amine précurseur de la noradrénaline, indispensable à l activité normale du cerveau. ● dopamine nom féminin Neurotransmetteur du groupe des catécholamines, précurseur de la noradrénaline,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • dopamine — dopamine. См. дофамин. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • dopamine — 1959, from DOPA, the amino acid (from first letter of elements of dioxyphenylalanine), + AMINE (Cf. amine) …   Etymology dictionary

  • dopamine — ☆ dopamine [dō′pə mēn΄, dō′əmin ] n. [d(ihydr)o(xy)p(henyl) + AMINE] an amine, C8H11NO2, that is an intermediate biochemical product in the synthesis of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and melanin, and is a neurotransmitter …   English World dictionary

  • Dopamine — For other uses, see Dopamine (disambiguation). Dopamine …   Wikipedia

  • Dopamine — An important neurotransmitter (messenger) in the brain. Dopamine is classified as a catecholamine (a class of molecules that serve as neurotransmitters and hormones). It is a monoamine (a compound containing nitrogen formed from ammonia by… …   Medical dictionary

  • dopamine — /doh peuh meen /, n. 1. Biochem. a catecholamine neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, retina, and sympathetic ganglia, acting within the brain to help regulate movement and emotion: its depletion may cause Parkinson s disease. Cf. dopa …   Universalium

  • dopamine — (n.f.) Substance de l organisme qui agit sur celui ci comme un véritable booster, lui fournissant adrénaline et nonadrénaline en quantité suffisante pour maintenir un état euphorique chez l individu. La dopamine est en général sécrétée… …   Dictionnaire de Sexologie

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