Summary
Catecholamines are represented in the vertebrate nervous system most notably by noradrenaline (NA) and dopamine (DA), but also by the precursor compounds and related ones. Tryptamines are represented primarily by 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT or serotonin), but tryptamine itself has been detected there as well. These two groups of so-called “biogenic” or neurohumoral amines have been shown by fluorescence histochemical methods to occur normally within specific neurons, and by physiological and pharmacological methods to affect specific neuronal systems. These results have led to two major functional generalizations about these compounds in the central nervous system. Dopamine has been implicated in central generalized motor stimulation mechanisms and 5-hydroxytryptamine in central induction of sleep.
These neurohumoral amines are not restricted to neurons, and under certain experimental conditions their neuronal distribution may be modified. Although currently intensively studied as possible neurotransmitters, some of these compounds, such as the catecholamines released by the adrenal medulla, function as modulators of neuronal activity in some parts of the body. The additional role of neurotransmitters seems most probable for noradrenaline, in certain specific sites in both central and peripheral nervous systems. Nevertheless, the proof for transmitter roles of any of the compounds remains incomplete.
A survey of the many biological systems in which noradrenaline and 5-hydroxytryptamine are active, suggests that the molecular basis for their activity, at least in many instances, may stem from interactions with specific nucleotides involved in energy transfer. More speculative is a suggested functional association of 5-hydroxytryptamine with microtubular and related systems of possible significance in intracellular conductile and contractile mechanisms. Study of the molecular interactions of these compounds in simpler biological systems will aid in understanding the basis of their actions in nervous tissue.
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Quay, W.B. (1969). Catecholamines and Tryptamines. In: Kappers, J.A. (eds) Neurohormones and Neurohumors. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-25519-3_9
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