Definition
Dopamine, a member of the catecholamine class of neurotransmitters and a major monoamine, is synthesized primarily in the central nervous system (Ben-Jonathan and Hnasko 2001). The cell bodies of dopaminergic neurons are found in the ventral tegmental area of the mesencephalon, the substantia nigra pars compacta, and the hypothalamus. From these areas, axons project to multiple brain areas, including the prefrontal cortex, areas of the limbic system (hippocampus, amygdala, olfactory cortex, and septal area), the neostriatum (caudate nucleus and putamen), and the pituitary gland. Locally projecting dopaminergic neurons are also found in the olfactory bulbs (Brisch et al. 2014; Feldman et al. 1997; Freberg 2014).
Dopamine is synthesized from the amino acid tyrosine, which is converted to dopamine by two enzymes acting in sequence, tyrosine hydroxylase and L-amino acid decarboxylase (L-dopa). L-dopa is then acted on by the enzyme dopa decarboxylase to produce dopamine (Freberg 2014...
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Vernon, E.K., Tschanz, J. (2018). Dopamine. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1762
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