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Presentation Neuron
Presentation Neuron
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Neurotransmitters:
Biogenic Amines
• Include:
• Catecholamines – dopamine, norepinephrine (NE), and
epinephrine (EP)
• Indolamines – serotonin and histamine
• Broadly distributed in the brain
• Play roles in emotional behaviors and our biological clock
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Synthesis of Catecholamines
• AA tyrosine parent cpd
• Enzymes present in the cell
determine length of
biosynthetic pathway
• Norepinephrine and
dopamine are synthesized in
axonal terminals
• Epinephrine is released by
the adrenal medulla as a
hormone
Figure 11.22
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BIOGENIC AMINES
• Norepinephrine (Noradrenaline)
– Main NT of the sympathetic branch of autonomic nervous system
– Binds to adrenergic receptors ( or -many subtypes, 1, 2, etc)
– Excitatory or inhibitory depending on receptor type bound
– “Feeling good” NT
– Release enhanced by amphetamines
– Removal from synapse blocked by antidepressants and cocaine
• Dopamine
– Binds to dopaminergic receptors of substantia nigra of midbrain
and hypothalamus
– “Feeling good” NT
– Release enhanced by amphetamines
– Reuptake block by cocaine
– Deficient in Parkinson’s disease
– May be involved in pathogenesis of schizophrenia
Serotonin (5-HT)
• Synthesized from a.a. tryptophan