Posted by AndrewB on February 11, 2001, at 23:28:49
In reply to Re: Dopamine Agonists, posted by JackD on February 10, 2001, at 0:51:43
Amphetamines are loosely defined as reuptake inhibitors of dopamine at the D2 dopamine receptors. This increases the amount of dopamine in synaptic cleft. They are also adrenergic agonists.
Doapmine agonists stimulate the postsynaptic dopamine receptor. A chemical that is able to stimulate the recpetor is called a ligand. Dopamine itself is the natural ligand for the dopamine receptor.
When looking at dopamine agonists it is important to distinguish them by which dopamine receptors they stimulate and if they have a preference for receptors of that subtype in any specific regions of the brain. Mirapex is a full D2/D3 receptor agonist with a 7-fold higher preference for the D3 receptors. By comparison, Bromocriptine is a parital agonist selective only to the D2 receptors.
AndrewB
poster:AndrewB
thread:53473
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010131/msgs/53784.html