title: Dopaminergic neurotransmission in the human brain: new lessons from perturbation and imaging.
abstract: Dopamine plays an important role in several brain functions and is involved in the pathogenesis of several psychiatric and neurological disorders. Neuroimaging techniques such as positron emission tomography allow us to quantify dopaminergic activity in the living human brain. Combining these with brain stimulation techniques offers us the unique opportunity to tackle questions regarding region-specific neurochemical activity. Such studies may aid clinicians and scientists to disentangle neural circuitries within the human brain and thereby help them to understand the underlying mechanisms of a given function in relation to brain diseases. Furthermore, it may also aid the development of alternative treatment approaches for various neurological and psychiatric conditions.
authors.affiliation: PET Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Ji Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Antonio P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Strafella
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism; D004298:Dopamine / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D059906:Neuroimaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
chemical_list: D004298:Dopamine