ABSTRACT
Dopamine seems to be involved either directly in the manifestations of neuropsychiatric disorders or in their biobehavioral or motor sequelae. Treatment of such disturbances of dopamine function includes a host of manipulations, ranging from altering synthesis or release, through changing uptake or metabolism, to modifying postsynaptic events. Autoradiographic techniques have been applied to the localization of dopamine receptor subtypes within the central nervous system. In several regions of the brain, these receptor subtypes appear to be differentially localized, possibly on different neuronal populations. Analysis of the distribution of dopamine receptors could provide important information on the potential sites of action of compounds specific for the individual subtypes. Quantitation of these receptor sites can be used to show how the subtypes may be involved in certain disease mechanisms, the efficacy of potential therapeutics, and in the action of some drugs of abuse in the human central nervous system.
