ABSTRACT
Given the importance of dopamine (DA) as a critical neurotransmitter in health and disease, there is vast literature on its actions within the brain, especially in conjunction with neurological and psychiatric disorders. Yet, much less attention has been given to the neuroendocrine functions of brain DA, the subject of this chapter. To this end, we have selected four major neuroendocrine functions for which there is substantial evidence on the involvement of brain DA: circadian rhythms, stress response, food intake/metabolic homeostasis, and reproduction/sexual behavior. For each of these functions, the background information on the characteristics of the systems is first presented, followed by summary of the available data on the distribution of DA receptors (DARs) and their involvement in the regulation of these systems as well as selected reproductive, behavioral and metabolic disorders. Some of the evidence is strong and convincing, whereas in other cases it is indirect or incomplete. The multiplicity of DA action is best explained by the variety of neurotransmitters, hormones and neuromodulators that regulate DA production and release and by the five DARs, with complementing and/or opposing actions by which DA exerts its actions.
