Drug consumption is driven by a drug's pharmacological effects, which are experienced as
rewarding, and is influenced by genetic, developmental, and psychosocial factors that …

The dorsal striatum, which consists of the caudate and putamen, is the gateway to the basal
ganglia. It receives convergent excitatory afferents from cortex and thalamus and forms the …

Dopamine shapes a wide variety of psychomotor functions. This is mainly accomplished by
modulating cortical and thalamic glutamatergic signals impinging upon principal medium …

The striatum represents the main input into the basal ganglia. Neurons projecting from the
striatum receive a large convergence of afferents from all areas of the cortex and transmit …

The basal ganglia occupy the core of the forebrain and consist of evolutionarily conserved
motor nuclei that form recurrent circuits critical for motivation and motor planning. The …

It is generally considered that Parkinson's disease is induced by specific agents that
degenerate a clearly defined population of dopaminergic neurons. Data commented in this …

The dystonias are a group of disorders defined by sustained or intermittent muscle
contractions that result in involuntary posturing or repetitive movements. There are many …

In recent years, there have been huge advances in the use of genetically modified mice to
study pathophysiological mechanisms involved in schizophrenia. This has allowed rapid …

BACKGROUND: The dopamine precursor 3, 4-dihydroxyphenyl-l-alanine (L-DOPA) is
currently the most efficacious noninvasive therapy for Parkinson's disease. A major …

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents a significant cause of death and disability in
industrialized countries. Of particular importance to patients the chronic effect that TBI has on …