Title:Dopamine as a Potential Target for Learning and Memory: Contributing
to Related Neurological Disorders
Volume: 22
Issue: 4
Author(s): Masoumeh Kourosh-Arami*, Alireza Komaki and Mohammad-Reza Zarrindast
Affiliation:
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences,
Tehran, Iran
Keywords:
Dopamine, dopamine receptor, synaptic plasticity, learning, memory. neurological disorders.
Abstract: It is well established that learning and memory are complex processes. They involve and
recruit different brain modulatory neurotransmitter systems. Considerable evidence points to the involvement
of dopamine (DA) in learning and memory. Manifestations of the synaptic spatial localization
of the effect of DA have gained a great deal of interest. Despite the molecular cloning of the five
DA receptor subtypes, the underlying signaling of the DA receptors in spatial learning and memory is
less compelling. Fluctuations in the DA level in the brain are associated with many diseases that comprise
deficits in learning and memory, including Parkinson's disease, Huntington’s disease, schizophrenia,
and Alzheimer's disease. This review aims to briefly summarize existing information regarding
the memory performance modified by DA. The signaling of the DA system, particularly examining
the origin of DA-modulated memory, is also discussed. Then, several kinds of memories in which
DA plays a critical role, including reward signaling, working memory, and long-term plasticity, as
well as memory consolidation, are also described. Finally, memory impairment in some DA-related
neurological disorders is also examined.