Therapeutic Applications of Dopamine D3 Receptor Function: New Insight After 30 Years Of Research

The CTBN volume Therapeutic Applications of Dopamine D3 Receptor Function reviews the state of the knowledge on the dopamine D3 receptor and its role in human behavior and disease (i.e.: neuropsychiatric illnesses including schizophrenia, mood disorders, Parkinson’s disease, restless legs syndrome, addictions and substance use disorders). The volume is written by leading experts across multidisciplinary areas (imaging, biobehavioral testing and clinical trials, preclinical models / molecular pharmacology) converging on the therapeutic implications / potential of the D3 receptor. The D3 dopamine receptor is a member of the D2-like family of G protein-coupled receptors. It was cloned and characterized almost 25 years ago. A key feature of the D3 dopamine receptor system, which has attracted considerable attention, is its anatomical localization remarkably restricted to the limbic circuitry. This has spurred the hypothesis that D3 involvement could contribute to the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders (or to some features of neuropsychiatric disorders), including but not limited to psychosis, addictions and substance abuse, mood and movement disorders.