Yotis A
Encephale. 1979;5(4):339-58.
Catecholamines (CA) are among the most well known neurotransmitters (NT) which act in a wide range of brain structures and are involved in many important functions, such as general arousal, autonomic, neuroendocrine and motor control and possible in emotion and mentation. The neuropharmacology of the brain CA synapses has played a crucial role in understanding the complex phenomena of the central neurotransmission and the feed-back mechanisms by which the central neurones adapt optimally to the functional needs at any time. The model of neurotransmission, as well as the mechanism by which various substances act at the synaptic level are briefly outlined. Due to the fact that the CA are implicated in many important functions of the brain, it has been suggested that certain mental diseases such as depression, as well as mental and behavioral manifestations of the ageing brain might have their origin in an impairment and particularly in a functional deficiency of the CA occurring at various structures. The available evidence in support to this view is outlined and the hypothesis that senile mental deterioration and the mental impairment encountered in various types of dementia (senile, presenile and multi-infarct) may be due to deficiency of the brain CA is discussed. Since the CA and particularly the dopamine deficiency seems to be a common denominator in depression and in senile mental deterioration, it is suggested that the dopaminergic drugs may serve as useful therapeutic means on one hand and important tools for testing the validity of the above hypotheses on the other.
儿茶酚胺（CA）是最为人熟知的神经递质（NT）之一，作用于广泛的脑结构，参与许多重要功能，如一般觉醒、自主神经、神经内分泌和运动控制，可能还涉及情绪和思维。脑CA突触的神经药理学在理解中枢神经传递的复杂现象以及中枢神经元随时最佳适应功能需求的反馈机制方面发挥了关键作用。简要概述了神经传递模型以及各种物质在突触水平起作用的机制。由于CA与脑的许多重要功能有关，有人提出某些精神疾病如抑郁症以及老年脑的精神和行为表现可能源于损伤，特别是各种结构中CA出现功能缺陷。概述了支持这一观点的现有证据，并讨论了以下假说：老年精神衰退以及各种类型痴呆（老年性、早老性和多发梗死性）中出现的精神障碍可能是由于脑CA缺乏所致。由于CA尤其是多巴胺缺乏似乎是抑郁症和老年精神衰退的共同特征，因此有人提出多巴胺能药物一方面可作为有用的治疗手段，另一方面可作为检验上述假说有效性的重要工具。
