Dopamine receptor revealed

摘要

The neurotransmitter dopamine, which is involved in drug addiction and certain psychiatric disorders, binds to five subtypes of receptor in the brain. Some psychiatric drugs block two of these receptors, the similar D2R and D3R, but often have siderneffects. Researchers have now elucidated the crystal structure of D3R, which is a potential target for new drugs to treat substance abuse. The structure may help drug developers to tailor their compounds to this and related receptors.