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dopa

dopa

4 9.9
A substance the body makes that becomes dopamine in the brain
  • noun
  • /ˈdoʊpə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : dopa
  • And what you wind up seeing is if you give a Parkinsonian patient too much L dopa, they become psychotic.
  • L-Dopa
  • the drug L-Dopa

But what you'll find is that L dopa is converted into dopamine.

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Examples

  • SAYER: Have you heard of the drug L-dopa?

  • With our development of the drug L-dopa, we can, for the first time, promise the Parkinsonian patient a more normal life.

  • Well, do you think L-dopa would help the situation?

  • But what you'll find is that L dopa is converted into dopamine.

  • And do you know what happens to someone who takes L-dopa that doesn't have Parkinson's?

  • NEUROCHEMIST: As I was saying, by administering L-dopa...

  • There is L dopa which helps to supplement the loss in dopamine cells, but there isn't an actual treatment for Parkinson's at the moment.

  • It turns out when you give L dopa to people, it gets converted biochemically into natural dopamine, which then serves as its own agonist.

  • And scientists in Italy have requested velvet bean, Mucuna pruriens, a source of the dopa that's converted by the brain to the neurotransmitter dopamine.

    Academic text (1996)
  • L-dopa is an important amino acid that is converted into dopamine in the brain.

Synonyms

L-dopa
vsdopa
  • Specialized
1 6.0

A medicine used to treat Parkinson's disease by replacing a chemical in the brain

is the amino acid produced in the body not the medicinal form
dihydroxyphenylalanine
vsdopa
  • Specialized
9.9

A natural substance made in the body that the brain uses to make dopamine

is the common name used for the same naturally produced compound

Compounds

alpha methyl dopa
  • Specialized
6.1

A medicine that lowers high blood pressure, often used during pregnancy

Surface Forms

dopa singular
dopa plural

Etymology

The word dopa is a short form of a longer chemical name and is the substance the body makes that becomes dopamine. A helpful way to remember it is to think of dopa as a 'building block' for dopamine, the brain 'messenger' that helps movement and mood, which is why dopa is important in medicine.