Electrochemical Analysis of Dopamine: Perspectives of Specific In Vivo Detection

Direct electrochemical analysis of in vivo levels of dopamine, whose metabolic transformation in the brain can be correlated with a number of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases as well as psychosis and drug addiction, allows studying their mechanisms and the ways they can be treated. However, direct electrochemical analysis of dopamine can often be masked by electrochemical responses from structurally related neurotransmitters, dopamine precursors and products of its metabolic transformation, whose redox potentials overlap with those of dopamine. In this mini-review, the state-of-the-art in the field and recent trends in specific electroanalysis of dopamine in the presence of structurally related neurotransmitters are reviewed and critically discussed.

115