Advances in Neurobiology46 Monoamine Transporters

The family of monoamine transporters (MATs), composed of the dopamine transporter, serotonin transporter, and norepinephrine transporter, mediates the reuptake of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine from the synapses and extra-synaptic regions, and is thus critical for regulating neurotransmission by controlling the extracellular levels of these neurotransmitters. The monoamine transporters are targets of some of the most successful psychoactive compounds, including amphetamines, cocaine, and antidepressants, among others. Monoamine Transporters will cover significant new information gained over the last decades on these important brain membrane proteins and provide a detailed overview of recent advances in our understanding of the role monoamine transporters play in both normal and disease physiology. This will include in-depth reviews of our current knowledge of their structure, function, and regulation. Translational aspects on diseases where therapeutics targeting the MATs have been successful and helped elucidate the etiology of the respective diseases will also be covered.