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Nature 447, 368-370 (24 May 2007) | doi:10.1038/447368a; Published online 23 May 2007

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Neuroscience: The molecular wake-up call

Alison Abbott1

  1. Alison Abbott is Nature's senior European correspondent.

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It is 50 years since Arvid Carlsson showed dopamine to be a neurotransmitter. Alison Abbott profiles a chemical and its champion.

They were conscious but you wouldn't know it: able to perceive the world around them but powerless to look around, sniff the air or to cry out. So when the young scientist injected them with a chemical called L-dopa, he witnessed what seemed to be a miracle.