25/01/2026
A neurotransmitter transmits signals from one neuron (nerve cell) to another "target" neuron, muscle cell, or gland cell. Nobel Prize laureate Arvid Carlsson's research into neurotransmitters revealed, for the first time, how a brain disorder worked.
Carlsson discovered in the 1950s that dopamine is a transmitter in the mammalian brain and described its role in our ability to move. This led to the realisation that Parkinson's disease is caused by a lack of dopamine and his experiments became the scientific basis for the successful therapy against Parkinson's disease.
In 1963, he found that the medications which ease the symptoms of schizophrenia and other psychotic diseases take effect by reducing the influence of dopamine in the brain. Further, his work has had great importance for the treatment of depression, and he has contributed to a new generation of antidepressant drugs.
Image: Wellcome Collection, Arran Lewis
