The late 1960s was a heyday for catecholamine research. Technological developments made it feasible to study the regulation of sympathetic neuronal
transmission and to map the distribution of noradrenaline and dopamine in the brain. At last, it was possible to explain the mechanism of action
of some important drugs that had been used in the clinic for more than a decade (e.g. the first generation of antidepressants) and to contemplate
the rational development of new treatments (e.g. l-dihydroxyphenylalanine therapy, to compensate for the dopaminergic neuropathy in Parkinson’s
disease, and β1-adrenoceptor antagonists as antihypertensives). The fact that drug targeting noradrenergic and/or dopaminergic transmission are still
the first-line treatments for many psychiatric disorders (e.g. depression, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a testament to
the importance of these neurotransmitters and the research that has helped us to understand the regulation of their function. This article celebrates
some of the highlights of research at that time, pays tribute to some of the subsequent landmark studies, and appraises the options for where it could
go next
