The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
The catecholamines are a series of structurally similar amines (e.g., DOPAMINE, epinephrine, NOREPINEPHRINE that function as hormones, as NEUROTRANSMITTERS, or both. Catecholamines are produced by the enzymatic conversion of tyrosine, sharing the chemical root of 3, 4-dihydroxyphenylethanolamine. The three major catecholamines (mentioned above) derive from sequential enzymatic reactions-tyrosine is converted to dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (dopa); dopa, which is not an end product but a common intermediate (and the medication of choice for Parkinson's disease), is converted to dopamine; dopa-mine is converted to noradrenaline (also called norepinephrine); and noradrenaline is converted to adrenaline (also called epinephrine). These substances are the neurotransmitters for the sympathetic neurons (nerve cells) of the autonomic nervous system, as well as for three separate broad sets of brain neuropathways.