D1 agonist
D1 dopamine receptor agonist
- Renal and mesenteric vasodilation → ↓ blood pressure, ↑ renal blood flow
- If BBB-crossing:
- Enhances prefrontal signal-to-noise → attention and working memory
- Facilitates movement through the striatal direct pathway
- Pulsatile stimulation can promote dyskinesia
- Prefrontal cortex – enhances signal-to-noise ratio
- ➔ improves attention and working memory
- ➔ stimulants act indirectly (↑ synaptic DA) ◇ “Don’t be the Distracted One”
- Striatum – direct pathway
- ➔ facilitates movement → ↓ bradykinesia
- ➔ pulsatile D1 stimulation contributes to levodopa-induced dyskinesia ◇ sensitization of direct pathway neurons ◇ maladaptive plasticity in striatal circuits
- Renal vasculature – D1-mediated vasodilation + natriuresis
Drugs with this mechanism (3)
- Dopamine — Dose-sensitive endogenous catecholamine agonist used IV for selected shock and hypotension.
- Fenoldopam — IV D1 agonist for hypertensive emergencies; preserves renal flow.
- Rotigotine — Transdermal dopamine agonist for Parkinson and restless legs.
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