The dopamine pathways in mania

Dopamine is transmitted via three major pathways in the brain. In mania there is an increase in dopamine transmission from the substantia nigra to the neostriatum which is associated with increased sensory stimuli and movement. Dopamine activity in the other two pathways, from the ventral tegmentum and the tubero-infundibular, remains unchanged in mania compared with a non-diseased brain.

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References

Neurotransmitters and psychiatric disorders. In: Psychiatric disorders with a biochemical basis. Donaldson D. Carnthorn, UK: The Parthenon Publishing Group Inc, 1998: 45–55.