Carlsson, Arvid

Carlsson, Arvid

(born Jan. 25, 1923, Uppsala, Swed.) Swedish pharmacologist. He received his M.D. from the University of Lund. Carlsson established that dopamine is an important neurotransmitter, showing that high levels of dopamine are found in areas of the brain that control walking and other voluntary movements. He determined that levodopa, a substance that the brain uses to make dopamine, could be employed as a treatment for parkinsonism. His work also contributed to an understanding of the relationship between neurotransmitters and mental states such as clinical depression, which led to new antidepressant drugs, including Prozac. Along with Eric Kandel and Paul Greengard, Carlsson was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2000.