NMR Studies of the Interaction of Catechol and Ascorbic Acid with Poly(N-Vinylpyrrol-Idone) Polymer

The catecholamines are an important class of neurotransmitters secreted in the regions of the brain that control locomotion. Many neurological and phychiatric disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, psychosis and cocaine addiction are the result of alterations in the levels of these neurotransmitters and/or their receptors in the brain. Since the measurement of endogenous levels of these neurotransmitters would be extremely useful in clinical and scientific studies of these disorders, the development of chemical sensors specific for catecholamines in vivo has been the subject of extensive research (Adams, 1976).