APA Dictionary of Psychology

n. a dopamine analog used in nonhuman animal studies for its ability to destroy catecholamine-containing nerve cell bodies. 6-OHDA does not cross the blood–brain barrier, but when administered into the central nervous system, it causes permanent degeneration of catecholamine-containing neurons. Destruction of dopamine-containing neurons in the nigrostriatal tract with 6-OHDA results in symptoms that clinically resemble Parkinson’s disease.