The field of catecholamine research has not undergone comprehensive review for four years (since 1998). In the interim, a tremendous amount of new information, obtained using molecular, genetic, neurochemical and nuclear scanning techniques, has substantiated the important roles of catecholamine systems in development, cardiovascular function, psychiatric disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and metabolism. This volume, based on the Ninth International Catecholamine Symposium, should have a substantial and lasting impact on medical science.