Abstract: Neuromelanin (NM) is a complex polymer pigment found in catecholaminergic neurons of the human brain. It appears in greatest quantities in the human brain, in lesser amounts in some other nonhuman primates, but is absent from the brain in many lower species. Interest in this pigment has seen a resurgence in recent years because of a hypothesised link between neuromelanin and the especial vulnerability of neuromelanincontaining neurons to cell death in Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this review, the molecule structure, biosynthesis, biological function and the connection with diseases of NM were summarized.

Key words: melanin; neuromelanin; parkinson’s disease; substantia nigra