β-Phenylethylamine requires the dopamine transporter to increase extracellular dopamine in Caenorhabditis elegans dopaminergic neurons.

•βPEA increases the extracellular concentrations of DA in differentiated C. elegans neurons.•The dopamine transporter (DAT) blocker RTI-55 partly blocks the βPEA-induced increase of extracellular DA.•The vesicular monoamine transporter is not required to generate the βPEA-induced increase of extracellular DA.•βPEA generates DA efflux in a subset of dopaminergic neurons βPEA does not generate DA efflux in DAT knockout neurons.