Other recent papers on the DAT knock-out mouse. DAT knockout mice self-administer cocaine. DAT knockout mice can achieve conditioned place preference. Toxic effects of methamphetamine not seen in the DAT knockout mouse. References from Pubmed for work done on the DAT knockout mouse.
Monoamines seem to be released from both small synaptic vesicles and dense core vesicles.
However, it should be remembered that there are many more synaptic vesicles than dense core vesicles at a terminal. Therefore, overall the total expression in small synaptic vesicles and dense core vesicles is similar, although the relative expression is much higher in dense core vesicles. Finally, David Sulzer has used carbon fiber electrodes to measure dopamine release in the midbrain and he sees mostly small events, not large events. Staining for Tyrosine Hydroxylase shows it all over the neuron but outside the nucleus. There doesn't seem to be any compartmentalization of the protein in the cytoplasm.