What is dopamine?
Dopamine is a type of monoamine neurotransmitter. (2, 3)
Dopamine is sometimes called a chemical messenger. (2)
What does dopamine do?
Dopamine produces norepinephrine (1)
Dopamine enabled neurons in the brain to communicate and control movement. (2)
the nervous system uses dopamine to send messages between nerve cells. (2)
Dopamine plays a role in how a person feels pleasure. (2)
Dopamine is a bit part of the human ability to think and plan. (2)
Dopamine helps people to strive, focus, and find things interesting. (2)
Dopamine affects: learning, motivation, heart rate, blood vessel function, kidney function, lactation, sleep, mood, attention, control of nausea and vomiting, pain processing. (2)
What produces dopamine?
The brain changes tyrosine to dopa, and then into dopamine. (2)
Dopamine is mainly produced by neurons, especially those in areas of the brain such as the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area. (5)
Dopamine is produced by dopaminergic neurons. (2, 6)
What happens if there is a dopamine imbalance in the human body?
Too much or too little can lead to a vast range of health issues. (2)
Many mental health disorders are often linked to too much or too little dopamine in different parts of the brain. (2)
Too Little Dopamine
Parkinson’s disease (2)
ADHD may be due to a shortage of dopamine. (2)
Too Little Dopamine
Some schizophrenia is due to too much dopamine in certain parts of the brain. (2)
Cocaine can cause a big, fast increase of dopamine in the brain. (2)
Where is dopamine located?
in the brain of a human (4)
The human body spreads dopamine along four major pathways in the brain. (2)
Resources
1. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22610-norepinephrine-noradrenaline
2. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-is-dopamine
3. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22581-dopamine
4. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/bananas#plant-compounds
5. ChatGPT 4, 6/3/23 “Do all glial cells produce dopamine?”
6. ChatGPT 4, 6/3/23 “What type of neurons produce dopamine?”
