What is dopamine?
Dopamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter which is produced in the brain. It is mainly synthesised in parts of the central and peripheral nervous systems, such as the hypothalamus, the arcuate nucleus and the caudad.
Dopamine plays a role in enabling or regulating healthy thought processes, movement, balance, emotional response, and the ability to feel pleasure and pain.
Important dopamine facts
- Tyrosine is a precursor to enable synthesis of dopamine
- Dopamine itself is a precursor to the two neurohormones epinephrine and norepinephrine
- Dopamine has similar actions to adrenaline – it increases heart rate and blood pressure
- Dopamine has an influence on cognition and memory
- Dopamine is associated with the pleasure system of the brain, which motives a proactive behaviour by reinforcing feelings of enjoyment and happiness when certain activities are performed
Why dopamine is important
Dopamine plays a major role in the central nervous, hormonal, renal and cardiovascular systems. Studies show dopamine control processes as diverse as movement to addiction.
In addition to being a neurotransmitter, dopamine is also a neurohormone, which functions to inhibit release of the hormone prolactin (which regulates milk production) from the anterior pituitary.