A link between the neurotransmitter dopamine and the mentalizing abilities of healthy people has been identified for the first time in a new study.
Jun 13, 2024
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New University of Pittsburgh research points to a potential approach to reducing the risk of diabetes associated with widely-prescribed antipsychotic medications.
Jun 13, 2024
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Scientists have discovered genetic clues to the cause of restless leg syndrome, a condition common among older adults. The discovery could help identify those individuals at greatest risk of the condition and point to potential ...
Jun 5, 2024
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Deep brain stimulation, by implanted electrodes that deliver electrical pulses to the brain, is often used to treat Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders. However, the electrodes used for this treatment can ...
Jun 4, 2024
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Ever wondered how your brain decides when to act? Initiating actions with a specific goal in mind is a complex process. Previous research has identified certain parts of the brain and chemical signals involved. However, it ...
Jun 4, 2024
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The neurotransmitter dopamine has often been linked to pleasure-seeking behaviors and making stimuli paired with rewards (e.g., food, drinks) valuable. Nonetheless, the processes through which this key chemical messenger ...
It's a Saturday afternoon at a kids' birthday party. Hordes of children are swarming between the spread of birthday treats and party games. Half-eaten cupcakes, biscuits and lollies litter the floor, and the kids seem to ...
May 28, 2024
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Regular high caffeine consumption affects dopamine function in patients with Parkinson's disease, shows a new international study led by the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital in Finland. Caffeine consumption ...
May 28, 2024
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A team of neuroscientists at the University of Geneva, working with a colleague from the University of Strasbourg, Institute for Advanced Study, and another from Université de Montpellier CNRS, reports that there are two ...
More than 29.5 million Americans ages 12 and up had alcohol use disorder—the medical term for the disease commonly known as alcoholism—in 2022, when the most recent national data was published.
May 20, 2024
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Dopamine is a neurotransmitter occurring in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the brain, this phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five types of dopamine receptors — D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5, and their variants. Dopamine is produced in several areas of the brain, including the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area. Dopamine is also a neurohormone released by the hypothalamus. Its main function as a hormone is to inhibit the release of prolactin from the anterior lobe of the pituitary.
Dopamine can be supplied as a medication that acts on the sympathetic nervous system, producing effects such as increased heart rate and blood pressure. However, because dopamine cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, dopamine given as a drug does not directly affect the central nervous system. To increase the amount of dopamine in the brains of patients with diseases such as Parkinson's disease and dopa-responsive dystonia, L-DOPA (levodopa), which is the precursor of dopamine, can be given because it can cross the blood-brain barrier.
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