Dopamine News and Research

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Dopamine is a hormone and 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 has many functions in the brain, including important roles in behavior and cognition, motor activity, motivation and reward, inhibition of prolactin production (involved in lactation), sleep, mood, attention, and learning. Dopaminergic neurons (i.e., neurons whose primary neurotransmitter is dopamine) are present chiefly in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the midbrain, substantia nigra pars compacta, and arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus.

Genetic studies shed light on hypertension risk but fall short of revealing new treatments

Genetic variant research in hypertension has identified numerous associations but is unlikely to yield new treatments, emphasizing the gap between scientific discovery and clinical application.

27 Feb 2024

Understanding giggle incontinence: Causes, symptoms, and management

Giggle incontinence, a unique form of laughter-induced urinary incontinence, primarily affects children without other urological disorders, with treatment options including urotherapy, biofeedback, and methylphenidate.

27 Feb 2024

Study unveils role of dopamine and serotonin in social behavior

In a study in today's (Monday Feb. 26) Nature Human Behavior, scientists delve into the world of chemical neuromodulators in the human brain, specifically dopamine and serotonin, to reveal their role in social behavior.

26 Feb 2024

Study reveals pivotal insights into the progression of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease, the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer's disease, affects nearly 1 million people in the U.S. and an estimated 10 million individuals worldwide.

24 Feb 2024

New study defines clinical phenotype of Post-infectious ME/CFS, highlighting unique biomarker insights

The pathophysiological mechanisms of PI myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

23 Feb 2024

How dopamine influences movement in Parkinson's

Dopamine, a chemical messenger in the brain, is mostly known for its role in how we experience pleasure and reward.

19 Feb 2024

Unlocking the brain's decision-making secrets for future insights

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found important clues to how people make choices involving obtaining information about the future.

16 Feb 2024

Genes dictate taste: Study finds genetic links to food preferences

Study reveals the significant impact of genetic variations on adult dietary preferences, highlighting the complex interplay between genetics and food choices.

13 Feb 2024

Study uncovers missing piece in the complex nerve-network needed for left-right turns

Have you ever wondered what happens in the brain when we move to the right or left? Most people don't; they just do it without thinking about it. But this simple movement is actually controlled by a complex process.

12 Feb 2024

Rucaparib and its major metabolite exhibit differential biological activity and synergy

Once they enter the body, drugs, apart from carrying out their therapeutic function, are biochemically transformed by the action of the metabolic machinery, a process that facilitates their expulsion.

9 Feb 2024

Scientists discover key pathway linking brain's habit center and motor learning region

Researchers explored how the cerebellum directly affects dopamine release in the substantia nigra compacta (SNc).

29 Jan 2024

New brain pathway links reward and learning centers

New findings published in the journal Nature Neuroscience have shed light on a mysterious pathway between the reward center of the brain that is key to how we form habits, known as the basal ganglia, and another anatomically distinct region where nearly three-quarters of the brain's neurons reside and assist in motor learning, known as the cerebellum.

25 Jan 2024