Dopamine

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.

What is Dopamine?

Discover how dopamine shapes our thoughts, emotions, and movements, and why unlocking its secrets could transform treatments for some of the most challenging brain disorders.

Role of Dopamine in Pain

Dopamine Biochemistry

Is Dopamine Detoxing Actually Backed by Science?

The Reward System and Autism

Addiction and Dopamine

Dopamine and Psychosis

Dopamine Therapeutic Use

How Brain Cells Talk: Inside the Complex Language of the Human Mind

GABA Activation and Dopamine Suppression

Dopamine Functions

What are Neurotransmitters?

Latest Dopamine News and Research

Genetic factors behind impulsive choices tied to metabolic and mental health

Researchers from University of California San Diego have identified 11 genetic regions linked to delay discounting - the tendency to prefer smaller, immediate rewards over larger, delayed ones - shedding new light on how impulsive decision-making relates to both mental and physical health.

24 Nov 2025

Researchers launch phase 2 trial to test swallowing therapy for people with early Parkinson's

Swallowing difficulties, or dysphagia, affect up to 80% of people with Parkinson's disease and can lead to serious complications, including malnutrition, aspiration and reduced quality of life.

24 Nov 2025

Fruit fly study reveals brain mechanism underlying motivation fatigue

Our brain's reward system processes and reinforces pleasurable experiences, motivating us to seek out and engage in rewarding activities ranging from eating to social interactions to recreational drug use.

20 Nov 2025

Acute and chronic depression involve different mechanisms in the brain

A new study investigating neuroinflammation in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain, a small, midbrain dopaminergic region, has found that acute and chronic depression are associated with distinct pathophysiological mechanisms.

18 Nov 2025

Daily berries and cocoa enhance mood by targeting key brain pathways

Dietary flavonoids from everyday foods show modest but promising benefits for mood, with the strongest evidence emerging from chronic, anthocyanin rich interventions. Acute effects are mixed, but longer term intake may support emotional well being through mechanisms involving monoamine activity and neuroplasticity.

17 Nov 2025

Dysfunctional mitochondria shown to initiate the onset of Parkinson's

For decades, scientists have known that mitochondria, which produce energy inside our cells, malfunction in Parkinson's disease.

17 Nov 2025

Hormonal fluctuations shape learning through changes in dopamine signaling

Researchers have long established that hormones significantly affect the brain, creating changes in emotion, energy levels, and decision-making. However, the intricacies of these processes are not well understood.

11 Nov 2025

Researchers identify patient response patterns to novel schizophrenia medication

Each year, about 100,000 Americans experience psychosis, a serious condition that disrupts thoughts and perceptions so profoundly that it can distort a person's sense of reality.

6 Nov 2025

Longevity gene offers clues to extending life without restrictive diets

The pursuit of a longer life may currently be trending for tech bros, but the notion of a fountain of youth, or even immortality, has intrigued people for millennia.

6 Nov 2025

Loud noise exposure worsens motor deficits in Parkinson’s disease model

In the development of Parkinson's disease, it may not be a good idea to turn the amp to 11. High-volume noise exposure produced motor deficits in a mouse model of early-stage Parkinson's disease, and established a link between the auditory processing and movement areas of the brain, according to a study published November 4th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Pei Zhang from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, and colleagues.

4 Nov 2025

Scientists create detailed single-cell map of the developing human brain

Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and their collaborators have created one of the most comprehensive single cell maps of the developing human brain. The atlas captures nearly every cell type, their genetic fingerprints, and how they grow and interact.

3 Nov 2025

Sensory effects of flavanols trigger physiological responses in the brain

Astringency is a dry, puckering, rough, or sandpapery sensation in the mouth caused by plant-derived polyphenols.

31 Oct 2025

Dance alleviates perceived symptoms of depression, study finds

Dance as a performative art form alleviates perceived symptoms of depression, helps to understand its root causes and promotes self-actualization, a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland found.

30 Oct 2025

Hydroxytyrosol from olives shows new promise as a brain-protective compound

This review highlights hydroxytyrosol's role as a neuroprotective agent, activating key pathways for mental and vascular health through olive-derived compounds.

29 Oct 2025

Precursor of dopamine increases willingness to wait for larger delayed rewards

A research team from the University of Cologne conducted one of the most comprehensive studies on dopamine and decision-making in humans so far, providing evidence for effects of the former on the latter.

28 Oct 2025

How psychedelics profoundly reshape the perception of time and consciousness

A perspective article published in Psychedelics by Prof. Xiaohui Wang and colleagues examines how psychedelic substances profoundly reshape the perception of time, offering unprecedented insights into consciousness and potential therapeutic applications.

23 Oct 2025

Repeated ketamine infusions offer no extra benefit for people hospitalized with depression

Findings from a randomized and blinded clinical trial investigating repeated ketamine infusions for treating depression have revealed no extra benefit for ketamine when added onto standard care for people admitted to hospital for depression.

22 Oct 2025

Women with isolated REM sleep behavior disorder show lesser brain atrophy than men

A large international study involving nearly 700 participants reveals that women with a precursor condition to Parkinson's disease show significantly less brain atrophy—decreased cortical thickness in the brain—than men, despite similar clinical severity.

21 Oct 2025

Heavy drinking fuels Alzheimer’s disease by igniting brain inflammation and protein damage

Chronic alcohol use accelerates Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression by intensifying oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and amyloid-tau pathology through shared molecular pathways. The review highlights emerging therapies, targeting TLR4, GSK-3β, and metabolic dysfunction, that may mitigate alcohol-induced neurodegeneration.

20 Oct 2025

Study reveals how gut fungi influence the brain’s dopamine response to alcohol

Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences have found a surprising connection between a fungus associated with alcohol use disorder and the brain's dopamine reward pathway.

16 Oct 2025