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.

What are Neurotransmitters?

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

GABA Activation and Dopamine Suppression

Is Dopamine Detoxing Actually Backed by Science?

Dopamine and Psychosis

Dopamine Therapeutic Use

Role of Dopamine in Pain

Dopamine Functions

Addiction and Dopamine

The Reward System and Autism

Dopamine Biochemistry

Latest Dopamine News and Research

PET imaging reveals widespread brain receptor deficits in schizophrenia

A groundbreaking study using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has found that patients with schizophrenia had significantly lower muscarinic acetylcholine M1 receptor availability (~13% to 19%) across multiple brain regions compared with healthy individuals.

16 Jul 2026

New drug candidate improves Parkinson's treatment in animal models

For many people with Parkinson's disease, the body stops moving the way it used to. A hand may tremble at rest. Muscles may stiffen.

15 Jul 2026

Gut microbiota may shape eating behavior and guide new obesity treatments

The review shows how gut microbiota may influence appetite, food reward, inflammation, and energy balance through the gut-brain axis. Microbiota-targeted approaches could support future treatments for obesity and eating disorders, but clinical evidence remains limited.

12 Jul 2026

Stem cell-derived dopaminergic cell transplantation shows encouraging results for Parkinson's disease

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) today announced the presentation of new clinical data from the STEM-PD Phase I/II clinical trial at the ISSCR 2026 Annual Meeting.

9 Jul 2026

Clinical trial finds stem cell brain transplants feasible for Parkinson's disease

A landmark study led from Lund, Sweden, has shown that transplanting stem-cell derived dopamine progenitor cells into the brain is feasible.

9 Jul 2026

University of Malaga scientists find way to improve morphine treatments

Scientists at the Department of Cell Biology of the University of Malaga have taken a step forward in the search for more effective treatments for pain with a new study that continues advancing in mitigating the addictive effects of morphine -one of the main drugs used for this purpose- as well as the development of analgesic tolerance to this drug.

9 Jul 2026

Active birth control pills may increase emotional eating

Combined oral contraceptives are associated with increased emotional eating, suggesting hormonal effects on eating behaviors and potential binge eating risks.

9 Jul 2026

Tears may reveal important clues about a person's neurological health

A few tears may someday reveal important clues about a person's neurological health. Researchers reporting in ACS Omega developed a low-cost electrochemical sensor designed to detect dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in movement, learning, motivation, and emotional regulation.

8 Jul 2026

New review shows why antidepressants often fail in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s depression

A Molecular Psychiatry review shows that depression in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease may reflect disease-specific molecular, neurotransmitter, inflammatory, and circuit-level disruptions rather than standard depression biology alone. It argues that broad antidepressants often show limited efficacy in these patients and that future trials should use biomarkers, neuroimaging, and symptom profiling to guide targeted treatments.

7 Jul 2026

Review assesses the efficacy of creatine as an add-on therapy for depression

Walk into any gym supplement aisle and creatine is there, sold by the tub to people chasing bigger muscles. It is one of the most studied compounds in sports science.

30 Jun 2026

New viral model triggers Parkinson's symptoms without using toxins

Scientists usually use animal models when studying Parkinson's disease because these models mimic the disease well.

29 Jun 2026

Blueberries may boost children's memory and mood

Research suggests blueberry compounds could enhance mood and cognitive function in children, yet stronger evidence is required for clinical recommendations.

25 Jun 2026

Trial identifies 4 grams a day as the tested safe level for L-tyrosine in healthy men

A randomized, crossover trial in healthy adult men found that 4 weeks of L-tyrosine supplementation at doses up to 4 g/day did not cause clinically meaningful changes in safety markers, diet, blood pressure, or body measures. The highest tested dose, 4 g/day, was identified as the no-observed-adverse-effect level under the study’s four-week conditions, although broader and longer-term studies are still needed.

23 Jun 2026

GLP-1 medications may lower risk of multiple substance use disorders

A new study led by researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso found that use of weight loss drugs like Ozempic and other GLP-1s is associated with a lower risk of developing alcohol, opioid, nicotine and cocaine use disorders.

21 Jun 2026

Parkinson's drug may ease anhedonia in treatment-resistant depression

For many people who suffer from depression, the condition is not just about feeling down, but also about a loss of motivation and difficulty finding pleasure in activities they used to enjoy.

12 Jun 2026

New peptide strategy may protect brain cells involved in Parkinson's disease

Researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in Brazil have discovered a new strategy that may protect neurons and other brain cells involved in Parkinson's disease in the future.

12 Jun 2026

Teenage risk-taking linked to lower baseline dopamine levels

Teenage risk-taking, such as experimentation with alcohol, cannabis, nicotine and other substances, may reflect a compensatory response to lower baseline dopamine, the brain chemical for reward activity, suggests a new University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study, published today in Nature Communications.

11 Jun 2026

Weight loss drugs linked to lower risk of alcohol, opioid, nicotine and cocaine use disorders

8 Jun 2026

Histamine boost helps the brain remember, decide, and learn from loss

Pitolisant, a histamine H3 receptor inverse agonist, improved recognition memory, working memory performance, and reinforcement learning in healthy adults. The findings suggest that histamine helps shape how the brain stabilizes new memories, accumulates evidence for decisions, and avoids overreacting to negative outcomes.

3 Jun 2026

Antidepressant drugs detected at potentially harmful levels in waterways

Depression, anxiety and sleep disorders are among the conditions often treated with antidepressant drugs. Yet, up to 90% of these drugs pass through the body into wastewater.

3 Jun 2026