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?

Role of Dopamine in Pain

Addiction and Dopamine

Dopamine Therapeutic Use

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

The Reward System and Autism

Dopamine Biochemistry

Dopamine Functions

Latest Dopamine News and Research

Disrupting dopamine pathway stops threadworms from burrowing into the skin

Threadworms, which are a type of parasitic nematode, spend a lot of time crawling around on human skin, poking and prodding to find the best place for entry before burrowing in.

13 Aug 2025

Study identifies a promising new strategy for treating alcohol use disorder

Researchers have identified a promising new strategy for treating alcohol use disorder (AUD). A novel study found that the dopamine-boosting drug tolcapone increases activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during self-control tasks.

13 Aug 2025

Brain’s energy control map offers blueprint for next-gen weight loss therapies

Scientists map how the brain integrates hormonal and neural signals from the body to control appetite, energy use, and reward pathways, revealing targets for next-generation anti-obesity drugs. This review highlights the interplay between neuroendocrine circuits, neuroplasticity, and pharmacotherapy for durable, non-aversive weight loss.

11 Aug 2025

Gut bacteria may connect pregnancy diet to childhood autism

Unhealthy maternal diets may alter gut microbes, impacting brain development and increasing autism risk in offspring. Study the microbiome's influence.

8 Aug 2025

Does your morning coffee or tea really boost your mood? Here’s what science says

Caffeine consumption is linked to increased positive mood in daily life, especially within 2.5 hours after waking. This effect is influenced by tiredness and social context, with no consistent impact on negative emotions.

6 Aug 2025

Impulsivity shapes diet and gut bacteria in healthy adults, study finds

Impulsivity in healthy adults is linked to unhealthy dietary choices, such as higher intake of alcohol and sugary drinks and lower fiber consumption. These dietary behaviors, in turn, are associated with changes in specific gut bacterial genera, highlighting an indirect pathway between personality traits and the gut microbiome.

4 Aug 2025

Creatine may enhance neuroprotection through energy pathways

Creatine supplementation may improve cognitive performance and mood, offering insights into its role in muscle-brain interactions and overall health.

25 Jul 2025

Anti-reward brain circuit may hold key to treating cocaine addiction

Why do so many people relapse after quitting cocaine? A new study from The Hebrew University reveals that a specific "anti-reward" brain circuit becomes hyperactive during withdrawal-driving discomfort and pushing users back toward the drug.

23 Jul 2025

Social media use linked to declining focus and emotional strain in youth

The use of social media is contributing to declining attention spans, emotional volatility, and compulsive behaviors among young people, reveals a new report by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Singapore-based research agency Research Network, in collaboration with US-based AI platform ListenLabs.ai.

18 Jul 2025

Standardized brain cell atlas to accelerate Parkinson's and Alzheimer's research

Researchers now have a powerful new way to understand the types of brain cells that are affected in neurodegenerative diseases and to uncover connections between conditions such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and other forms of dementia.

17 Jul 2025

FAU neuroscientist receives NIH grant to study amphetamine effects on the brain

Lucia Carvelli, Ph.D., associate professor of neuroscience at Florida Atlantic University's Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College and a member of the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute, has received a $571,675 grant from the National Institutes of Health to advance critical research into how amphetamines affect brain function.

15 Jul 2025

Study validates stem cell models for neurological diseases

In a comprehensive Genomic Press perspective (peer-reviewed review) article, an international team of neuroscientists has outlined crucial validity standards that could transform how researchers use stem cell technology to study devastating brain disorders.

15 Jul 2025

Visual food cues may lead to overeating even without hunger

Watching others eat tasty foods may lead to overeating, even in the absence of hunger, according to a new mouse study being presented Monday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif.

14 Jul 2025

Ultra-processed foods threaten brain health in kids and teens, review warns

Children, adolescents, and unborn babies exposed to high levels of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) face increased risks of impaired brain development, cognitive deficits, and long-term mental health challenges. The review underscores how UPF-driven changes in reward pathways, nutrient deficits, inflammation, and the gut–brain axis can have lasting impacts across generations.

13 Jul 2025

Study reveals dopamine sends precise signals rather than broad brainwide messages

A new study from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus has upended decades of neuroscience dogma, revealing that dopamine, a neurotransmitter critical for movement, motivation, learning and mood, communicates in the brain with extraordinary precision, not broad diffusion as previously believed.

12 Jul 2025

How does olive oil affect gut health?

Could olive oil’s hidden compounds be the key to a healthier gut? New research uncovers how olive-derived bioactives transform our microbiome and may unlock future therapies for digestive and metabolic health.

9 Jul 2025

Targeting a key enzyme could reverse early Parkinson's effects

Putting the brakes on an enzyme might rescue neurons that are dying due to a type of Parkinson's disease that's caused by a single genetic mutation, according to a new Stanford Medicine-led study conducted in mice.

2 Jul 2025

Smart pen detects early signs of Parkinson’s through handwriting

Every year, tens of thousands of people with signs of Parkinson's disease go unnoticed until the incurable neurodegenerative condition has already progressed.

30 Jun 2025

Brain activity reveals lingering sensitivity to negative cues after depression recovery

Researchers have found that even after recovery, individuals who previously experienced depression may retain a heightened sensitivity to negative cues and face challenges in regulating responses to potential punishment.

27 Jun 2025

Do spicy foods help or hurt your gut health?

Capsaicin, the spicy compound in chili peppers, not only influences inflammation, metabolism, and cancer risk but also shapes the gut microbiome in complex, context-dependent ways. This comprehensive review highlights both the therapeutic promise and potential risks of capsaicin, calling for deeper research into its microbiome-mediated effects.

26 Jun 2025