Dopamine News and Research

Latest Dopamine News and Research

Internet gaming disorder affects one in ten boys

Do your kids play a lot of computer games? Some may end up gaming a little too obsessively. Researchers have identified the most important warning signs.

11 Dec 2025

Physical activity may help restore ease of movement and agility during aging

The brain-chemical surge that comes with running may bolster coordination and speed in the old and young alike, a new study of middle-aged mice shows.

9 Dec 2025

Study reveals how brain protein KCC2 influences reward learning

A new finding from researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center shows that the learning process of associating cues with rewards can be altered by increased or decreased activity of a specific protein in the brain.

9 Dec 2025

Laughing gas shows fast antidepressant effects in early clinical trials

A systematic review and meta-analysis in eBioMedicine shows that nitrous oxide can rapidly reduce depressive symptoms within hours, particularly at higher doses, but effects are short-lived after single treatments. Repeated dosing appears to extend and strengthen antidepressant benefits, although the current evidence is based on small, early-phase trials with limited long-term safety data.

8 Dec 2025

Smartphone motor tests can predict dopamine deficiency in Parkinson’s disease without brain scans

Researchers explore the use of smartphones coupled with clinical scores to evaluate motor function and predict dopamine deficiency.

7 Dec 2025

Restless legs syndrome linked to higher Parkinson’s disease risk

The study shows restless legs syndrome is associated with higher Parkinson's disease incidence, raising questions about treatment impacts on symptoms.

5 Dec 2025

New study reveals how brain biology shapes thought and behavior

A new study from experts with Georgia State University has achieved a long-standing goal in neuroscience: showing how the brain's smallest components build the systems that shape thought, emotion and behavior.

2 Dec 2025

Untreated restless legs syndrome may increase Parkinson's disease risk

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological sleep disorder characterized by an uncontrollable urge to move the legs, often worsening at night.

2 Dec 2025

Study maps early structural damage in schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Researchers at the University of Seville have identified the possible origins of structural damage in the brains of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs).

27 Nov 2025

Ultrasound technique modifies human reward learning for the first time

The nucleus accumbens is a tiny element of the human brain triggered when we experience something enjoyable, and used to help us learn behaviours that lead to rewards.

27 Nov 2025

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