News tagged with dopamine
Low dopamine levels during withdrawal promote relapse to smoking
Mark Twain said, "Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times." Many smokers would agree that it's difficult to stay away from cigarettes. A new study in Biological Ps ...
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Feb 08, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
Researchers increase understanding of gene's potentially protective role in Parkinson's
Treatments for Parkinson's disease, estimated to affect 1 million Americans, have yet to prove effective in slowing the progression of the debilitating disease.
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Feb 07, 2012 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
|
Mechanism of calming hyperactivity by psychostimulant drugs identified
It has long been known that psychostimulant drugs have the paradoxical effect of reducing hyperactivity. [Psychostimulant drugs include methylphenidate – known by the trade names Ritalin, Concerta, and Methylin – ...
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Feb 07, 2012 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
Parkinson's disease: Study of live human neurons reveals the disease's genetic origins
Parkinson's disease researchers at the University at Buffalo have discovered how mutations in the parkin gene cause the disease, which afflicts at least 500,000 Americans and for which there is no cure.
Feb 07, 2012 |
5 / 5 (4) |
1
|
Patients' brains may adapt to ADHD medication
(Medical Xpress) -- New research reveals how the brain appears to adapt to compensate for the effects of long-term ADHD medication, suggesting why ADHD medication is more effective short-term than it is long-term. ...
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Feb 02, 2012 |
4 / 5 (2) |
1
|
Scientists identify protein that contributes to symptoms of Parkinson's disease
Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes, an independent and nonprofit biomedical-research organization, have identified a protein that exacerbates symptoms of Parkinson's disease—a discovery that could one day lead to ...
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Jan 25, 2012 |
4.7 / 5 (3) |
0
|
Appetite accomplice: Ghrelin receptor alters dopamine signaling
New research reveals a fascinating and unexpected molecular partnership within the brain neurons that regulate appetite. The study, published by Cell Press in the January 26 issue of the journal Neuron, resolv ...
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Jan 25, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
|
CAMH discovery identifies potential target for anti-craving medications
Scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have identified a potential target for the development of anti-craving medications for people with addictions to stimulants such as methamphetamine.
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Jan 25, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
Study shows how neurons interact, could lead to new treatment for addiction
Harvard scientists have developed the fullest picture yet of how neurons in the brain interact to reinforce behaviors ranging from learning to drug use, a finding that might open the door to possible breakthroughs in the ...
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Jan 18, 2012 |
5 / 5 (4) |
1
|
Habit formation is enabled by gateway to brain cells
A brain cell type found where habits are formed and movement is controlled has receptors that work like computer processors to translate regular activities into habits, researchers report.
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 21, 2011 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
0
|
Neurotransmitter might improve cancer treatment: study
Doses of a neurotransmitter might offer a way to boost the effectiveness of anticancer drugs and radiation therapy, according to a new study led by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – ...
Dec 05, 2011 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
|
Fighting Parkinson's with carbon nanoparticles
One of the problems affecting the human nervous system is dopamine deficiency. But testing of dopamine concentration is costly and requires sophisticated equipment not available in a doctor's office. Enter ...
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Nov 29, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
Frequent gamers have brain differences, study finds
Fourteen-year-olds who were frequent video gamers had more gray matter in the rewards center of the brain than peers who didn't play video games as much - suggesting that gaming may be correlated to changes in the brain, ...
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Nov 15, 2011 |
4.7 / 5 (3) |
4
Gene impedes recovery from alcoholism
People who are alcohol-dependent and who also carry a particular variant of a gene run an increased risk of premature death. This is a recent finding from the interdisciplinary research at the Department of Psychology and ...
Nov 15, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
People with Parkinson's more likely to have leg restlessness than restless leg syndrome
People with Parkinson's disease may be more likely to have a movement disorder called leg motor restlessness, but not true restless legs syndrome as previous studies have suggested, according to a study published in the Nov. ...
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 09, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
Dopamine
Dopamine is a 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 can be supplied as a medication that acts on the sympathetic nervous system, producing effects such as increased heart rate and blood pressure. However, because dopamine cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, dopamine given as a drug does not directly affect the central nervous system. To increase the amount of dopamine in the brains of patients with diseases such as Parkinson's disease and dopa-responsive dystonia, L-DOPA (levodopa), which is the precursor of dopamine, can be given because it can cross the blood-brain barrier.
For more information about Dopamine, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
