Dopamine: What is Dopamine and What We Should Know About It

Learn what dopamine is and what we should know about it: Dopamine is classified as catecholamines (a group of biologically active substances that act as neurotransmitters and hormones) and precursor (forerunner) of adrenaline and noradrenaline.

Formed by decarboxylation (separation of the carboxyl group COOH) of L-DOPA. Dopamine is responsible for many important functions in the human body. Fluctuations in its levels may lead to more serious medical conditions – neurological, psychiatric, associated with motility.

What is Dopamine? – History

Dopamine was first synthesized in 1910 by George Bardzhar (George Barger) and James Yuans (James Ewens) in the Wellcome Laboratories in London.

Function as a neurotransmitter was discovered in 1958 by Arvid Carlson (Arvid Carlsson) and Nils-Eke Hilarp (Nils-Åke Hillarp), National Heart Institute, Sweden.

If you like chemistry, you can learn what is dopamine by its chemicla formula: It has the chemical formula C6H3 (OH) 2-CH2-CH2-NH2, and its chemical name is 4 – (2-aminoethyl) benzene-1 ,2-diol. Shortening the “DA”.

What is Dopamine Biosynthesis?

Synthesized in the body first by hydroxylation (formation of phenols) of the amino acid L-tyrosine (L-tyrosine) in L-DOPA (levodopa) using enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase.

It decarboxylation (conversion) of levodopa into dopamine by amino acid decarboxylase flavoring or dopa decarboxylase.

In some neurons is converted to dopamine by the enzyme dorepinefrin dopamine beta-hydroxylase.

What are Dopamine Functions?

Dopamine is produced in several brain regions, including substance nigra (Latin for “black substance”, located in the central part of the brain responsible for behavior, movement and dependencies) and VTA (Ventral tegmental area – a group of neurons located in midbrain. The district is responsible for substance abuse, the regulation of behavior, motivation, cognition and some mental disorders).

Regulation of Prolactin Secretion

Dopamine is neurohormones that are released by the hypothalamus – a brain structure that controls body temperature, hunger and thirst, fatigue, sleep and circadian (daily) rhythms.

Circadian rhythms are hereditary and are generated in the organism of a specialized system known as “biological clock”.

Its main function is to inhibit hormone release of prolactin from the anterior pituitary.

Prolactin (PRLili LTH) is responsible for the secretion of milk in the mammary gland (breast).

The pituitary is a major endocrine glands and hormones released by it, have some control over bodily processes such as growth, blood pressure, body water balance, milk production and more.

Movement (motor)

Dopamine has several receptor – D1-5 and their variations. They are responsible for different processes such as cognitive activity, volitional movements, motivation, pleasure, memory.

Through them and continuously maintaining dopamine activity in the basal ganglia (located below the cerebral cortex and responsible for the regulation of various motor and mental processes) to prevent unintentional movement.

Deficiency in the synthesis of dopamine can cause Parkinson’s disease, characterized by the inability to perform controlled movements.

What is Dopamine: Motivation and Dependencies

Dopamine is associated with this part of the brain, providing feelings of enjoyment. Dopamine is released when eating, drugs.

This could explain cocaine dependence, heroin, nicotine, caffeine. In these cases there is mega-motivation – alert response.

Addiction is associated with increased sensitivity of D1-dopamine receptors.

Short-term fluctuations in dopamine activity are associated with mental processes such as motivation and concentration. When it is very low, one is prone to depression – one of the main symptoms is notably reduced motivation.

Cognation

In the frontal lobe of brain dopamine controls the flow of information from other units of the brain. Dopamine disorders in this area may cause a worsening of some nerve functions as memory, attention and problem solving.

Receptors that are responsible for effects on cognition are D1 and D4.

Treatment

Dopamine can be supplied as a treatment that affects the sympathetic nervous system (part of the autonomic nervous system responsible for vital processes such as order blood circulation, respiration, digestion, etc..), Increasing heart rate and blood pressure.

Used in patients with Parkinson syndrome and vegetative-vascular dystonia by taking levodopa.

Dopamine itself cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, and its precursor levodopa passes through it relatively easy.

Blood-brain barrier separates the brain fluid circulation through multiple cells and capillaries, is responsible for maintaining a relatively constant environment for normal brain function – enter it in the substances necessary for its work, and bring you back to toxins and other waste products.
Diseases and adverse reactions due to the change in dopamine activity

Dopamine is crucial because as a neurotransmitter involved in the regulation of various processes in the central and peripheral nervous system.

Too low or high dopamine activity is the cause of many diseases – neurological and mental, some of which are irreversible.

Parkinson’s disease – a neurological disorder characterized by difficulty in movement or inability to move, tremor (involuntary contraction and relaxation of the muscle group) and others. The cause is degeneration (changes in the structure of cells, tissues and organs in which their viability is reduced) in the central nervous system and in particular the death of cells that produce dopamine in the substance nigra. The reason for this is still unclear.

Schizophrenia – psychosis, which is characterized by various symptoms (delirium, hallucinations, paranoia, etc.).. Caused by too much dopamine activity and treatment with antipsychotic drugs.

On the other hand, antipsychotic or neuroleptic drugs by suppressing dopamine activity have many side effects of long use.

Decreased concentration, and limited motivation to cause nevamozhnost pleasure.

Can cause:

• Dyskinesia – involuntary movements of the disorder;
• Dysfunction of male and female gonads. In women, decreased levels of estradiol and progesterone, and men – lower levels of testosterone and DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone, a hormone that increases testosterone levels in the blood and consequently leads to increased muscle mass and endurance);
• Amenorrhea;
• Loss of libido;
• False positive results in pregnancy tests;
• Risk of osteoporosis in women;
• Gynecomastia and impotence in men;
• Weight gain;
• Diabetes;
• Strong salivation;
• Dysphoria – the opposite of euphoria, an illness characterized by depression, dark thoughts and discontent;
• Fatigue;
• Heart rhythm problems, heart attack etc..;
• Restless legs syndrome – a condition in which pain is felt, itching, numbness, and weight, fatigue and tension. Most often refers to the legs, but it is possible to affect the upper limbs;
• Fibromyalgia – a disease of rheumatic muscle and joint pain. The reason is the dysfunction of dopamine as a neurotransmitter and its absence in certain organs. As a group of hormone catecholamines (which are composed of adrenaline and noradrenaline), a role he has pain.