Dopamine: 7 essential functions of this neurotransmitter

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter with multiple important functions within the nervous system.

The dopamine is one of the many neurotransmitters that neurons use to communicate with each other. This means that dopamine has a very important function in the synaptic spaces, i.e. the microscopic spaces in which nerve cells establish connections with each other.

It is a substance produced by the human body itself, but it can also be produced in laboratories. Specifically, dopamine was synthesized artificially by the English biologists George Barger and James Ewens in 1910. Decades later, in 1952, Swedish scientists Arvid Carlsson and Nils-Åke Hillarp succeeded in unraveling the main functions and characteristics of this neurotransmitter.

Dopamine: the neurotransmitter of pleasure... among other things...

Dopamine, whose chemical formula is C6H3(OH)2-CH2-CH2-NH2is frequently mentioned as the cause of the cause of the pleasurable sensations and the feeling of relaxation. However, with dopamine and the rest of the neurotransmitters something happens that prevents us from linking these substances to a very specific function: they influence to a greater or lesser extent the whole functioning of the brain in general, all emotional, cognitive and vital processes that take place at that moment.

This means that when dopamine or any other neurotransmitter is linked to emotional states or specific mental processes, this is because the appearance of the latter is related to an increase in the level of certain neurotransmitters in some areas of the brain linked to that state or process in question.

In the case of dopamine, its functions also include the coordination of certain Muscle movements, memory regulation, cognitive processes associated with learning, and it has even been shown to play an important role in decision-making.

The scientific community agrees that dopamine is also involved in the complex cognitive system. is also involved in the complex cognitive system that allows us to feel motivation and curiosity for some aspects of life. and curiosity for some aspects of life.

1. Dopamine and your personality

But, does this neurotransmitter have anything to do with the personality of each individual? Well, it seems it does. Dopamine could be one of the factors to take into account when it comes to knowing whether a person is more introverted or more extraverted, more cowardly or more courageous, or more confident or insecure.

Several researches support this relationship between dopamine and personality. For example, a study carried out at the Charité University Clinic in Germany, and published in Nature Neuroscience noted that the amount of dopamine found in a subject's cerebral amygdala could be a reliable indicator of whether the subject is calm and collected, with good self-confidence, or whether he or she is fearful and prone to stress.

2. Overweight and obesity

In case you hadn't noticed, not all people feel the same level of pleasure when, for example, tasting an appetizing chocolate cake.

Interestingly, overweight and obese people have fewer dopamine receptors in their nervous system and, as a result, they need to eat more chocolate cake, need to eat more cake to feel the same satisfaction as the act of eating something sweet. the act of eating something sweet. In other words, they are less sensitive to addictive flavors. This is the conclusion reached by English researchers, thanks to a study published in Science.

3. A taste for strong emotions

Are you one of those people who enjoy taking risks? Would you jump with a parachute? Answering these questions may also have to do with your age, but there is a new element that, from neuroscience, has been detected as an important factor in predicting this propensity to enjoy risks and strong emotions.

Research from the University of British Columbia led by Stan Floresco and published in the Medical Daily in 2014 reported that the increased presence of dopamine in certain brain regions in adolescents caused them to be overly optimistic with their expectations and take too high risks.

4. Social status and satisfaction

Using different neuroimaging techniques, a study found that the higher the social status of an individual, the higher the amount of dopamine D2 receptors located in their brain.

This makes them feel more satisfied with their life and therefore act accordingly; The goals of a person with a good self-image are not the same as those of a person who is more pessimistic in this respect..

5. Key to creativity

Several research studies published in PLoS have found that people with a particularly creative mind thave a lower density of dopamine D2 receptors in one particular brain region: the thalamus.

The main function of this part of the brain is to filter the stimuli received by the cortex of the brain. This would facilitate the neuronal connections that allow us to associate concepts in a more efficient way, improving creativity.

6. It also regulates memory

Memory is also a brain function that is influenced by dopamine. Specifically, dopamine is responsible for regulating the duration of information (memories), dopamine is in charge of regulating the duration of information (memories), deciding whether it retains this information for only about 12 hours and disappears, or whether it keeps the information longer.by deciding whether to retain this information for only about 12 hours and then disappear, or to keep the information for longer.

This 'decision' process by which a memory fades or remains in our brain is closely related to the concept of meaningful learning. When we learn something that satisfies us, dopamine activates the hippocampus to retain that information. Otherwise, dopamine does not activate the hippocampus and the memory is not stored in our memory.

7. Boosts motivation levels

Dopamine is often referred to as the neurotransmitter responsible for the sensation of pleasure, but recent findings show that its main function may be motivation.

For example, one study reported that the link between motivation and dopamine is true, since it was shown that people who were more focused on meeting certain people who were more focused on meeting certain demanding goals were shown to have more dopamine in their prefrontal cortex and striatum. and in their striatum.