Neurotransmitter Linked to Attention and Movement

Dopamine is one of the better-known brain chemicals.

A so-called happy neurotransmitter, dopamine is involved in memory, mood, motivation, and movement.

Dopamine plays a key role in several medical conditions likeParkinsons disease, fibromyalgia, and restless leg syndrome.

High dopamine symptoms include anxiety, excessive energy, insomnia, and hallucinations.

Low dopamine levels are associated with brain fog, mood swings, and muscle spasms.

This article discusses dopamine and dopamine-related disorders.

It also explains how medications affect dopamine levels and natural ways to increase dopamine.

What Is Dopamine?

Dopamine is aneurotransmitter, a brain chemical that transmits messages between neurons (brain and nerve cells).

It plays an important role in mood regulation, movement, and how humans experience pleasure and pain.

Dopamine binds to receptors on neurons in various brain regions where it performs different functions.

In the motor centers of the brain, dopamine deals with movement.

In the learning areas of the brain, dopamine impacts focus and attention.

This includes biological drives like food, sex, and social interactions.

The dopamine hit you get after a pleasurable activity helps to reinforce that behavior.

The brain’s memory center records the reward, which it then uses it an incentive to drive motivation.

When dopamine functioning is impaired, it is known asneurotransmitter dysregulation.

Many conditions and symptoms are associated with high or low levels of dopamine.

Your body makes norepinephrine and dopamine from some of the same chemicals.

They appear to bind to some of the same receptors, and they work together to perform many functions.

Even anticipating a reward can increase the amount of dopamine activity in your brain.

High Dopamine Symptoms

High levels of dopamine and excessive dopamine activity in the brain can be debilitating.

A wide array of medical conditions stem from problems with dopamine.

They fall under three categories: mental health conditions, movement disorders, and central sensitivity syndromes.

Many psychiatric conditions are associated with dopamine dysregulation.

Dysregulation of dopamine and other neurotransmitters is associated with hypersensitivity of the central nervous system.

Addiction

Dopamines role in reward and motivation is a key aspect of addiction.

This is a controversial topic, but some experts say its a real threat.

Schizophrenia

Dopamine plays a role in the psychiatric disorderschizophrenia.

Other neurotransmitters, including GABA and glutamate, may be important, as well.

However, some newer antipsychotics also alleviate schizophrenia symptoms without affecting dopamine.

Excess dopamine receptors and a hyperactive reward process web connection may underly the manic phase of the condition.

Meanwhile, decreases in levels of a substance called dopamine transporter may contribute to lower dopamine function and depression.

The overall problem may be with neurotransmitter regulation, not simply highs or lows.

Sometimes certain symptoms of bipolar disorder are treated with antipsychotics, which reduce dopamine activity.

Its believed to involve low dopamine activity, possibly due to certain genetic mutations that impact dopamine.

Certain medications that may impact dopamine function are sometimes used to treat BED.

The resulting symptoms include:

Parkinsons is a progressive disease that gets worse over time.

Huntingtons Disease

Huntingtons diseaseis a progressive genetic disease that involves both motor and non-motor symptoms.

These symptoms are sometimes treated with atypical antipsychotics.

In people with RLS, a few areas of the brain are deficient in iron.

In addition, abnormal levels of dopamine in the brain have also been noted.

The relationship betweenlow ironand dysregulated dopamine levels isnt yet understood.

Research suggests an association with low dopamine activity.

Its a neuroinflammatory disease involving low activity of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.

It features intense fatigue plus extremesensitivity to exertionand environmental factors (e.g., noise,heat, chemicals).

Natural Ways to Boost Dopamine

Dopamine levels can be increased or balanced without medication.

Nutrition

Nutritional deficiencies are linked to altered dopamine production.

The body requires adequate intake of iron, niacin, folate, and vitamin B6 to make dopamine.

This is due to their high levels of L-dopa, the precursor molecule to dopamine.

Relaxation

Finding ways to relax and beat stress also helps to improve dopamine levels.

Studies link sleep deprivation to lower levels of dopamine activity.

Researchers used PET scans to monitor dopamine activity in different areas of the brain.

Sleep deprivation was shown to decrease dopamine signaling in brain regions associated with alertness.

In animal studies, dopamine deficits from sleep deprivation prompted other brain chemical changes that are linked to addiction.

Dopamine-Affecting Medications

Several classes of drugs are used to treat conditions involving dopamine dysregulation.

Dopamine Agonists

Dopamine agonistsboost dopamine levels or function and are used to treat Parkinsons disease and RLS.

Theyre used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

They treat the same conditions as the older typicals, but with fewer side effects.

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Huntingtons Disease Society of America.Huntingtons disease stages.