When we are immersed in a wonderful **, or savoring a piece of sweet chocolate, we may feel an indescribable pleasure and satisfaction. Behind this pleasure is a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which works silently. Dopamine, a seemingly ordinary chemical term, actually carries endless mysteries and charms, it is the "messenger of happiness" in our brains and the "colorist" of our lives.
Dopamine was first developed in 1910 by George Bagh and James Ewen at Wellcome, London, England.
It was synthesized in the laboratory, but it was not until 1957 that Catherine Montague first identified this miraculous substance in the human brain. As a catecholamine neurotransmitter, dopamine is ubiquitous in nerve tissues and body fluids, and it is an intermediate product produced by tyrosine during metabolism and is also a precursor to norepinephrine synthesis.
Dopamine plays a wide range of roles in the brain, and it is involved in a variety of physiological and mental processes such as regulating mood, controlling movement, regulating appetite, improving concentration, regulating endocrine, and influencing learning and memory. It can be said that dopamine is an "all-rounder" in our brain, and its role runs through all aspects of our lives.
Dopamine plays an important role in mood regulation. When we experience something pleasurable, such as achieving something, earning a reward, or spending quality time with a loved one, dopamine levels in the brain rise, giving us a sense of happiness and satisfaction. Conversely, when we face stress, frustration, or the loss of a loved one, dopamine levels may decrease, leading us to feel frustrated and lost. Therefore, dopamine can be said to be the "weather vane" of our emotions, and its fluctuations directly affect our mood and emotional state.
Dopamine also plays a key role in exercise control. It regulates our movement fluency, coordination, and speed by interacting with other neurotransmitters in the brain. Parkinson's disease is a condition that occurs when dopaminergic neurons degenerate and cause a severe decrease in dopamine. The patient's ability to exercise is severely affected, with symptoms such as dyskinesia, tremors, and muscle stiffness. Therefore, dopamine is essential for the maintenance and coordination of our exercise capacity.
In addition to mood and motor control, dopamine is strongly linked to our appetite and eating behavior. Studies have shown that elevated dopamine neuronal activity can increase appetite, while decreased dopamine neuronal activity can suppress appetite. This also explains why we tend to be irresistible when confronted with food, which stimulates the release of dopamine in our brains, making us feel happy and satisfied.
In addition, dopamine also plays an important role in improving concentration and regulating endocrine. When we are faced with an interesting or challenging task, the level of dopamine increases, helping us to concentrate and give our all to the task. At the same time, dopamine can also regulate urine and hormone levels, affecting our endocrine system. The regulation of dopamine is also involved in the process of some endocrine diseases.
Dopamine also plays an important role in learning and memory. It plays a key role in areas of the brain such as the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, which are closely related to our memory and learning processes. Dopamine enhances the ability to store and retrieve memories and has a positive impact on the learning process. This is one of the reasons why we tend to feel excited and happy when we learn something new or master a new skill.
Overall, dopamine is an amazing and important neurotransmitter. It travels through our brains, conveying messages of happiness and contentment, regulating our emotions, movement, appetite, attention, endocrine, learning and memory, and other physiological and mental processes. It is because of the presence of dopamine that our lives have become so colorful and full of fun. Therefore, we should cherish and treat this "messenger of happiness" with kindness and let it continue to work its magic in our lives and bring us more happiness and fulfillment.