Wiki on dopamine

[kaypeeoh]

Organic Chemical

Dopamine is an organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. It functions both as a hormone and a neurotransmitter, and plays several important roles in the brain and body. It is an amine synthesized by removing a carboxyl group from a molecule of its precursor chemical L-DOPA, which is synthesized in the brain and kidneys. Dopamine is also synthesized in plants and most animals. In the brain, dopamine functions as a neurotransmitter—a chemical released by neurons to send signals to other nerve cells. The brain includes several distinct dopamine pathways, one of which plays a major role in the motivational component of reward-motivated behavior. The anticipation of most types of rewards increases the level of dopamine in the brain, and many addictive drugs increase dopamine release or block its reuptake into neurons following release. Other brain dopamine pathways are involved in motor control and in controlling the release of various hormones. These pathways and cell groups form a dopamine system

[soup]

Did you have a question?

[kaypeeoh in reply to soup]

Sorry, no. I was trying to attach this post to another post titled, Dopamine Questions but got distracted and sent it to the wrong place. I'm too old to use computers.

[pvw2]

"L-DOPA, which is synthesized in the brain and kidneys"

First time I've heard of the kidneys producing L-dopa. So far, I haven't found anything backing this up.

[pvw2 in reply to pvw2]

Here's a link:

uptodate.com/contents/renal...