Define Dopamine

The various chemicals in the brain have a special balance that is required for humans to function properly. Dopamine is just one of those chemicals. Too much or too little dopamine can have devastating results.

• Dopamine is necessary for people to function properly.

Identification

• Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that assists the body in regulating movements and emotions. A neurotransmitter passes signals between cells within the brain.

Balance

• The body requires a specific amount of dopamine and reacts adversely when that balance is incorrect. Parkinson's disease is the result of having too little dopamine, while schizophrenia is caused by having too much.

Agonists and antagonists

• Agonists are drugs that are able to mimic dopamine and connect to receptors as the chemical normally would. This causes an increase in the effect dopamine would normally give. Antagonists are drugs that do the opposite and cause the body to lower the dopamine reaction. Different illegal drugs, such as cocaine, can sometimes act as either of these.

Potential

• Dopamine agonists and antagonists can serve as treatments for conditions caused by dopamine imbalances. They do this by making up for the lack or abundance of dopamine, causing the body to react properly to motions and emotions.

Considerations

• The importance of having dopamine balanced properly within the body shows that mental illness is truly a physical illness. Medication will often be required to treat levels of dopamine that are not correct.