Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that was synthesized for the first time in 1910 by Geroge Barger and James Ewens. It is synthesized from tyrosine and is also well known as the precursor of norepinephrine and epinephrine. Dopamine receptors exists in ...
Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that was synthesized for the first time in 1910 by Geroge Barger and James Ewens. It is synthesized from tyrosine and is also well known as the precursor of norepinephrine and epinephrine. Dopamine receptors exists in various areas of brain. Depending on the structure and functional characteristics of each receptor, they are divided into D1-like receptors family that shows activational stimulation and D2-like receptors family group that shows inhibitional stimulation. Dopamine is secreted from the several different areas of brain, whose main areas include ventral tegmental area, substantia nigra, etc. Dopamine in the limbic system passes through the reward circuit and stimulates reward and systems such as motivation caused by the reward, and dopamine that passes through basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex has an influence on controlling learning and cognition. Also, dopamine that is synthesized in the kidney plays an important role in adjusting blood pressure and sodium balance. Dopamine is also formed in the retina; is known to control circadian rhythm by regulating suprachiasmatic nucleus that is mostly activated when the sun is up and the retina detects light. Dopamine that is delivered to the thalamus through tuberoinfundibular pathway also functions as a hormone that inhibits the secretion of prolactin, which is a hormone that facilitates milk secretion. On the other hand, abnormal stimulation of dopamine triggers various side effects inside the human body. Excessive dopamine is secreted when addictive substances, such as drug or nicotine, this will lead to an addiction symptom, making one become insensitive to other stimuli as one is used to huge stimuli. In addition, if the substantia nigra is damaged or destroyed, the neural distribution of dopamine neurons in there will be decreased, which will lead to the decrease of dopamine and the Parkinson symptom. In contrast, the increased delivery of dopamine nerve and the excessive secretion of dopamine may become a cause of schizophrenia. Likewise, since dopamine acts in the various areas of brain and is an important neurotransmitter that has close influences on the essential functions of our life, such information is a topic used through many different materials. This thesis provides information about the synthesis of neurotransmitter dopamine and its influence on the human body. It also seeks to find connections with high school biology class and proposes a plan to apply in education by using this thesis.