A neurotransmitter operates in the so-called “neuronal synapse”, that is, in the processes in which neurons establish nervous connections between themselves. Dopamine is commonly understood as the neurotransmitter thanks to which the sensation of pleasure or displeasure is regulated.
An essential neurotransmitter
However, the functions of dopamine are much more complexsince they influence, in one way or another, the way the brain functions in general, its processes vital, cognitive and emotional included.
Some of the processes where dopamine intervenes more widely have to do with the learning and the attentionhe dreamthe memory regulation (memory), frequency cardiache dreamor with cognitions related to decision making and the system rewards.
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Three forms of dopamine influence
Dopamine seems to be directly related to the following conditions.
- Obesity and overweight: when people have a lower amount of dopamine in the system nervous, they need to eat a greater amount of food to replace the pleasurable stimulus that the brain would receive when tasting delicious food. Therefore, Low dopamine levels would cause you to not enjoy food as much and the brain needs more stimulation and more frequently, that is, eating more food, especially sugars.
- Good memory: Being a regulator of memory, dopamine is linked to the amount of time that information remains in our mind, that is, how much we can remember. It is through dopamine that our system decides how much and how we should remember. This decision also has to do with the satisfaction that what we learn gives us. Generally when some information is not associated with satisfaction, the brain seeks to forget it. That is, we remember much better what is associated with a positive emotion.
- Way to be: our way of being also seems to be related to dopamine. The most calm and collected, self-confident and with a good ability to relate to their environment, they tend to be people with better dopamine levels than people with difficulties in those areas, that is, nervous or insecure people.
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