Desensitization of neurons to dopamine is a well-known effect in addiction. However, researchers found a natural example of ...

Dopamine, a powerful brain chemical and neurotransmitter, is a key regulator of many important functions such as attention, experiencing pleasure and reward, and coordinating movement. The brain ...

Dopamine is one of the most extensively studied chemical messengers in the human brain, and yet scientists are still figuring out how it works to accomplish so much. For years, the classic view has ...

A new study on laboratory rats has found that the brain’s ability to learn from rewards is enhanced by the hormone estrogen.

Dopamine is the brain’s motivational spark, driving us to chase what feels good and steer clear of what doesn’t. But scientists haven’t fully understood how dopamine helps us learn to avoid bad ...

A recent study published in Molecular Psychiatry suggests a new way to understand the relationship between body fat and the ...

Recent evidence suggests that dopamine plays a crucial role in neural development. In a novel study, investigators demonstrated the link between disrupted developmental dopamine signaling and autism ...

Our brain’s reward system processes and reinforces pleasurable experiences, motivating us to seek out and engage in rewarding activities ranging from eating to social interactions to recreational drug ...

We're all familiar with Pavlovian conditioning, in which a reward-anticipatory behavior follows a reward-predicting stimulus. Perhaps you experience it yourself when passing a cafe or restaurant and ...

Researchers have discovered a potentially safer yet effective treatment for multiple disorders that display altered dopamine signaling. The “key?” A molecule that targets a specific protein called the ...

Dopamine brings on a surge of pleasure, but too much dopamine in a synapse can ultimately lead to mood disorders and ...