“Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that regulates movement, cognition, reward, salience, and motivation. It belongs to the catecholamine family, which also includes norepinephrine and epinephrine, all derived from the amino acid tyrosine. Dopamine’s synthesis begins with the conversion of tyrosine into L-DOPA by the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase. L-DOPA is then converted into dopamine by aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (Carlsson, 1959). As a precursor for norepinephrine and epinephrine, dopamine serves multiple functions in the central and peripheral nervous systems.
Dopamine Research from the 1950s to the Present
The story of dopamine began in the mid-20th century when Swedish scientist Arvid Carlsson discovered that dopamine was not merely a precursor to norepinephrine, as previously thought, but a neurotransmitter in its own right. In the 1950s, Carlsson demonstrated that dopamine plays a crucial role in motor function, particularly in the basal ganglia, a brain region involved in movement control.”
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