seniors aging gracefully

here is what webmd has say about it

Dopamine is a hormone and a type of neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger, made in your brain. Your nervous system uses it to send messages between nerve cells. These messages also travel between your brain and the rest of your body. 

This unique neurotransmitter affects your body, brain, and behavior. Dopamine plays a role in how we feel pleasure and rewards. It’s a big part of our unique human ability to think and plan. It helps us focus, work towards goals, and find things interesting.

Like most other systems in the body, you don’t notice it (or maybe even know about it) until there’s a problem.

Too much or too little dopamine can lead to many different health issues. Some are serious, like Parkinson’s disease. Others are less severe.

Along with another transmitter, serotonin, are crucial in regulating mood and emotional states. It is involved in feelings of pleasure and pain. Too much of it causes

Anxiety

Excess energy or mania

Increased stress

High sex drive

Insomnia

Aggression

Hallucinations

While too little is associated with

• Rigid, stiff, and achy muscles
• Tremors⁹
• Muscle cramps or spasms
• Poor balance and coordination¹⁰
• Unique walking pattern, often with small, shuffling steps
• Difficulty with fine motor skills, like holding a pencil
• Constipation
• Trouble eating and swallowing
• Cognitive problems, sometimes called “brain fog”
• Issues focusing attention¹¹
• Fatigue
• Low energy
• Slow movement or speech
• Mood swings
• Low sex drive

It plays a role in Parkinson’s Disease as well as obesity

It also is associate with various mental conditions such as ADHD, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. In addition it is involved with addictive behaviors

People seems to craze dopamine and indeed the need for it contributes to smoking. My cat even seems addicted as I made the mistake of giving Arlo too many Temptations treats and now he demands it thoughout the day

it has even inspired a song Robyn – Dopamine (Official Music Video)

check back for more information on mental illness, brain functioning and neurotransmitters.