Page "Dopamine" Paragraph 1

Dopamine ( abbreviated as DA ), a simple organic chemical in the catecholamine family, is a monoamine neurotransmitter which plays a number of important physiological roles in the bodies of animals.

In addition to being a catecholamine and a monoamine, dopamine may be classified as a substituted phenethylamine.

Its name derives from its chemical structure, which consists of an amine group ( NH < sub > 2 </ sub >) linked to a catechol structure called dihydroxyphenethylamine, the decarboxylated form of dihydroxyphenylalanine ( acronym DOPA ).

In the brain, dopamine functions as a neurotransmitter — a chemical released by nerve cells to send signals to other nerve cells.

The human brain uses five known types of dopamine receptors, labeled D < sub > 1 </ sub >, D < sub > 2 </ sub >, D < sub > 3 </ sub >, D < sub > 4 </ sub >, and D < sub > 5 </ sub >.

Dopamine is produced in several areas of the brain, including the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area.