| Rose |
Rose C. Jean-Baptiste
ESL 91
Fall, 2001
ESSAY TOPIC: Research the neurotransmitter, dopamine. Explain how this neurotransmitter works and what its function is in the body and the brain. Be sure to concentrate on how dopamine affects behavior. What happens when something goes wrong in the system; for example, when there is too much or too little dopamine? What treatments are there?
Dopamine is chemical neurotransmitter in the brain. Dopamine has an important role in our mental and physical health. Dopamine affects brain processes, controls movement, emotional response, ability to experience pleasure and pain. When the dopamine malfunctions, it causes two major central nervous system disorders: Schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease. So far scientists have not found any cure yet for schizophrenia and Parkinson’s, but the have found treatment that have helped to reduce the symptoms.
Dopamine is one of the neurotransmitters. Dopamine is a chemical messenger that effect someone’s behavior and emotions. The body is supposed to have a certain quantity of dopamine to permit the brain to function properly. When the brain receives an imbalance of dopamine, it causes problems. This can lead to schizophrenia or Parkinson’s.
That can cause some one to lose touch with reality. Researchers cannot find the exact cause of schizophrenia but the believe the biochemical dopamine plays an important role in schizophrenia. When they receive too much dopamine it cannot control the person’s behavior and emotion. There is no cure for schizophrenia, but there is treatment with drugs that help to balance and control the production and release of dopamine. These drugs are called antagonists because they decrease the dopamine in the brain.
Parkinson’s is a disorder of the brain. It affects muscle movement. Parkinson’s is cause by a deficiency of dopamine in the brain. With out dopamine the nerve cells cannot transmit message properly. It causes the muscles to lose function and damage the part of the brain that controls muscle movement. There no cure yet, only treatment medication can control the imbalance in people who have the disease. To help relieve their symptoms, doctors give those people levo dopa and then carbidopa. These are dopamine agonist drugs that bind to dopamine receptors in place of dopamine.
Dopamine is a very important chemical messenger in the brain. It controls movement and emotion response. The chemical message needs to be balanced and released to the brain. Too much or two little of it is no good for the brain. When too much dopamine is released, some one can have schizophrenia. If there is too little dopamine some one can have Parkinson’s. There two diseases cannot be cured yet but treatment with medication can help a person get better. I hope in the future they will find better drugs that will help control and balance the release of dopamine.
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