Dopamine by Ray Sahelian, M.D. (index of hundreds of natural medicine topics)

Natural Ways to Increase Dopamine

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Dopamine is an important brain chemical involved in motor functions and general arousal. Dopamine is also involved in the ability to learn and the encoding of stimuli. Virtually all drugs of abuse, including heroin and other opiates, alcohol, cocaine, amphetamine and nicotine activate dopamine neuronal systems. So called "natural" rewards such as food, positive social interactions and even humor, likewise activate dopamine neurons and are powerful aids to attention and learning. Sweet solutions are a well-characterized natural reward. When a source of sugar is encountered, animals will consume substantial amounts, return to it preferentially, and will work to obtain access.
   A number of psychiatric disorders are associated with imbalances with dopamine, particularly schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, and mood disorders, including certain types of depression. Dopamine may also be involved in restless legs syndrome.

High on Dopamine
Temporary elevation of dopamine levels often leads to an improvement in mood, alertness, libido, and perhaps even an enhancement in verbal fluency and creativity. However, a dopamine increase can lead to side effects to including the propensity to have an addictive behavior. For instance, there have been a few reports that patients with Parkinson's disease became involved in gambling when the dosage of their dopamine-enhancing medicines was increased. Interestingly, dopamine at times may lead to a sleepy state.

How is Dopamine made?
Dopamine is made from the amino acid tyrosine. Once produced, dopamine can, in turn, convert into the brain chemicals norepinephrine and epinephrine.

Phenylalanine
to
Tyrosine
to
L-Dopa
to
Dopamine
to
Norepinephrine
to
Epinephrine

Dopamine and Libido
Dopamine can improve sex drive. Serotonin has the opposite effect to dopamine. While dopamine increases sexuality, serotonin dampens it. Certain natural supplements can increase dopamine levels and enhance sexual interest, for instance mucuna pruriens. Herbs involved in libido are included in Passion Rx.

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Natural Ways to increase dopamine
A decline in dopamine activity in the brain is linked to cognitive (learning and memory) and movement problems in those with Parkinson's disease. The amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine, along with the nutrient NADH and some of the B vitamins, influence the production of dopamine. An herbal supplement called mucuna pruriens elevates dopamine levels and it has been used in India for many centuries for Parkinson's disease. Mucuna Pruriens is found in a sex booster called Passion Rx. See index at top of page. Dopamine is also enhanced by massage therapy.

Brain metabolism of Dopamine
When released into the synaptic cleft (the space between brain cells), dopamine is broken down by the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO). This is an important point to keep in mind since many pharmaceutical drugs take advantage of this reaction. In fact, there are drugs that block the activity of MAO, and hence are known as MAO inhibitors. There are two types of MAO inhibitors—type A and type B. These monoamine oxidase inhibitors can act as antidepressants, and the type B inhibitors are also used to treat Parkinson’s disease. Selegiline (or deprenyl) is a well-known pharmaceutical MAO type-B inhibitor.

Dopamine Related to Gambling and Impulsive Behavior?
Drugs prescribed to treat Parkinson's disease could turn patients into compulsive gamblers. Scientists at the Food and Drug Administration have found a strong association between pathological gambling and the drugs, which boost the level of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine, a chemical naturally produced in the human body, plays a key role in the way the brain controls movements. A shortage of dopamine causes Parkinson's disease. But dopamine is also associated with addictive behaviors such as drug use and pleasurable experiences such as sex and food. Researchers are looking into the possibility that Parkinson's disease drugs are turning "some patients into obsessive pleasure seekers." But no firm links have been made between dopamine enhancers and compulsive gambling.

Risk of dopamine agonist drugs
Case reports and echocardiographic studies suggest that the ergot-derived dopamine agonists pergolide and cabergoline, used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and restless legs syndrome, may increase the risk of cardiac-valve regurgitation.

Dopamine Research Update
Cortisol decreases and serotonin and dopamine increase following massage therapy.
Int J Neurosci. 2005 Oct;115(10):1397-413. Field T, Hernandez-Reif M, Diego M, Schanberg S, Kuhn C.
Touch Research Institutes, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
In this article the positive effects of massage therapy on biochemistry are reviewed including decreased levels of cortisol and increased levels of serotonin and dopamine. The research reviewed includes studies on depression (including sex abuse and eating disorder studies), pain syndrome studies, research on auto-immune conditions (including asthma and chronic fatigue), immune studies (including HIV and breast cancer), and studies on the reduction of stress on the job, the stress of aging, and pregnancy stress. In studies in which cortisol was assayed either in saliva or in urine, significant decreases were noted in cortisol levels (averaging decreases 31%). In studies in which the activating neurotransmitters (serotonin and dopamine) were assayed in urine, an average increase of 28% was noted for serotonin and an average increase of 31% was noted for dopamine. These studies combined suggest the stress-alleviating effects (decreased cortisol) and the activating effects (increased serotonin and dopamine) of massage therapy on a variety of medical conditions and stressful experiences.

The two faces of Eve: dopamine's modulation of wakefulness and sleep.
Neurology. 2004 Oct 26;63(8 Suppl 3):S2-7.
In Parkinson's disease, waking is frequently punctuated by sleep episodes, including rapid eye movement (REM) (i.e., dream) sleep, and sleep is interrupted by motor activities such as periodic limb movements and REM sleep behavior disorder. Because these pathologic behaviors are unaccounted for by contemporary models, this review summarizes the complex effects of dopamine on normal and pathological waking-sleeping. Maintenance of wakefulness is probably promoted by mesocorticolimbic dopamine circuits, and suppression of nocturnal movement appears to be influenced by indirect pathways linking midbrain dopamine neurons with pre-motor structures in the mesopontine tegmentum and ventromedial medulla. A diencephalospinal dopamine system may have an additional important role in mediating state-specific sensorimotor activity that is relevant to periodic limb movements and restless legs syndrome.

Prolactin release is enhanced in proportion to excess visceral fat in obese women.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Sep;89(9):4445-9.
Prolactin promotes (visceral) fat accrual in a variety of animal models. The release of prolactin by the pituitary gland is tonically inhibited by dopamine through activation of the dopamine D2 receptor, and obese humans appear to have reduced Dopamne D2R-binding sites in their brain. Therefore, we hypothesized that spontaneous prolactin release is enhanced in obese humans. These data show that spontaneous prolactin release is considerably enhanced in obese women in proportion to the size of their visceral fat mass. Because prolactin is inhibited by Dopamine D2R activation we speculate that elevated prolactin secretion may be due to reduced Dopamine D2R availability in the brain.

Oxidative stress to dopaminergic neurons as models of Parkinson's disease.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2004 Jun;1018:533-40.
The effects of exogenous toxins (MPP(+), rotenone) and potentially neurotoxic properties of levodopa (L-DOPA) on the survival rate of dopaminergic neurons in dissociated primary culture are presented. Dopamine agonists show a capacity to counteract MPP(+)-toxicity. Moreover, a preserving potential of the antioxidant and bioenergetic coenzyme Q(10) (CoQ(10)) on the activities of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), complexes I and II of the respiratory chain, and hexokinase activity in striatal slice cultures against MPP(+) is demonstrated.

Rationale for dopamine agonist use as monotherapy in Parkinson's disease.
Curr Opin Neurol. 2003 Dec;16 Suppl 1:S27-33.
Dopamine agonists are increasingly being used in the initial treatment of patients with de-novo Parkinson's disease because they provide symptom relief and a low risk of the dyskinesia frequently associated with levodopa. Evidence is also mounting in preclinical models that dopamine agonists protect dopaminergic neurons from the toxic effects of oxidative stress and the by-products of dopamine and L-dopa metabolism. Ergot derivatives, such as pergolide, induce minor side-effects and provide significant and sustained improvements in motor function in patients with early Parkinson's disease. Dopamine agonists also appear to reduce the loss of functional dopamine transporters when used early in the disease course, and these factors combine to build a case for the use of dopamine agonists in early-stage Parkinson's disease.

Comparing dopamine agonists in Parkinson's disease.
Curr Opin Neurol. 2003 Dec;16 Suppl 1:S13-9.
Dopamine agonists are effective in the management of both advanced and early-stage Parkinson's disease. Unfortunately, randomized head-to-head comparative studies between the many different dopamine agonists now available are sparse. Indirect comparisons of dopamine agonists show that ergot derivatives, such as pergolide and cabergoline, are as effective as non-ergot derivatives, such as ropinirole and pramipexole, in ameliorating Parkinson's disease symptoms in patients in early or advanced stages of the condition. As far as safety and tolerability are concerned, no significant differences between dopamine agonists are found. However, some specific adverse events, such as somnolence and sleep attacks, seem less frequent in monotherapy studies with pergolide than in those with the non-ergot dopamine agonists; however, because of the lack of direct-comparison studies this cannot be proved conclusively. Randomized, controlled comparative studies between dopamine agonists are necessary to verify any possible differences in their effectiveness and tolerability in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

There are several important brain chemicals including dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, GABA, and others.

Dopamine Questions
Q. If dopamine levels increase libido, and amphetamines increase dopamine levels in the synaptic cleft, why does Adderall have the effect of decreasing my sex drive?
     A. Amphetamines influence dopamine levels, but they have an influence on other neurotransmitters which could influence libido. Amphetamines are not exclusive to dopamine in their influence.

Q.  i have seen your website about dopamine and natural herbs. I seek to know if you know of any herb that has dopamine D2 receptor agonist activity. It is for my 26 year old son who has mental illness - very logical but severe negative symptoms. He has been on olanzapine for many years but with no real success. After much research we have realised that the excess dopamine belived by the medical profession to be the cause is in fact only a defence mechanism of the body to what is a chronic underactivity of dopamine. We read a scientific journal where a low dose D2 receptor agonist was used and it led to complete tolerance of the dopamine - we then proceeded to try chasteberry - a D2 agonist. we have definately been making the only progress we have made since his ilnness. It is going to take time but seems to be RESENSITISING his defective D2 receptor and therefor revitalise the whole dopamine system. He describes how he was liturally feeling rushes in his hipothalamus - back brain type region that felt good. HOWEVER we seek a better agonist - he is a man and would really not like to take chasteberry - is BACOPA for exp - i read something to do with dopamine BUT - cannot find out any more? any herbs that stimulate D2?
     A. We have not come across herbal influence research on dopamine in the detail that would only focus on dopamine D2 receptor.

Q. To the best of my knowledge the neurotransmitter serotonin is naturally best increased with 5-HTP supplementation, acetylcholine with choline but how about the neurotransmitter dopamine? Is dopamine best increased with an individual supplment or nutrient or is it automatically boosted when the  other neurotransmitters (sertonin, acestylcholine) have been heighted?
   A. As far as we know, our dopamine page tells our thoughts on this topic. We don't see the clear connection between the other neurotransmitters being heightened influencing dopamine increase.

 

dopamine research dopamine natural supplements dopamine and sex dopamine and libido