dopamine

Also known as 3-hydroxytyramine, 4-(2-aminoethyl)catechol, 4-(2-aminoethyl)pyrocatechol, Hydroxytyramin, 4-(2-Aminoethyl)-1,2-benzenediol, 4-(2-azanylethyl)benzene-1,2-diol, Dopastat, alpha-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)-beta-aminoethane

AI overview

Dopamine is a chemical messenger in the brain that nerve cells release to communicate with each other, and it also functions as a neuromodulator that plays several important roles in how cells operate. It's produced in the brain and kidneys from a precursor molecule, and is found across plants and animals, making it a fundamental molecule in biology.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Drug.IUPAC_name: 4-(2-Aminoethyl)benzene-1,2-diol
Drug.image: Dopamine.svg
Drug.image_class: skin-invert-image
Drug.alt: Dopamine structure
Drug.caption: Skeletal formula of dopamine
Drug.image2: Dopamine-based-on-xtal-3D-bs-17.png
Drug.image_class2: bg-transparent
Drug.caption2: Ball-and-stick model of the dopamine molecule as found in solution. In the solid state, dopamine adopts a zwitterionic form.
Drug.source_tissues: Substantia nigra; ventral tegmental area; many others
Drug.target_tissues: System-wide
Drug.receptors: D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, TAAR1
Drug.agonists: Direct: apomorphine, bromocriptineIndirect: cocaine, amphetamine, methylphenidate
Drug.antagonists: Neuroleptics, metoclopramide, domperidone
Drug.precursor: Phenylalanine, tyrosine, and L-DOPA
Drug.biosynthesis: DOPA decarboxylase
Drug.metabolism: MAO, COMT
Drug.CAS_number: 51-61-6
Drug.CAS_supplemental: (hydrochloride)

via Wikipedia infobox

Chemical data

Formula: C8H11NO2
Molecular weight: 153.18 g/mol
IUPAC name: 4-(2-aminoethyl)benzene-1,2-diol
SMILES: C1=CC(=C(C=C1CCN)O)O
InChIKey: VYFYYTLLBUKUHU-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP: -1
Polar surface area: 66.5 Å²
H-bond donors: 3
H-bond acceptors: 3
Formal charge: 0

via PubChem

Research

193,546 papers

Dopamine, Updated: Reward Prediction Error and Beyond.ReviewCurrent opinion in neurobiology · 2021Lerner TN, Holloway AL, Seiler JLDOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2020.10.012
Dopamine in schizophrenia: a review and reconceptualization.ReviewThe American journal of psychiatry · 1991Davis KL, Kahn RS, Ko G et al.DOI: 10.1176/ajp.148.11.1474
Multiple dopamine functions at different time courses.ReviewAnnual review of neuroscience · 2007Schultz WDOI: 10.1146/annurev.neuro.28.061604.135722
Imaging dopamine's role in drug abuse and addiction.ReviewNeuropharmacology · 2009Volkow ND, Fowler JS, Wang GJ et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2008.05.022
The debate over dopamine's role in reward: the case for incentive salience.ReviewPsychopharmacology · 2007Berridge KCDOI: 10.1007/s00213-006-0578-x
How dopamine guides our social world.ReviewPharmacological reviews · 2025Padilla-Coreano N, Martínez-Rivera FJDOI: 10.1016/j.pharmr.2025.100085
Dopamine Modulation of Motor and Sensory Cortical Plasticity among Vertebrates.ReviewIntegrative and comparative biology · 2021Macedo-Lima M, Remage-Healey LDOI: 10.1093/icb/icab019
Dopamine as an endogenous regulator of innate immunity in sepsis.ReviewFrontiers in immunology · 2025Wang H, Kang R, Tang DDOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1625368

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Mass: 153.079

Show 6 more facts

Commons category: Dopamine
chemical formula: C₈H₁₁NO₂
canonical SMILES: C1=CC(=C(C=C1CCN)O)O
melting point: 128
defined daily dose: 0.5
stylized name: DOPamine

Sources (12)

via Wikidata · CC0

~58 min read

Article

36 sections

Contents

Structure
Biochemistry
Synthesis
Degradation
Functions
Cellular effects
Storage, release, and reuptake
{{Anchor|Functions in the brain}} Central nervous system
Basal ganglia
Reward
Pleasure
Outside the central nervous system
Immune system
Kidneys
Pancreas
Medical uses
Disease, disorders, and pharmacology
Aging brain
Multiple sclerosis
Parkinson's disease
Drug addiction and psychostimulants
Psychosis and antipsychotic drugs
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Pain
Nausea
Comparative biology and evolution
Microorganisms
Animals
Plants
As a precursor for melanin
History and development
Polydopamine
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Dopamine (DA, a contraction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is a neuromodulatory molecule that plays several important roles in cells. It is an organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. It is an amine synthesized by removing a carboxyl group from a molecule of its precursor chemical, L-DOPA, which is synthesized in the brain and kidneys. Dopamine is also synthesized in plants and most animals. In the brain, dopamine functions as a neurotransmitter—a chemical released by neurons (nerve cells) to send signals to other nerve cells. The brain includes several distinct dopamine pathways, one of which plays a major role in the motivational component of reward-motivated behavior. The anticipation of most types of rewards increases the level of dopamine in the brain, and many addictive drugs increase dopamine release or block its reuptake into neurons following release. Other brain dopamine pathways are involved in motor control and in controlling the release of various hormones. These pathways and cell groups form a dopamine system which is neuromodulatory.

In popular culture and media, dopamine is often portrayed as the main chemical of pleasure, but the current opinion in pharmacology is that dopamine instead confers motivational salience; in other words, dopamine signals the perceived motivational prominence (i.e., the desirability or aversiveness) of an outcome, which in turn propels the organism's behavior toward or away from achieving that outcome.