Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in your brain and is responsible for transmitting signals between the nerve cells. Dopamine is linked to brain activities like decision-making, motivation and rewards. It is also linked to muscle movement. Lower levels of dopamine can lead to inattention and lack of motivation and are present in children who are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder.
Functions
Dopamine plays an important role in your brain and works to ensure signals are relayed properly between nerve cells. Your ability to make decisions and be motivated to do a task is regulated by your dopamine levels.
Research from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine indicates dopamine influences your behavior and too much or too little dopamine affects your decisions and muscle movements.
Medical Conditions
There are many medical conditions that are being researched to determine if dopamine levels play a part in the cause of the illness and the treatment of it. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, for example, shows lower levels of dopamine present in most cases. These lower levels of dopamine may account for inattention, reduced motivation and susceptibility to drug abuse and obesity, according to Gene-Jack Wang, chair of the medical department at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Dopamine levels are often found to be too low in people who suffer from Parkinson's disease. Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine suggests that lower levels of dopamine lead to the inability to stop an action, such as is the case with people who suffer from Parkinson's disease.
Testing Methods
Dr. Marty L. Hinz, President of Clinical Research at the Cape Coral, Florida, USA Research Office, indicates there are four methods that you can use to test dopamine levels in children: a central spinal fluid test, blood test, saliva test or urine analysis. The central spinal fluid test is not a practiced method of testing dopamine levels, since it requires a spinal tap. Doing a blood test is not accurate unless a central line is inserted into the vein and blood is withdrawn 30 minutes later. Saliva tests have not shown accurate results either. Testing dopamine levels through urine testing is the most accurate method.
Increasing Levels
Pharmaceutical medications exist to raise dopamine levels in children. Some medications are short--acting and raise dopamine levels for a few hours at a time. Other medications, also known as extended-release capsules, keep dopamine levels higher and consistent over a longer period of time. Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine indicates that too much dopamine may be responsible for compulsive and addictive behavior.
Integrative Psychiatry, an integrative psychiatry clinic in Sarasota, Florida, says you can also raise your dopamine levels naturally by consuming the following foods: avocados, bananas, almonds, diary products, lima beans, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds.
Lower Levels
Lower levels of dopamine can have an impact on muscle control, as determined in Parkinson's patients who are not able to move. According to Integrative Psychiatry, foods like sugar, saturated fats, refined foods and cholesterol can contribute to lower dopamine levels.
References
- The Globe and Mail: ADHD study ties brain proteins to symptoms
- Psychiatric News: Dopamine Role in ADHD May Explain Drug's Efficacy
- Northwestern University: New Insight into What Freezes Parkinson's Patients and Drives Drug Addicts
- Neuro Research: Dopamine Test
- Integrative Psychiatry: Dopamine: Naturals ways to Increase Dopamine Levels
