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dopamine

[doh-puh-meen]

noun

  1. Biochemistry.,  a catecholamine neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, retina, and sympathetic ganglia, acting within the brain to help regulate movement and emotion: its depletion may cause Parkinson's disease.

  2. Pharmacology.,  a dopamine preparation used to increase the force of contraction of the heart in the treatment of shock.



dopamine

/ ˈdɒpəmɪn /

noun

  1. a chemical found in the brain that acts as a neurotransmitter and is an intermediate compound in the synthesis of noradrenaline. Formula: (HO) 2 C 6 H 3 (CH 2 ) 2 NH 2

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of dopamine1

First recorded in 1955–60; dopa, amine
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Word History and Origins

Origin of dopamine1

from d ( ihydr ) o ( xy ) p ( henylethyl ) amine
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Compare Meanings

How does dopamine compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"There's a part of our brain that loves that quick dopamine hit, but this album is really trying to get us to listen," Tola says.

Read more on BBC

The AI researcher’s only comparable dopamine hit these days is on Anthropic’s Slack workplace-messaging channels, where he explores chatter about colleagues’ theories and experiments on large language models and architecture.

The art of investing is beginning to share space with the dopamine rush of speculation.

Read more on Barron's

I’m betting on willpower defeating dopamine, which is like betting on the Jets winning a Super Bowl before I die.

Read more on MarketWatch

First, using an addictive substance causes the release of a chemical messenger called dopamine in the reward network, which makes the user feel good.

Read more on Salon

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dopadopamine dressing