dopamine

American  

[doh-puh-meen] / ˈdoʊ pəˌmin /

noun

dopamines plural

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.

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dopamine British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dopamines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dopamine

First recorded in 1955–60; see origin at dopa, amine

Compare meaning

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

• dopamine vs. serotonin

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dopamine dopamines

Mr. Garson makes the case that Dr. Snyder’s research into dopamine and mental illness “sculpted science’s overarching understanding of how such drugs work.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Effective antipsychotic medications, they argued, were those that blocked these dopamine receptors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Medications that target dopamine receptors offer hope to many suffering from psychotic disorders, but there are serious limits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Additional experiments showed that activation of the central amygdala reduced dopamine release in important parts of the brain's reward system while the mice were eating for pleasure.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026

“They’re so amped up on dopamine that when it’s not firing, they feel dull, dead,” he says.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

She likes babies: the thought of them fills her with dopamines and endorphins; and the inveterate shopper that she is, buying for them couldn't make her much higher.

From Tokyo to Tijuana: Gabriele Departing America by Sills, Steven (Steven David Justin)