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Dopamine

All articles tagged with #dopamine

Tirzepatide reduces alcohol reward in rodent study, hinting at AUD therapy
science4 days ago

Tirzepatide reduces alcohol reward in rodent study, hinting at AUD therapy

Rodents treated with tirzepatide (Mounjaro) drank more than half as much alcohol as controls, showed fewer relapse-like drinking episodes, and exhibited reduced alcohol-induced dopamine spikes in the brain’s reward center, the lateral septum. The drug also altered histone-related proteins, suggesting possible long-term neural changes. While promising, human trials are needed to confirm efficacy for alcohol use disorder, though tirzepatide’s established safety profile could speed future research.

via Neuroscience News|
#alcohol-use-disorder#dopamine#glp-1gip-dual-agonist
Lab-grown dopamine cells aim to reboot movement in Parkinson’s patients
health-and-medicine6 days ago

Lab-grown dopamine cells aim to reboot movement in Parkinson’s patients

Researchers are testing implanted induced pluripotent stem cells engineered to become dopamine-producing neurons in the brains of Parkinson’s patients in a Phase 1 trial. Delivered via MRI-guided surgery into the basal ganglia, the goal is to restore dopamine production, improve motor function, and slow disease progression. The 12-person study (RNDP-001) is monitored for 12–15 months with long-term follow-up planned for up to five years to assess safety (e.g., dyskinesia, infection) and efficacy, and it has FDA fast-track designation.

via ScienceDaily|
#clinical-trial#dopamine#health-and-medicine
Timing Trumps Repetition: The Brain Learns Faster with Sparse Rewards
science7 days ago

Timing Trumps Repetition: The Brain Learns Faster with Sparse Rewards

A UCSF study shows the brain learns more efficiently when rewards are rare and spaced apart, with dopamine responses driven by the time between cue and reward rather than the number of repetitions. This challenges Pavlovian practice-as-learning and explains why cramming is less effective, while suggesting educational strategies and potential faster, sparse-learning approaches for AI.

via Neuroscience News|
#dopamine#education#learning
Sugar-Free Lent: What Cutting Sweets Does to Your Brain
health9 days ago

Sugar-Free Lent: What Cutting Sweets Does to Your Brain

Giving up sugar for Lent can reveal how sugar acts on the brain’s reward system—driving dopamine signaling in the mesolimbic pathway, altering D1/D2 receptor balance and dopamine transport—similar to drugs of abuse; rodent studies show bingeing, withdrawal, and impulsivity; in humans, about 40 days off sugar may reset some neural sensitivity and reduce cravings, though effects vary by person.

via RTE.ie|
#addiction#brain#dopamine
Moderate cannabis use may improve decision-making in bipolar disorder, study finds
mental-health10 days ago

Moderate cannabis use may improve decision-making in bipolar disorder, study finds

A cross-sectional study of 87 participants, including healthy controls and individuals with bipolar disorder, found that bipolar patients who used cannabis moderately (about 4–24 times per week) showed better decision-making and functional skills—comparable to healthy non-users—whereas bipolar non-users tended to have deficits. In healthy adults, cannabis use impaired decision-making. Heavy use (25+ times/week) was linked to worse performance. The authors caution that the study shows association, not causation, and call for larger randomized trials to explore potential mechanisms (dopamine-related) and the balance of risks and benefits before clinical recommendations.

via PsyPost|
#bipolar-disorder#cannabis#cognition
Engineered Stem Cells Target Dopamine Rebuilding in Parkinson's Trial
health12 days ago

Engineered Stem Cells Target Dopamine Rebuilding in Parkinson's Trial

Keck Medicine of USC leads an early-stage trial testing induced pluripotent stem cells engineered to become dopamine-producing brain cells, implanted into the basal ganglia to restore dopamine and motor function in Parkinson’s disease; the 12-participant, multi-site study monitors safety and efficacy for 12–15 months after surgery, with up to five years of follow-up.

via SciTechDaily|
#clinical-trial#dopamine#health
Effort amplifies dopamine through local acetylcholine signaling in the reward circuit
science29 days ago

Effort amplifies dopamine through local acetylcholine signaling in the reward circuit

New mouse study shows that high effort for a reward triggers rapid acetylcholine release in the nucleus accumbens, which acts on nicotinic receptors to boost dopamine release at the terminals. This cholinergic modulation specifically enhances dopamine during high-effort rewards and tracks exerted effort rather than reward size. Blocking nicotinic signaling (DHβE) or acetylcholine transmission blunts the enhanced dopamine response and impairs effortful behavior, while low-effort reward consumption remains intact. The findings suggest that local DA terminal modulation by acetylcholine, rather than ventral tegmental area cell-body activity, drives effort-based reward seeking.

via Nature|
#acetylcholine#dopamine#effort
New Research Reframes Dopamine's Role in Parkinson's Movement
science2 months ago

New Research Reframes Dopamine's Role in Parkinson's Movement

A McGill-led study challenges the traditional view that dopamine controls movement speed and force, suggesting instead that it acts as a support system enabling movement. The research shows that restoring baseline dopamine levels, rather than fast dopamine spikes, improves movement, which could lead to simpler and more targeted treatments for movement disorders like Parkinson's disease.

via Neuroscience News|
#dopamine#movement#neuroscience
New Research Challenges Beliefs About Ultra-Processed Foods and Addiction
science3 months ago

New Research Challenges Beliefs About Ultra-Processed Foods and Addiction

A study found that consuming a milkshake did not cause a significant dopamine release in the brain's reward region, challenging the idea that ultra-processed foods are highly addictive due to dopamine surges. The research showed individual variability in dopamine response, unrelated to body weight, and suggested that the reward response to such foods may be weaker than that of addictive drugs.

via PsyPost|
#addiction#dopamine#milkshake