Daily Brain Freeze: Monday, 9/27
In today’s micro lesson we’re covering the dopest of neurotransmitters-dopamine. (If you read Dopamine Nation as part of our September Book Club you know all about this brain chemical.) In this lesson we’re breaking down 3 things that you might want to know about dopamine:
- ) Dopamine is a brain chemical that is responsible for our sense of motivation. (This is super important because low dopamine is associated with major depressive disorder. People with depression often exhibit reduced motivation, a decrease in pleasure from usually enjoyed things, sometimes motor decreases as well. All of these are linked with dopamine. Targeting the dopamine system is one of the ways in which we can look at potential mechanisms and treatments for depressive behaviors.
- Exercise increases dopamine production and receptor sites. Over time, regular exercise remodels the reward system, leading to higher circulating levels of dopamine and more available dopamine receptors. In this way, exercise can both relieve depression and expand your capacity for joy.
3. Dopamine concentration in the brain is linked to human intelligence. The origins of human intelligence can be attributed to an expansion of dopaminergic systems in human cognition. Dopamine is postulated to be the key neurotransmitter regulating six predominantly left-hemispheric cognitive skills critical to human language and thought: motor planning, working memory, cognitive flexibility, abstract reasoning, temporal analysis/sequencing, and generativity. So….when you exercise you boost your mental and emotional health as well as your brain power. Pretty rad!
Physiology First in Action: Move, Breathe, Sweat, Adapt
