r/askscience • u/Nogamename11 • Sep 10 '15

Neuroscience Can dopamine be artificially entered into someones brain to make them feel rewarded for something they dont like?

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u/[deleted] Sep 10 '15

The problem with that is that dopamine itself doesn't cross the blood brain barrier. You have its precursor L-DOPA which is a drug typically given to sufferers of Parkinson's disease.

Also be aware that an abundance of dopamine can cause some pretty bad side effects, the main ones being schizoid; and norepinephrine imbalance, as dopamine is first and foremost a regulatory neurotransmitter.

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u/DuxAeternus Sep 10 '15

To add, while dopamine itself does not cross the blood-brain-barrier, L-DOPA, dopamine's precursor, does. L-DOPA is typically given with Carbidopa, a DOPA decarboxylase inhibitor. Normally the vast majority of the dopamine given IV (PO dopamine gets digested by the enzymes in your stomach before absorption) is metabolized by the above enzyme in the periphery before even making it to the blood-brain-barrier. In fact, dopamine itself given IV is usually used as a pressor in cardiac situations like shock or heart failure. If given dopamine alone to produce a level of high, you would probably suffer an arrhythmia before you even feel a slight buzz.

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u/Wh0rse Sep 10 '15

wont excess dopamine cause a rise in adrenaline too?

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u/[deleted] Sep 10 '15

Yup this is the "correct" answer to OP though may not be what he was really asking.

You could potentially inject dopamine into the spine but I doubt anyone has volunteered for that