Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, or activated by dopamine or related substances.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Containing, involving, or transmitting dopamine.
  • adjective Of or relating to dopamine.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[dopamin(e) + –ergic.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

dopamine +‎ -ergic

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Examples

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  • A synapse is dopaminergic if it uses dopamine as its neurotransmitter. A substance is dopaminergic if it is capable of stimulating dopamine receptors in a dopaminergic synapse.

    Dopaminergic nootropics include dopamine precursors and cofactors, agonists, MAOIs, and dopamine reuptake inhibitors:

    * L-dopa - Prescription drug. Precursor to the neurotransmitter dopamine. Parkinson disease treatment.

    * Phenylalanine (requires Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C) - Essential amino acid. Precursor to dopamine, stimulant, sleep reducer.

    * Theanine - Found in tea. Increases serotonin, GABA and dopamine levels in the brain. Increases alpha-wave based alert relaxation.

    * Tyrosine (requires Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C) - Amino acid. Precursor to dopamine, anti-depressant, sleep reducer.

    * Vitamin C- improves cardiovascular elasticity and integrity, membrane stabilizer and major anti-oxidant (protects brain cells and prevents brain cell death), cofactor in the production of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin.

    * Vitamin B6 - co-factor used by the body to produce dopamine.

    * Yohimbine - boosts dopamine levels through an unknown mechanism. Sometimes used as an aphrodisiac. Poses health risks: it is a neuro-paralytic which slows down breathing and induces acidosis, some symptoms of which are malaise, nausea, and vomiting. Contraindicated for users of megadoses of acidic vitamins or nutrients.citation needed

    * MAOIs such as Selegiline which inhibits MAO-B (an enzyme that breaks down dopamine) thus raising dopamine by partially inhibiting its breakdown. (In large doses it also inhibits MAO-A)

    * Tolcapone - Inhibits COMT (an enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitters dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine) and increases performance in tasks depending on working memory in individuals with a certain phenotype.

    * Buproprion - atypical antidepressant, dopamine reuptake inhibitor.

    * Dopamine agonists such as pergolide

    January 18, 2009