Dopamine is a peripheral vasostimulant used to treat low blood pressure, low heart rate, and cardiac arrest. Dopamine is most notably involved in helping us feel pleasure as part of the brain's reward system. Sex, shopping, smelling cookies baking in the oven — all these things can trigger dopamine release, or a "dopamine rush."

Dopamine was first synthesized in 1910 by George Barger and James Ewens at Wellcome Laboratories in London, England. It is produced in several areas of the brain, including the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area. It is a neurohormone that is released by the hypothalamus.

Dopamine is synthesized from phenylalanine or tyrosine via sequential reactions catalyzed mainly by PH, TH, and DOPA decarboxylase. It can also be synthesized from tyramine in a minor pathway by CYP2D6. Dopamine is effectively degraded into the main inactive metabolites DOPAC and HVA via a series of reactions mediated predominantly by the enzymes MAO, COMT, ALDH, and ADH.

Because dopamine is made from tyrosine, getting more of this amino acid from food could potentially boost dopamine levels in your brain. Some research suggests that a diet rich in tyrosine also may improve memory and mental performance.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps in the transmission of signals in the brain and other vital areas.