The second in our ‘Welcome to Your Neurotransmitters’ series sees Heather explore her favourite chemical in the brain: dopamine. Dopamine plays a crucial role in how we feel pleasure, and is instrumental in helping us to strive, focus and find things interesting. In addition, one of the interesting things about dopamine is that it can play both excitatory and inhibitory roles within the brain.

Low levels of dopamine are associated with depression, ADHD and Parkinson’s Disease, and dopamine also plays an important role in cycles of addiction. Interestingly, dopamine release has been found to increase by as much 65% during Yoga Nidra practice, suggesting that this may be useful in targeting symptoms such as low mood, difficulty concentrating and lack of interest in usual activities.

Here, Heather provides a basic overview of how and where dopamine is released in the brain, delving into the impact it has on various different systems and health issues.