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Dopamine

Dopamine

by Tobias on May 31, 2010

I am doing a lot of research on the brain, stress, depression, etc. Many things point back to dopamine.

I have been reading and watching lectures and documents about brain chemistry.  Lately I have been running into many that discuss how dopamine is a key element in happiness, reward, etc. mechanics in the brain.  Seeing charts descriping how dopamine levels in the brain reinforce data got me thinking:

How can I test myself for dopamine levels?

As far as I can tell, the only solution is trepanation. Sadly, I don’t think this is a way to go.

If there is a viable way to accurately and safely test for dopamine levels, then shouldn’t we be actively integrating this into our mental health care system?

If you or someone you know has more information about the research involved in collecting dopamine data on human subjects, please enlighten me.

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