The Simple Neuroscience of Dopamine
By: Natalie Wilcox and Brandon Slade - Founder of Untapped Learning
We’ve talked about dopamine in a bunch of different settings, from impulse control to reward, and even metacognition. So what is it really? And what is a neurotransmitter?
Well first, let’s talk about nerves and the brain. Nerves are nothing more than electrical cords connecting different parts of the body and the brain. However, unlike a normal power cord, they have more settings than just “on’’ and “off.” Let’s imagine you have a power cord that, depending on what outlet it is plugged into, will change the color of a lightbulb it is attached to. Neurotransmitters are the chemical version of different outlets to plug a power cord into. They jump the little gaps between the neurons and modify the signal.
So what does dopamine do that’s different from other neurotransmitters? Well, confusingly, dopamine sends both the signal to learn and to move. It depends where the chemical is. If neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (where DA is made) are stimulated, it is more likely to cause movement. In contrast, simulation of the ventral tegmental behavior can lead to more motivated behavior towards a goal. In ADHD, there is a decrease in the presynaptic amounts of dopamine produced. This means that it’s harder for both tasks and actions to be initiated and for reward-based learning to occur. Imagine in the lightbulb situation you had one outlet that had a lower voltage than the others. You could still change the color of the bulb, but it would always be dimmer than the other colors. However, just because one color is dimmer doesn’t mean that the other colors aren’t super bright. This is why we need to lean into students’ strengths and use reward-based learning with all executive function skills.
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