Can too much dopamine damage brain cells?

As a neurotransmitter, dopamine transmits chemical signals from the dopamine-containing neurons to target cells that contain dopamine receptors. In the brain, dopamine controls physical movement, memory, alertness, attention, emotions and perception of pain and pleasure. read more

Affecting more than half a million people in the United States, Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder that attacks nerve cells in many parts of the nervous system, most notably in a brain region called the substantia nigra, which releases dopamine, a chemical messenger important for movement. read more