Dopamine is the true cause of disturbances in the rhythms of sleep
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Employees of the Research Biomedical Center of Neurodegenerative Diseases have found out how dopamine affects a person's sleep. They managed to establish the following: in the brain there is a structure, an epiphysis, regulating the "internal clock" of the body.
It helps to adapt to changing the light and dark phase of the day, transmitting light signals to the brain. This transfer is carried out, in particular, due to the melatonin sleep hormone. It is produced in the dark and regulates metabolism when a person sleeps.
In this case, the production and release of melatonin are regulated by norepinephrine (delivers melatonin to the cells, binding to the receptors on the membranes). Until recently, it was thought that the norepinephrine receptors work by themselves. However, now it became clear: they combine with the dopamine receptors.
So, when dopamine joins its receptors, there is a blockage of norepinephrine. The result is a decrease in the concentration of melatonin. Dopamine receptors only make themselves felt in the morning, which allows a person to wake up. Apparently, in people with insomnia or rhythm disturbance due to the change of belts, this mechanism works incorrectly.
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