Does dopamine affect reaction time? does it cayse faster reaction time?

Answer 1

Hi Angeline,

I agree with Ariana's answer! To add on to the above comment, there is a research article published from 2002 to that states dopamine is involved in a variety of motor and non-motor information-processing operations. One way to determine its contribution to human information processing is to study reaction time (RT) performance after oral absorption of its precursor, levodopa, which increases its concentration in the nervous system.

These results from the study show that levodopa specifically affects the stimulus preprocessing stage, which suggests that the dopaminergic system plays a role in sensory processing, possibly by acting on the level of arousal.

Essentially, the main take-away from this article is that Dopamine contributes to many neurological functions including reaction time!



Answer 2

Hi Angeline,

Dopamine is mostly known to be involved in the reward system. For example, if you do something good, dopamine will be activated and you feel rewarded and want to keep doing that thing.

However, dopamine is also the main neurotransmitter involved in the basal ganglia pathways which are very important for motor control. Dopamine is the reason we are able to move our bodies properly and when the dopamine levels are not correct, can lead to motor disorders such as Parkinson's Disease.