The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity―and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race

by Daniel Z. Lieberman

When a dopamine-producing cell fires, it releases its store of dopamine, which then binds to receptors on other brain cells. Then, to bring the interaction to an end, the dopamine transporter sucks the dopamine back into the cell where it came from so the process can start all over again. The transporter is sometimes called a reuptake pump because it pumps the dopamine back into the cell. What happens when the transporter doesn’t function normally? We can answer this question by looking at the behavior of people who abuse cocaine. Cocaine blocks the dopamine transporter like a sock shoved into a vacuum cleaner nozzle. The blockage allows the dopamine to interact with its receptor over and over again.

When a dopamine-producing cell fires, it releases its store of dopamine, which then binds to receptors on other brain cells. Then, to bring the interaction to an end, the dopamine transporter sucks the dopamine back into the cell where it came from so the process can start all over again. The transporter is sometimes called a reuptake pump because it pumps the dopamine back into the cell. What happens when the transporter doesn’t function normally? We can answer this question by looking at the behavior of people who abuse cocaine. Cocaine blocks the dopaminetransporter like a sock shoved into a vacuum cleaner nozzle. The blockage allows the dopamine to interact with its receptor over and over again.