In addition to smoothing out wrinkles, researchers have found that the drug Botox can reveal the inner workings of the brain. A new study used it to show that feedback from individual nerve cells controls the release of dopamine, a chemical messenger involved in motivation, memory, and movement.
Such “self-regulation,” the researchers say, stands in contrast to the widely held view that the release of dopamine — known as the “feel good” hormone — by any cell relied on messages from nearby cells to recognize that it is releasing too much of the hormone.
Brain Cells Decide on Their Own When To Release ‘Feel Good’ Pleasure Hormone
