Dopamine deficiency can lead to a variety of diseases including Parkinson’s, schizophrenia and depression. While we may not know the full extent that dopamine has on these diseases, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley are optimistic about their studies looking into how dopamine regulation affects social behavior. Dr. Ming Hsu says that’s because the dopamine system can be targeted by drugs.

"Unlike a lot of systems that are affected, the dopamine system is very targetable or can be targetable. If I give you something that you can treat, that’s exciting, even if it’s not the ultimate cause."

Hsu’s team is studying how behavior is affected by using dopamine drugs.

"So that’s why so much action is on dopamine because we are giving people drugs that manipulate dopamine levels and see how that influences behavior."