Modulation of motivation by manipulation of the dopaminergic pathways

Introduction: The brain is essential in the functioning of the organism of diverse beings, containing the necessary components for the working of various processes both physical and psychic, some of those being: the production of cerebral hormones and motivations of a being. The motivation in the organism of the human being and of various other animals is given by the actuation of the dopamine neurotransmitter. The dopamine is produced in the mesencephalon and is used in the reward system of the brain for the production of motivation, which comes from the realization of cost and benefit calculations made in the pre-frontal cortex. Objectives: The study realized has the objective of understanding the actuation of dopamine in the targeting of human motivation and its utilization in favor of treatments of addiction cases and compulsive behaviors that are harmful to human health. Methods: The research was realized by a narrative revision of the literature, seeking to analyze the effects and relations of motivational targeting with dopamine in the last five years, utilizing the databases SciELO, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Results: The results show that the dopaminergic system realizes a fundamental paper in the targeting of motivation in the human organism, and presents a strong relation with the development of addictions. Conclusions: In conclusion, dopamine presents great potential in being utilized in psychotherapeutic applications with neuromodulation of the behavior and reduction of impulses related to the wish for substances and behaviors that are harmful to the functioning of the human body and psyche.