Wolfram - 18-4-2005 at 04:48
I should write a paper about MAO-inhibitors. So Im looking for a psycho chemistry forums similar to The Hive (which is down since long). Could you
help me?
I also wonder:
1. Could lazyness in healthy subjects possibly be "cured" to some extent by adminstering L-dopa? What would happen if healthy people eat
increase dopamine levels by L-dopa?
2. Suppose someone wants to increase training results from wiegthlifting. Which risks are associated with using insuline to increase metabolism? (Not
including overdose ofcourse)
sparkgap - 18-4-2005 at 05:43
Hi Wolfram!
1. Levodopa is an amino acid naturally produced by the body as a precursor to the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is in turn the precursor of
epinephrine and norepinephrine. Dopamine acts as a sort of "slow down" signal to neurons, such that humans are capable of doing their
day-to-day activities.
As to using levodopa to "cure" laziness, I am not certain. As you may know, laziness can be due to a lot of things, apart from hormonal
imbalances.
With healthy people, not much effect may be noticed since dopamine is continuously produced and metabolized. Besides, not all of the dopamine thus
produced will cross the blood-brain barrier; most of it will be further metabolized. So administering excess levodopa may just be a waste.
2. In the case of using insulin to boost metabolism, I would tend to think that the administration of extra insulin if the subject is producing normal
amounts of it might constitute upsetting the body's delicate balance. If the pituitary gets wind of excess amounts of insulin coasting in the
bloodstream, it would then send a chemical message to the isles of Langerhans saying to produce less insulin, which would be counterproductive to your
goal of increasing metabolism. Thus, maybe the guy can weightlift, but if he's not diabetic/hyperglycemic, he ought to skip the insulin shots.
Hope this helps. As to forums, Synthetika may be a good forum to ask questions also. 
sparky (^_^)
Esplosivo - 18-4-2005 at 05:53
Well dopamine is not exactly a slow down chemical sparkgap, it is more of a stimulant. It acts on the sympathetic nervous system, producing
fright-and-fight/flight reactions - increased heart rate, stops peristalsis, increased blood pressure, etc... L-dopa on the other hand, might not be
converted to dopamine. An excess is mostly probably simply metabolised and broken down at the liver most probably, as sparkgap said. Increased
tyrosine levels, precursor of L-dopa, for example, would not increase dopamine levels. They body tends to maintain concentrations within a narrow
limit, and it is rather efficient and does this in a short time. As a side note, dopamine is involved in what are known as the 'pleasure'
pathways/responses. Therefore they would make one feel more excited, if so may be said. One could administer drugs which are said to increase dopamine
levels (such as cocaine), although this theory is as far as I know, not confirmed and neither beneficial, until new drugs are found which do not bring
about so many side effects.
In the case of insulin I agree completely with sparkgap. Besides increased insulin levels would cause more glucose to be stored up by conversion into
glycogen and/or fat. This would reduce blood glucose levels beyond the 80mg/100mL of blood, which would surely not supply a weight lifter with the
nergy he requires.
[Edited on 18-4-2005 by Esplosivo]