Photosensitive Neurotransmitters

[petrushkagoogol]

Melatonin in the body is sensitive to sunlight.

Dopamine is a feel-good neurotransmitter than prevents depression.

Is dopamine, like melatonin, sensitive to sunlight ?   

[CraigD]

Melatonin in the body is sensitive to sunlight.

Melatonin isn’t directly sensitive to light. It’s synthesized by the pineal gland, in response to nerve signals via a special nerve pathway from special cells in the retina of the eye to a small, special region of the hypothalamus, the suprachiasmatic nucleus.

 

Is dopamine, like melatonin, sensitive to sunlight ?

Dopamine also isn’t sensitive to sunlight. It’s synthesized mostly in the basal ganglia section of the brain, and unlike melatonin, not regulated by any input from the eye or other ligh-sensitive organs.