Kidney Regulating Chemical Found
When you do something enjoyable, it floods your brain with a neurotransmitter called dopamine, known as the reward chemical. Now researchers have been rewarded with a new discovery: the same chemical, dopamine, is found not just in the brain, but also in the kidneys.
Dopamine in the brain motivates; dopamine in the kidneys has several functions. For one, it regulates blood pressure. Research suggests kidney dopamine is instrumental in keeping the body from retaining salt it doesn't need. Excess salt is a key factor in hypertension. Kidney-dopamine-enhancing drugs are now being explored as a possible treatment option for hypertension and related disorders.
In experiments, mice without kidney dopamine lived half as long at mice with, and had a higher incidence of stress-related proteins. This has led doctors to believe kidney dopamine has systemic effects.