Could A Dopamine Gene Be the Answer to a Longer Life?

01/12/2013 20:58

A gene linked to attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and addiction might also help you live to be 100.

A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that a version of a gene coding for a receptor for the brain chemical dopamine was 66% more common among people who lived to be 90 or older than among a group of younger people who were otherwise similar. The variant leads to a weaker response to the neurotransmitter, lowering the activity of the dopamine system that is responsible for generating feelings of pleasure, desire and reward, as well as for regulating movement.

The study included over 1000 people aged 90 to 109 who lived in the Leisure World retirement community in Laguna Woods, California. They were part of a group of nearly 14,000 highly educated people of mostly European ancestry who were initially studied in 1981.

read more: https://healthland.time.com/2013/01/11/could-a-dopamine-gene-be-the-answer-to-a-longer-life/