Dopamine Baseline
#Dopamine, #Andrew Huberman
There is confusion about the "dopamine baseline" term. Sometimes, it's referred to as:
Baseline is the amount of dopamine that is circulating in your body. A somewhat of an average level when you are in a resting state or not experiencing any significant stimuli or events. It's sometimes called "[[tonic level]]"
In other cases, it means:
Baseline level of dopamine is the amount of dopamine available in basal ganglia and a few other regions of the brain. That's the amount of dopamine that is available for release.
It makes a huge difference. Unfortunately, Andrew Huberman sometimes uses it in different contexts. I would rather use the term in [[tonic level]] sense to avoid any confusion.
Dopamine baseline level determines the overall motivation in terms of the ability to overcome difficulties. Both physical difficulties and "time" difficulties. "Time difficulties" are meant as an ability to prioritize postponed rewards over instant gratifications.
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