49 | id == 49
49 | category_id == 4
49 | category_order == 1
49 | category_name == Brain
49 | category_color == #C47AC0
49 | slug == Boost-Creativity-and-Intelligence-with-DRD2
49 | title == The Key Dopamine Receptor Gene That Influences Your Intelligence And Creativity (DRD2)
49 | meta_description == The DRD2 gene creates a type of dopamine receptor, and can affect many cognitive functions. Learn how to optimize DRD2 here!
49 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>Your brain&rsquo;s dopamine system is a key player in many critical aspects of your cognitive ability and mood. In this post, we&rsquo;ll be taking a look at the <em>DRD2</em> gene, which is responsible for creating a specific type of dopamine receptor. Read on to learn more about how variants in <em>DRD2</em> can influence your intelligence and creativity, and what you can do to further enhance your genotype for this gene!</strong></p>
49 | overall_score_text == Your cognitive function score (based on DRD2 gene)
49 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/DRD2_image.jpg
49 | author_id == 4
49 | author_name == Matt Carland
49 | author_title == PhD
49 | author_order == 10
49 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Matt.jpg
49 | author_intro == <p><strong>Matt received his PhD at the Universit&eacute; de Montr&eacute;al in Neuroscience.</strong></p>    <p>Matt holds multiple degrees in psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience. He has over a decade of experience in academic research and has published a number of articles in scholarly journals. He currently works as a neuropsychologist in Montreal, where he performs research on the links between personality traits and the development of clinical disorders such as addiction, compulsive gambling, and disordered eating.</p>
49 | reviewer_id == 2
49 | reviewer_name == Joe Cohen
49 | reviewer_title == BS
49 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
49 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
49 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
49 | publish_date == 2019
49 | publish_date == 9
49 | publish_date == 24
49 | avg_rating == 4.142857142857143
49 | tags_id == 56
49 | tags_name == Attention
49 | tags_id == 13
49 | tags_name == Cognition
49 | tags_id == 55
49 | tags_name == Cognitive Flexibility
49 | tags_id == 157
49 | tags_name == Creativity
49 | tags_id == 51
49 | tags_name == Dopamine
49 | tags_id == 156
49 | tags_name == DRD2 Gene
49 | tags_id == 54
49 | tags_name == Executive Function
49 | tags_id == 28
49 | tags_name == Intelligence
49 | tags_id == 59
49 | tags_name == Learning and Memory
49 | tags_id == 12
49 | tags_name == Mood
49 | tags_id == 158
49 | tags_name == Motivation
49 | tags_id == 109
49 | tags_name == Working Memory
49 | permissions_favorite == False
49 | permissions_rate == False
49 | content_article == <table style="width: 90%; border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" border="1" cellpadding="10"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: justify;"><strong>Note:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> The </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">DRD2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene is one of the 45 unique intelligence-related genes that we analyze in our comprehensive </span><a href="https://get.selfdecode.com/mind-protocol-nm/"><strong><em>Cognitive Function DNA Wellness Report</em></strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. If you&rsquo;re interested in learning more about the genes that affect your cognitive ability, and the actionable steps that you can take to boost your cognition even further, check it out!</span></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>What Does The </strong><strong><em>DRD2</em></strong><strong> Gene Do?</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="../../gene/drd2/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">DRD2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> codes for the </span><strong><em>D2 </em></strong><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/dopamine/"><strong><em>dopamine</em></strong></a><strong><em> receptor</em></strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which is one of several different important receptors that determine the overall levels of dopamine activity in your brain [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27933030"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12554675"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, unlike several other major types of dopamine receptors, D2 receptors are </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">inhibitory</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21303898"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30171838"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9457173"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]. This means that having more of these receptors generally results in </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">lower</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> overall dopamine activity in the brain, and vice-versa [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15900211"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18077373"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26474929"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28507526"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24379187"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15278099"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because dopamine is highly involved in many processes that are critical for proper cognitive function, SNPs in the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">DRD2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene can have a very significant impact on overall cognitive ability [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10611493"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24713612"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20631684"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12649346"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26967530"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, SNPs in this gene have been associated with many diverse aspects of cognitive function, including:</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Learning and memory [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28507526"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20631684"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27647283"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Working memory [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25563748"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18077373"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24001007"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20179754"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cognitive flexibility [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17230034"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26307064"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span></a><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28085950"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Attention and executive function [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21563886"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30125286"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Problem-solving ability and overall intelligence (IQ) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27933030"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30166545"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Creativity [</span><a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/10400419.2011.621859"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24782743/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26217259"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2014.874267"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/10400419.2013.752305"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/10400419.2011.621859"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/drugs-increase-motivation/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Motivation</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and sensitivity to reward [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24001007"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28507526"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27933030"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Emotional intelligence (especially in women) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26217259"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">As you can see from the list above, the variants you carry in the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">DRD2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> can be important for many different aspects of your cognitive ability! In this post, we&rsquo;ll dive more deeply into this key gene, and look at what your genetic variants can tell you about how well your brain&rsquo;s dopamine system works.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">DRD2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene helps create the D2 type of dopamine receptor. Because these receptors play a key role in determining your overall levels of dopamine, SNPs in this gene can affect many critical aspects of your cognitive ability.</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Your </strong><strong><em>DRD2</em></strong><strong> Genotype</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the most highly-studied SNPs in the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">DRD2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene is </span><a href="../../snp/rs1800497/"><strong>rs1800497</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which is also commonly known as the &lsquo;</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Taq1A</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">&rsquo; polymorphism [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9672901"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27933030"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">While many other SNPs in the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">DRD2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene have also been found to influence various aspects of cognitive function &mdash; such as </span><a href="../../snp/rs2283265/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs2283265</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="../../snp/rs1076560/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs1076560</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="../../snp/rs6275/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs6275</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs6276</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="../../snp/rs6277"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs6277</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs6278</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="../../snp/rs6279/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs6279</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><a href="../../snp/rs2514218/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs2514218</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">) &mdash; these variants are often inherited together, and are highly correlated with the alleles you carry for </span><a href="../../snp/rs1800497/"><strong>rs1800497</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18077373"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27933030"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12554675"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28507526"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In other words, this SNP alone can tell you a lot about how your overall </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">DRD2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene functions, since you can infer your genotypes for many other SNPs in this gene just by looking at this one variant!</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can see your genotype for this SNP in the table below:</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">*5474427063356735*</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">*4929393657986902*</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The two possible alleles for this SNP are the major &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele (also referred to as the &ldquo;A2&rdquo; genotype) and the minor &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele (also referred to as the &ldquo;A1&rdquo; genotype) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9672901"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>When it comes to cognitive function, it&rsquo;s better to have &lsquo;A&rsquo; alleles for this SNP</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (which about 53% of the general population carries one or more copies of) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27933030"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/10400419.2011.621859"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28507526"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25633559"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, a targeted gene study in 425 healthy university students found that carriers of the &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele for this SNP were significantly better at solving &ldquo;insight&rdquo; problems. Insight problems are basically specially-designed riddles that psychologists use to measure not only peoples&rsquo; general cognitive ability, but also their ability to think creatively. In other words, this study found that the &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele not only made people better at problem-solving in general, but especially in contexts where they had to think &ldquo;outside the box&rdquo; [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27933030"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]!</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">(If you&rsquo;re curious, an example of one of the insight problems used in this study is: &ldquo;</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lan and Hong were born on the same day of the same month of the same year to the same mother and the same father&mdash;yet they are not twins. How is that possible?</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">&rdquo; If you want to take a minute to mull it over without having it spoiled for you, you can find the answer at the bottom of this post!)</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Additionally, another targeted gene study found that carriers of one or more minor &lsquo;A&rsquo; alleles for </span><strong>rs1800497</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> showed significantly greater improvement in working memory after completing a cognitive training program. While people of all genotypes benefited from the cognitive training, carriers of the &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele showed improvements that were approximately 75-80% greater than those with the &lsquo;CC&rsquo; genotype [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24001007"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many other studies have also linked the minor &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele of </span><strong>rs1800497</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> with a number of significant advantages, such as:</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Better executive functioning [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30125286"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Enhanced working memory [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27933030"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Increased ability to learn [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28507526"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Increased <a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/drugs-increase-motivation/">motivation</a> and overall sensitivity to rewards [<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28507526">R</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27933030">R</a>]</li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Many studies have found that when it comes to several important aspects of cognitive function, people with the minor &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele for <strong>rs1800497</strong> tend to perform better than people with the major &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>SNP Mechanisms</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">So, your genotype for this SNP is clearly important for many different cognitive abilities &mdash; but what exactly is the difference between having a good or bad genotype in terms of how your dopamine system works?</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;A&rsquo; (&ldquo;A1&rdquo;) allele of </span><strong>rs1800497</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has been linked to lower number of D2 receptors, as well as lower activity (&ldquo;</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">binding availability</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">&rdquo;) of these dopamine receptors [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30125286"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10395223"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9672901"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27241797"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26926883"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27933030"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20179754"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28507526"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24379187"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Similarly, the beneficial alleles of other SNPs that are linked with this SNP &mdash; such as </span><a href="../../snp/rs1076560/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs1076560</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs6276</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><a href="../../snp/rs6277"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs6277</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> &mdash; are </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">also</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> associated with having lower numbers of D2 receptors compared to people with the risk alleles [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15567074"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20736885"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24379187"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because D2 receptors are </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">inhibitory</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, this suggests that people with beneficial variants in </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">DRD2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> probably have overall higher dopamine activity levels (since their dopamine neurons are less inhibited by D2 receptors) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21303898"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30171838"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9457173"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">This interpretation is further backed up by studies showing that the beneficial &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele of <strong>rs1800497</strong> enhances cognitive function by elevating dopamine levels [<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24001007">R</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26474929">R</a>].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Because the <em>DRD2</em> gene is involved in creating <em>inhibitory</em> dopamine receptors, the benefits associated with the &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele of <strong>rs1800497</strong> most likely stem from having fewer D2 receptors, which increases the overall levels of dopamine in the brain.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>How Can I Improve My </strong><strong><em>DRD2</em></strong><strong> Genotype?</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you&rsquo;re among the 47% of the population that carries non-beneficial &lsquo;G&rsquo; alleles for this SNP, don&rsquo;t worry! Since the benefits of the &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele stem from having less inhibitory dopamine receptors &mdash; and therefore generally higher overall levels of dopamine &mdash; this suggests that you can potentially boost your own cognitive ability by using lifestyle hacks and supplements that can give your brain&rsquo;s dopamine levels a boost.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">*4015552245552969*</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Lifestyle</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Getting plenty of regular </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/top-14-proven-health-benefits-exercise-references-mechanisms/"><strong>exercise</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is one of the best ways to boost your dopamine levels. Exercise increases the production (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">synthesis</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">) and release of dopamine, as well as reduces the rate at which it is broken down (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">metabolized</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26474929"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12758062"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27956050"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30998993"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">These dopamine-boosting effects are particularly prominent in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28877102"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27956050"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">], which is probably what accounts for exercise&rsquo;s significant benefits on cognition, </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/drugs-increase-motivation/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">motivation</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><a href="https://get.selfdecode.com/nm/mood/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">mood</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27956050"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26162004"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Better yet, the cognitive benefits of exercise tend to be even stronger in people with lower baseline levels of dopamine (such as carriers of the &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele for this SNP) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31035583"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28935933"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31009571"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In fact, exercise may directly counteract the negative effects of non-beneficial </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">DRD2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> genotypes by not only reducing (&ldquo;</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">down-regulating</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">&rdquo;) the number of inhibitory DRD2 receptors, but also by increasing (&ldquo;</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">up-regulating</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">&rdquo;) other dopamine receptors, such as the D1 type. In other words, exercise makes your brain more sensitive to dopamine in general [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30171838"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28883047"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26464310"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]!</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Supplements</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many different natural supplements can also help increase your dopamine levels.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">One particularly good choice is </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/tyrosine-8-proven-health-benefits-tyrosine/"><strong><em>tyrosine</em></strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> This amino acid is a </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">metabolic precursor</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of dopamine &mdash; that is, your brain uses tyrosine to make dopamine [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2496199"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Supplementing with tyrosine therefore gives your brain the critical building blocks it needs to create dopamine and directly increases overall dopamine levels [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25797188"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3214752"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2496199"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]. These increases, in turn, can enhance several important cognitive functions, such as cognitive flexibility [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25598314"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24433977"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30094335"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Two other handy, all-natural supplements for your genotype are </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/bacopa-monnieri-4/"><strong><em>Bacopa monnieri</em></strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/mucuna-pruriens-top-6-health-benefits-legume/"><strong><em>Mucuna pruriens</em></strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bacopa</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> enhances cognitive function by boosting dopamine levels, and is widely used as a cognitive enhancer (or &ldquo;</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">nootropic</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">&rdquo;) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17321089"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19903380"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22747190"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18611150"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Mucuna</em> contains <a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/l-dopa-levodopa/">L-DOPA</a> (<em>levodopa</em>) which &mdash; like tyrosine &mdash; is an important metabolic precursor of dopamine [<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24716148">R</a>]. L-DOPA can be especially beneficial because it readily crosses the <a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/blood-brain-barrier-causes-tests-leaky-brain/"><em>blood-brain barrier</em></a> (BBB), allowing it to easily and effectively reach the brain [<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24653659">R</a>]. It has also been found to enhance learning and memory [<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15236398">R</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25900350">R</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24642289">R</a>].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">You may be able to counteract or enhance the effects of non-optimal <em>DRD2</em> genotypes by using supplements and lifestyle hacks that boost the overall level of dopamine in your brain.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><sub><strong>P.S:</strong> Highlight the text below to see the answer to the riddle in the post:</sub></span></p> <p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><sub>(<span style="color: #ffffff;"><em>Lan and Hong are triplets.</em></span>)</sub></span></p>
49 | content_snp_table_5474427063356735_key == 5474427063356735
49 | content_snp_table_5474427063356735_blur == True
49 | content_snp_table_5474427063356735_hidden == False
49 | content_learn_more_4929393657986902_key == 4929393657986902
49 | content_learn_more_4929393657986902_blur == True
49 | content_learn_more_4929393657986902_hidden == False
49 | content_learn_more_4929393657986902_text == Based on your data for this SNP, you likely have slightly increased dopamine activity! This may give you a slight cognitive edge — although not quite as much as people who carry two 'A' alleles for this SNP. To find out what you can do to optimize your genotype even further, see your personalized recommendations below!
49 | content_recommendation_4015552245552969_key == 4015552245552969
49 | content_recommendation_4015552245552969_blur == True
49 | content_recommendation_4015552245552969_hidden == False
rsIDs = rs6275,rs6276,rs6278,rs2283265,rs6277,rs2514218,rs1076560,rs1800497,rs6279
rsStatus = rs6275,DRD2,chr11,113412755,A,G,,,18,15,HET
rsStatus = rs6276,DRD2,chr11,113410675,C,T,,,18,18,HET
rsStatus = rs6278,DRD2,chr11,113410002,C,A,,,37,0,Normal
rsStatus = rs2283265,DRD2,chr11,113414814,C,A,T,,36,0,Normal
rsStatus = rs6277,DRD2,chr11,113412737,G,A,,,21,13,HET
rsStatus = rs2514218,,chr11,113522272,C,T,,,6,21,HET
rsStatus = rs1076560,DRD2,chr11,113412966,C,A,G,,29,0,Normal
rsStatus = rs1800497,ANKK1,chr11,113400106,G,A,,,19,16,HET
rsStatus = rs6279,DRD2,chr11,113410351,G,C,,,9,11,HET
