Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is central to the brain network governing motivation, the sense of reward, and feelings of pleasure. Alterations to the dopaminergic system affect how people act on the inherent desire to seek out pleasure and avoid pain. It can be thought of as a biological cheerleader that tells a person to keep doing one thing, or stop doing another. Dopamine also helps regulate many of the systems of the body, including the kidneys and the heart.