▁and ▁G AB A erg ic ▁terminal s , ▁the ▁neur om od ulator ▁dop am ine ▁is ▁released ▁via ▁heter os yn apt ic ▁pl astic ity . ▁Comm only , ▁this ▁pl astic ity ▁leads ▁to ▁long - term ▁de pression , ▁L TD , ▁medi ated ▁by ▁dop am ine ▁D 1 ▁class ▁re cept ors . ▁These ▁re cept ors ' ▁activation ▁is ▁required ▁to ▁create ▁L TD ▁and ▁mod ulate ▁its ▁magnitude . ▁Further ▁research ▁on ▁dop am ine ' s ▁role ▁in ▁neur om od ulation ▁is ▁also ▁under way . ▁Exper iments ▁performed ▁at ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Pitts burgh ▁looked ▁at ▁the ▁parallel ▁projects ▁of ▁dop am iner g ic ▁and ▁G AB A erg ic ▁terminal s ▁from ▁the ▁vent ral ▁t eg ment al ▁area ▁to ▁the ▁nucle us ▁acc umb ens ▁core ▁( NA c Co ) ▁in ▁r ats . ▁Within ▁these ▁parallel ▁pro jections , ▁scient ists ▁discovered ▁that ▁the ▁release ▁of ▁dop am ine ▁heter os yn apt ically ▁triggers ▁L TD ▁at ▁these ▁syn aps es . ▁Con cluding , ▁dop am ine ▁is ▁not ▁just ▁a ▁neur om od ulator ▁but ▁can ▁also ▁trigger ▁syn apt ic ▁pl astic ity ▁independently ▁in ▁neur ons . ▁Therefore , ▁heter os yn apt ic ▁dop am ine ▁signal ing ▁in ▁m amm als ▁can ▁be ▁best ▁represented ▁by ▁dop am ine ' s ▁bi ological ▁functions ▁of ▁medi ating , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁independently ▁trigger ing , ▁changes ▁in ▁syn