What does the Dopamine test measure?

Why is Dopamine measured?

Urine dopamine measurement is used in functional neuropsychiatry to explore motivational deficits, anhedonia, attention and executive dysfunction, and suspected catecholamine imbalances. Marked elevations suggest catecholamine-secreting tumours (phaeochromocytoma, paraganglioma), which require plasma or 24-hour urine fractionated metanephrines for definitive diagnosis. Dried-urine dopamine is interpreted as an exploratory marker, not a diagnostic standard.

Reference ranges

Standard reference

Method- and laboratory-specific; typically expressed as a ratio to creatinine in dried-urine collections.

Functional medicine optimal

No evidence-based optimal range exists for mental-health applications; urinary dopamine is a peripheral marker and not a surrogate for central dopaminergic function.

Units

µg/g creatinine, nmol/mmol creatinine, µg/24 hr, nmol/24 hr, ng/mg creatinine, μg/g creatinine

Reference ranges vary by laboratory and assay platform. Interpret in context of the issuing laboratory's stated range.