Dopamine (DA) is a neurotransmitter which takes charge of brain activities about memory and self-stimulation behavior in animals. Interestingly, our results suggest that DA could also give maize an excited state. The results showed that 1 ?mmol L–1 DA promoted maize germination by 23.2％ significantly, and accelerated the growth rate of roots and shoots by 21.4 and 24.7％, respectively. As we all known, abscisic acid (ABA) is the key hormone involved in seed dormancy. In our research, ABA levels in roots and shoots dramatically decreased by 16.45 and 57.57％, respectively. To further investigate how DA reduces the ABA level in budding seed, we studied ABA synthesis and catabolism pathway. Specific expression of key ABA-synthesis genes, such as ZmNCED1, ZmNCED3 and ZmZEP were down-regulated by DA. Simultaneously, the expression levels of ABA8OX1a and ABA8OX1b which are major transcripts of ABA 8′-hydroxylase in ABA catabolism were up-regulated at least 1.5- and 4.6-fold, respectively. Our results enriched the functions of animal hormones in plants.