Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: Pseudoscience-is-malarkey on 11/04/2024 08:53:18
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When thinking about a happy memory from childhood or a deceased loved one, our body often (or at least in my case) responds with a hit of dopamine. There doesn't seem to be any evolutionary, survival basis for it.
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That is a difficult question to answer as there is only a rudimentary understanding of how the brain works at present. There is this oversimplification in common use that dopamine equals pleasure and serotonin equals mood: the actual mechanisms involving these neurotransmitters is much more complex and what mechanism leads to a perception of "good" is yet to be elucidated. Most neurotransmitters can have radically different effects depending on what neurons are triggered. As regards nice memories the most likely explanation is as follows: the original experience was encoded in a synaptic network with connection to whatever part of the brain determines a "good" evaluation, as the original experience was deemed to be good- reactivation of this network then triggers the positive experience. Having read my post I fear it is a bit nebulous but I can't think of a clearer contribution and i'll leave it up. PS endorphins are peptides that activate the μ opiate receptors while dopamine is a small molecule neurotransmitter- quite different things.
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When thinking about a happy memory from childhood or a deceased loved one, our body often (or at least in my case) responds with a hit of dopamine. There doesn't seem to be any evolutionary, survival basis for it.
Sex, food, security. Why does the memory of 911 fill people with apprehension?
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Doesn't bother me. People living in NYC could be expected to be traumatised by this. Fear is the most potent adjuvant for laying down new memories.
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Doesn't bother me. People living in NYC could be expected to be traumatised by this. Fear is the most potent adjuvant for laying down new memories.
Ok, where are you from paul?
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Hibernia, the land of perpetual winter(Ireland in the vernacular).
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Hibernia, the land of perpetual winter(Ireland in the vernacular).
Is there any sort of historic events in Ireland that the recreation of which should cause you trepidation?
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Every country has had it's horrors from time to time- our most recent was 30years of terrorism that mainly affected the British administered northern Ireland though it did spill over the border quite a bit. To answer your question directly I can't think of anything that fills me with trepidation but realistically that could change with unforeseen developments.