The Dance Of Chemicals NILADRI MULLICK
Since centuries scientists and philosophers have pondered much about the three pound organ on our head, the ‘human brain’. The brain is believed to be the primary differentiating factor that determines the superiority of humans among other species. With the advancement of scientific temperament, one of the key area of research was- “How does the mind function? how does it produce consciousness, the secrets of our intelligence and some of the other functions like emotions, pleasure, pain and addiction. Despite much scientific advancements and research, the answer to many of these questions is still open ended, as we don’t know in entirety, how mind operates. The little that we know is also much complicated to be surmised in a few pages and requires a discussion in highly medical parlance. Hence this article mainly focuses only on a few aspects of mind’s functions which would be most interesting for students to read, namely- feelings, emotions, pleasure, pain and addiction. Some of the most common statements of expressions that we use in our day to day colloquial conversations are- “this was amazing” , “ this is boring” , “that was terrible” etc. All the above three phrases convey contrasting expressions. The first one is an expression of joy, the second one conveys boredom and the third one covey an unpleasant emotion. but there is one thing that unifies all of them- the agent that causes it‘Dopamine’ !! (or the lack of it). Dopamine is a neurotransmitter (a chemical which transports information from one neuron to another in the brain) It is known as the ‘reward molecule’ and is also sometimes called as the ‘molecule of bliss’. It is the main neurochemical that incentivizes most of our life activities and keeps the passion in our life going. Without dopamine, you will lack the zeal to do anything, your social life and relationships will lose its ardour and your life will be devoid of enthusiasm, a condition commonly known as ‘depression’. Dopamine along with serotonin, endorphin and oxytocin are neurotransmitters that are the main chemical components of the ‘reward circuit’ in the brain. Whenever we do any delightful activity, even the most insignificant ones like having a slice of chocolate, receiving a compliment from someone or some of the most significant achievements of our lives, the brain releases dopamine, serotonin and sometimes endorphins which gives us the ‘feel-good’ experience. The feeling of bliss is the reward for the accomplishment or the performance of the delightful act. Thus, reward circuits are set up in the neural pathways and the brain rewards itself by releasing dopamine whenever we perform these acts. Chocolates, for example increases the levels of endorphins along with dopamine and serotonin, giving credence to the claim that chocolate is a comfort food as endorphin is a natural pain killer and works to lessen pain and decrease stress. Our brain registers, what kind of activity/situation produced the dopamine, serotonin and endorphins and thus it motivates us to repeat the act/situation more often to derive the ‘same bliss’. Let us now discuss some of the other roles of dopamine in important mind functions like memory, attention and the most adored of all- ‘LOVE’.
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