News Scientists identify connection between dopamine and behavior related to pain and fear

[MyPTSD]

Scientists have for the first time found direct causal links between the neurotransmitter dopamine and avoidance -- behavior related to pain and fear. Researchers have long known that dopamine plays a key role in driving behavior related to pleasurable goals, such as food, sex and social interaction. In general, increasing dopamine boosts the drive toward these stimuli. But dopamine's role in allowing organisms to avoid negative events has remained mysterious.

Dead Link Removed

 

[Friday]

Correlation? Sure. Contributory? Absolutely. But I think causal is dramatically overstating.

Especially as they were only focused on a single area of the brain, and NTs are well known to have different effects in combination with both each other and in different areas of the brain. :O_o:

 

[scout86]

"Social interaction" is a "pleasurable goal"? In whose version of reality?

 

[Anana]

Could anybody expalin to me the contradiction or i didn't understand it correctly(English is not my native):
"…. that dopamine is central in causing behavior related to the avoidance of specific threats.
Animals with high levels of dopamine in this brain region learned to avoid a shock more quickly and more often than animals that had a lower level of dopamine in this region….. this indicates that dopamine causally drives animals to avoid unpleasant or painful situations and stimuli....."

As far as I understand it says that high level of dopamine plays a key role in forming avoidant behaviour BUT

.......In depression, patients feel unable to avoid a sense of helplessness in the face of problems, and tend to ruminate rather than act to improve their situation. In PTSD, patients are unable to avoid an overwhelming sense of fear and anxiety in the face of seemingly low-stress situations. Both disorders, he says, may involve abnormally low levels of dopamine, and may be seen on some level as a failure of the avoidance system."

Here it says that while depresion and PTSD you cant avoid.....

BUT In depression in PTSD there is A LOT of avoidance

And at the end of article: "... doctors already sometimes treat patients with medicine to increase dopamine"..
But if you increase dopamine...(according to the first statement) you will get more avoidant behaviour.

 

[Mikethebod]

Im sure they meant the brain avoiding bad thoughts or quickly dismissing them. Thats happen when you drink beer and the dopamine increases.