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If we are congratulated for achieving good results, getting something good or having met a loved one – in short, if we are happy – our brain releases dopamine. Dopamine is an important messenger substance of the nervous system and plays a central role in the reward system.
Researchers at the Leibniz Institute of Neurobiology have studied how dopaminergic secretions can be measured in the MRI scanner. The result: happiness is invisible in the brain.
Researchers led by Michael Lippert, leader of the neuro-optics research group, used genetically engineered rats to study dopamine release in the brain. Animals could push a lever in the experience and reward themselves with a stimulation of light. Subsequently, they were examined in a small animal scanner to see what areas of the brain were activated and what their strength was, explains Marta Brocks, PhD student at the Leibniz Institute. Activated areas of the brain can be visualized in high resolution using imaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging.
However, scientists found that the measurable effects of dopamine "despite the high reward value" were very small. Clearly visible was only a total activation of the brain area. "The essence of happiness," says Michael Lippert, "remains invisible with this method."
The results of the research are also relevant to clinical practice. Because dopamine is globally important for well-being and health. For example, in patients with depression, addiction or Parkinson's disease, the messenger's function is disrupted or the level of imbalance.
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