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Happiness Can not be Reduced to a Messenger Substance
Up to now, scientists have badumed that dopamine messenger substance plays a central role in perceived happiness because it is always released from the reward system if she succeeds or succeeds is happy with something. The latest research now shows that the process of happiness is apparently more complex than previously thought. In a series of experiments, scientists have shown that dopamine appears to play only a minor role in luck.
Michael Lippert and Marta Brocka, Ph.D. student, examined at the Leibniz Institute of Neurobiology (LIN) in Magdeburg how happiness can be measured. They hypothesized that it is possible to make the chance visible in MRI by using dopamine release during an imaging procedure. During the series of tests, they came up with surprising results, which were recently published in the journal "Neurolmage".
What is happiness and what is not it?
From a philosophical point of view, it is the main theme of countless books and films. Scientists in Magdeburg want to understand the mechanisms that occur in the brain, if you feel lucky. Until now, the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine is considered fundamental for feelings of happiness. However, the results of the study indicate that a redesign in this area is needed.
Visibility of Happiness
It is known that patients suffering from depression or addiction experience changes in the reward system of the brain. Until now, neuroscientists and physicians are using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to visualize these changes. Lippert and his team have examined whether this method is really appropriate for these purposes and whether one can make happiness visible to the MRI.
Rats that are their "luck" Smith
In the animal model, LIN researchers conducted genetic experiments. altered rats. Rodents were able to control their secretion of dopamine in the brain. By independently operating a lever, they received so-called optogenetic stimulation, in which pulses of light in the brain stimulate the release of dopamine. "In doing so, an extremely strong reward stimulus is triggered," says Marta Brocka, PhD student in a press release about the results of the study
The animals were examined with an animal scanner to document the brain areas affected. the distribution has been activated. According to the researchers, areas of the brain can be visualized using high spatial resolution imaging techniques. "By taking pictures in the tomograph, we see changes in the brain circulation," says Lippert. These would be based on metabolic processes, which would in turn be related to neuronal activity, says Hirnexperte
Is the essence of happiness invisible?
During the experiments, the team noted with astonishment that "the measurable effects of dopamine the high reward value of stimulation was very small." In contrast, a comparison group in which brain areas Additional stimulants have also been shown to yield clearer results.Scientists come to the following conclusion: "The release of dopamine underlying feelings of happiness is not directly measurable in the MRI scanner." Instead , the total activation of the brain area is crucial.The essence of happiness remains invisible with this method
For whom are the results relevant?
According to the authors of the study, the results could have a decisive influence on other research projects, since it has been badumed that dopamine in animals and humans have a great impact on the signals measured in the brain. " We must say goodbye to the hypothesis that the brain activity we see as a result of the reward is triggered directly by dopamine, "summarizes the Lippert study leader.
The role of dopamine in change
Research findings can be important because imbalance in dopamine levels is also considered a possible cause of diseases such as Parkinson's disease, addiction or depression. This is only recently that another study on dopamine has appeared. He showed that the memory of fear is also regulated by the hormone of happiness. (Vb)
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