I'll be the first to admit that I'm in love with NPR. My childhood revolves around car trips listening to Prairie Home Companion and long summer afternoons in the garage surviving the Texas sweltering heat by turning up Car Talk. But while these will always be a part of my identity and connection to my family, I've found a whole new program which meshes beautifully with my passion for neuroscience. I am referring to, of course, the wonderful programming of radiolab.
I first heard the program while driving home on a pleasant spring day. It was either their program on sleep or stress but what I really recall was my inability to tear my ears away from the speakers. I rushed indoors and immediately turned on the stereo inside the house, not wanting to risk missing a single bit.
Really, I just can't support the program enough. Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich have this great interplay between each other. One plays the cynic while the other holds out for the brightest conclusion on the many scientific discoveries and experiments explored in the show. I love that they characterize inanimate things like genes to make biological processes become a beautifully woven story. I would kill to become one of their researchers and get to interview all the fascinating folks of the science world which they bring in.
I'm sure I seem to be rambling but if you're reading my blog I assume you have an interest in biology or neuroscience or just like to expand your horizons. If any of these are true, I highly suggest tuning into radiolab. You can get free podcast versions on itunes, play them directly from the sight, or donate to WNYC to help support the show and get several episodes on a complimentary thumbdrive.
Let's support those who help bring science into the modern world! It's a complicated story but when told right, it becomes a work of art.
Showing posts with label wnyc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wnyc. Show all posts
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Roses are red, Violets are blue, Neurotransmitters make me love you!
In honor of today's Hallmark-funded holiday which is customarily filled with bright pink hearts and chalky candy handed out to all grade-schoolers, I decided to write about what makes us feel "in love." Yes, you can read all the romance novels you want (*cough*Twilight*cough*) which expound on his chocolate eyes or her sensuous curves. But when we move back to the basics, it's really just a soup of neurochemicals stirring around in your brain that cause that spark of love in your life.
And truth be told, the biochemistry of attraction and love is still under research. However we can safely say that there are 3 key neurotransmitters that make Valentine's Day special for all those people out there with their significant others.
The first and likely most recognizable is dopamine. It plays many roles in the chemical signaling of the brain but is primarily associated with the reward pathway. Whenever you get that rush of happiness from the first bite of chocolate cake, that's the dopamine kicking in. In fact, addiction and the need to up the dosage of drugs over time like cocaine comes from the brain desensitizing due to the over use of dopamine. And in the romantic sense, dopamine is the "drug" part of love. It's the passionate, euphoric love that makes you believe there's nothing better than being with your partner.
And yet that's not quite enough. Can you remember the first time you asked that girl to dance at the winter formal? Or how about the anticipation before your first kiss? Odds are your heart was pounding like a jack-hammer. Norepinephrine is the neurotransmitter that provides this autonomic response. It focuses your attention and physically primes you with those classic signs of nervousness. Next time your hands turn clammy when you reach out towards your love interest, you can blame norepinephrine.
But these two neurochemicals play havoc on your brain if they're constantly swamping the circuits. To keep an even keel yet stay connected to your significant other, we need oxytocin. This compound is a long lasting messenger which doesn't give the same high as the others, but leads to a feeling contentment. Sometimes called the "cuddling neurotransmitter," oxytocin provides us with the companionship aspect of romantic relationships. Without it we wouldn't have the same peace and stability in our long-term relationships.
Ok, so there are actually many more circuits and neurochemicals involved in love. It's an emotion not easily reduced to formulas and equations. In my opinion, we could lecture on the biological components involved all day, but honestly I prefer to just listen to some Maroon 5 and eat chocolate covered strawberries!
If you want to hear more on this subject, I suggest checking out the original source:
http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blogland/2007/aug/28/this-is-your-brain-on-love/
Radiolab is a non-profit public radio program hosted by WNYC. If you'd like to donate to their phenomenal program, please go to: https://pledge3.wnyc.org/epledge/desktop/radiolab/
 |
| Who actually eats these? |
And truth be told, the biochemistry of attraction and love is still under research. However we can safely say that there are 3 key neurotransmitters that make Valentine's Day special for all those people out there with their significant others.
The first and likely most recognizable is dopamine. It plays many roles in the chemical signaling of the brain but is primarily associated with the reward pathway. Whenever you get that rush of happiness from the first bite of chocolate cake, that's the dopamine kicking in. In fact, addiction and the need to up the dosage of drugs over time like cocaine comes from the brain desensitizing due to the over use of dopamine. And in the romantic sense, dopamine is the "drug" part of love. It's the passionate, euphoric love that makes you believe there's nothing better than being with your partner.
 |
| How many roses do you think are sold each valentine's day? |
And yet that's not quite enough. Can you remember the first time you asked that girl to dance at the winter formal? Or how about the anticipation before your first kiss? Odds are your heart was pounding like a jack-hammer. Norepinephrine is the neurotransmitter that provides this autonomic response. It focuses your attention and physically primes you with those classic signs of nervousness. Next time your hands turn clammy when you reach out towards your love interest, you can blame norepinephrine.
But these two neurochemicals play havoc on your brain if they're constantly swamping the circuits. To keep an even keel yet stay connected to your significant other, we need oxytocin. This compound is a long lasting messenger which doesn't give the same high as the others, but leads to a feeling contentment. Sometimes called the "cuddling neurotransmitter," oxytocin provides us with the companionship aspect of romantic relationships. Without it we wouldn't have the same peace and stability in our long-term relationships.
Ok, so there are actually many more circuits and neurochemicals involved in love. It's an emotion not easily reduced to formulas and equations. In my opinion, we could lecture on the biological components involved all day, but honestly I prefer to just listen to some Maroon 5 and eat chocolate covered strawberries!
http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blogland/2007/aug/28/this-is-your-brain-on-love/
Radiolab is a non-profit public radio program hosted by WNYC. If you'd like to donate to their phenomenal program, please go to: https://pledge3.wnyc.org/epledge/desktop/radiolab/
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