phooey

dopamine

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

dopamine is a very interesting chemical. and prob my fav hormone of all time. which is cool cos it starts with d too. heh :D chemicals and hormones really affect the body's functioning and moods so much, it's terribly amazing. if i could, i'd prob do a research paper on dopamine and related neurochemicals. (i dont really know wad a research paper is yet. but yeah u get my drift. it's very interesting)

i mean like wow. imagine how just a certain chemical can trigger so many emtions. and if one could just tweak those levels, many feelings will go. like feelings of sadness, depression and missing someone.

oxytocin's another interesting hormone. apart from it's role in pregnancy, it's a really feel good hormone'. it breeds positive feelings, facilitates learning, diminshes sense of pain, repairs, heals and restores and even lowers blood pressure and protect against heart diseases!
it's such a great chemical yet cos it cant pass the blood-brain barrier (xcept in the form of nasal sprays), we cant just take oxytocin pills to raise our oxytocin levels.

"Oxytocin equates with love; we could not fall in love without it. Cortisol equates with fear. These different hormones generate these opposing emotions, just as the emotions of love and fear trigger the production of these respective hormones. In other words, neurochemicals and behavior are circular. This means that with a bit of awareness and determination we can consciously direct our behavior toward the maintenance of our ideal hormonal balance. "
-http://www.reuniting.info/science/oxytocin_cortisol_love_fear

i think the last sentence is really amazing. see! hormones are so powerful!
ok back to dopamine.
dopamine triggers the pleasure/reward center of the brain and can be released by naturally rewarding experiences such as food and sex. (i so agree with the first one!)
it is also responsible for the 'high' pple get with a new partner. (see the coolidge effect) very interesting though i don't condone it (hey, biology is no excuse!).
low levels can lead to Parkinsons. and high levels to psychosis and schizophrenia.

very amazing.
i think i like neurotransmitters and the brain a lot! (watching 'my brilliant brain' triggers my dopamine levels SKYHIGH. i get super high. just ask my dad.)
hurr but tt's for now. hopefully it wont change once i start on neuroanatomy (God willing, the next academic year! no retain no retain!)

ok with that,
i think i better start studying for my physio tmr.
so i wont retain.
zomg. histo was a terrible killer. now i'm not even sure if i got even 1 of the 13histo qns right!
(pls be chief cell!! pls be chief cell!!!) and i even got the easy peasy leydig cell wrong!! i was so thinking leydig but for some reason i had to write sertoli. O.O) tt's like 26 marks confirm gone alr. cos all the cells look the same! only thing going through my mind then was, "zomg how many microscopes more to go!" sighhh hopefully gross anat will let me pass!
but on hindsight, spots are somewhat interesting la. every 45secs, they'll ring the bell and u move on to the next specimen/rest station. how often do u get an exam like that?? cool stuff
alright. physio now!

webo @ 11:45 AM