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Dopamine signals when a fear can be forgotten

picower.mit.edu

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Re: Dopamine signals when a fear can be forgotten

#101

Post by dayvigo »

shemtay wrote: post #75
Aurornis wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Neurotransmitters are just "global variables" to the GPU. No, neurotransmitters are very local. Dopamine exists all throughout your body, including your bloodstream. The dopamine in one location is uncoupled from the dopamine in another location. The dopamine in your bloodstream can't get into your brain. Dopamine within the brain doesn't spill over into entirely different regions of the brain.

is it not true though that activity/threshholds of dopamine synapses can be globally or semi-globally up and down regulated?

No, activity and expression are always local. Exclusively. There are no global levers.

Re: Dopamine signals when a fear can be forgotten

#102

Post by [deleted] »

isomorphic wrote: post #35

This line in the article is horrifying : > The researchers were surprised that when they activated VTA dopaminergic inputs into the aBLA they could reinstate fear even without any new foot shocks, impairing fear extinction. That... seems like the first step in being able to literally induce fear without having to bother with pesky things like finding the subject's triggers. Although I suppose if one has direct access…

[deleted]

Re: Dopamine signals when a fear can be forgotten

#103

Post by dayvigo »

childintime wrote: post #6

Makes sense, as Parkinson patients, freeze or tremble, which are both fear responses. I have seen my mother die of Parkinsons. I see a static (permanent) fear response as the straightforward cause for Parkinsons (combined with a helpful personality, which makes it difficult to just snap out of it). On the other end there were people close by that having seen war, took a life lesson from their fear response: you survi…

No, the pathology of Parkinson's Disease is dopaminergic dysfunction (the symptoms coming from this happening in the area relevant to planning movements, separate from areas that influence emotion or reward), usually driven by loss of dopamine-producing neurons. This is well-described by decades of research and tens of thousands of peer-reviewed papers.

Re: Dopamine signals when a fear can be forgotten

#104

Post by dns_snek »

andoando wrote: post #50
static_void wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd be interested in your thoughts more here. The problem with amphetamine is you pay for every benefit: focus now, lethargy later; energy now, anhedonia later. But taking a small, consistent dose. Does that work? Do you feel you net benefits in life from taking the drug, discounting for withdrawal and/or tolerance?

In my experience, no. You just get used to it and it does fuck all. Maybe worse even. Adderall seems to take my creativity away entirely and I just feel like a zombie. Theres a host of physical symptoms that come with it to that are not fun to manage: decreased appetite, dehydration, headaches, sleep loss, heart palpatstions. I would say its far better to take it on a needed basis once in a while

Have you tried any other medication? Concerta/Ritalin, Strattera/atomoxetine, or any other non-stimulant medications?

Re: Dopamine signals when a fear can be forgotten

#105

Post by justanotherjoe »

sosodev wrote: post #10
abhisek wrote: post #5

I have a simple question. How do I control dopamine in "my" brain so that I can focus on "here and now" instead of HN and GitHub.

Strengthen your prefrontal cortex so "you" have more control over your urges. You typically do this with meditation.

"Ora et Labora"

Re: Dopamine signals when a fear can be forgotten

#107

Post by vanjajaja1 »

justanotherjoe wrote: post #106

I don't know why more attention here is not put in appreciating the headline. What a brilliant, insightful line. Simple. Abstract enough to apply to many things that you experienced just begging to be synthesized, but haven't.

I was thinking something similar, i know i'm going to build skyscraper high arguments that hinge on just this headline

Re: Dopamine signals when a fear can be forgotten

#108

Post by awestroke »

corry wrote: post #16
abhisek wrote: post #5

I have a simple question. How do I control dopamine in "my" brain so that I can focus on "here and now" instead of HN and GitHub.

1. Cold plunge - high but transient (last for hours). I do it in the morning, after my shower - start the day off right. 2. Exercise - short-term: increases dopamine, serotonin, and a bunch of other good stuff; long-term: increases dopamine receptor density. 3. Caffeine - while doesn't technically increase dopamine, it blocks adenosine receptors which indirectly increases dopamine signalling. But habitual use blunts…

Cold plunge is good but keep in mind cold water immersion inhibits hypertrophy (but improves recovery time) depending on time since exercise, temperature and duration.

Re: Dopamine signals when a fear can be forgotten

#109

Post by procaryote »

keybored wrote: post #74
Aurornis wrote: post #43

When you see headlines (or hear podcasters) talk about dopamine and other neurotransmitters, remember that neurotransmitters are merely signaling molecules. The correct way to interpret this study is that dopamine is part of the signaling chain involved in fear extinction. The specific details of where, how, and when that dopamine moves through the brain are important. The wrong way to interpret these studies is to t…

Turned out that people learning about just lead to them making a fetish out of it, like it’s discrete switch in their brain that gets bumped when they eat a donut. I wonder what even the point is.

We should figure out which chemical makes them behave like that and make pills against it!

Re: Dopamine signals when a fear can be forgotten

#110

Post by jajko »

alganet wrote: post #77
munificent wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Get away from screens. It's hard to focus on the here and now when the here and now is the soul-deadening sensory-less experience of sitting motionless staring at a flat rectangle of pixels. Go out in the woods. Get your hands dirty. Meet friends at a bar and laugh until your stomach hurts. It's so much easier to be present in the moment when the moment is actually high fidelity and nourishing.

Screens are awesome. They are the heir apparent to the fireplace. A very old human tradition and very cherished. Outside, right now, people stay on screens all the time. It's the same stuff. Why even bother? Humans plan ahead. We look towards the future and the past. Not all the time, but a lot of the time. This carpe diem stuff doesn't seem like the right way to approach the problem given our current technological s…

You do you, but lets say I don't agree with what you say at all. Quality of life and all. Since I do both sides its easy to compare short and long term effects and impact on quality of life and happiness, plus its trivial to look around and see exactly same stuff repeating all over with literally everybody.

Suffice to say parent is correct, and you are not.

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