EASC-101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Methylphenidate, Nucleus Accumbens, Social Emotions
8 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Our brain has evolved a mechanism whereby it encourages us to repeat behaviours that are conducive to our own survival, as well the survival of the species as a whole. The mesolimbic dopamine system is critically involved in mediating incentive- motivation laden behaviours such as eating, drinking or sexual activity. Each of these activities lead to the activation of dopamine cells in the ventral tegmental area which release dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. This neuronal signal is referred to as a reward signal and serves to reinforce these behaviours, motivating an animal to repeat them in the future. In this way, we (and other animals) will naturally repeat behaviours that are conducive to our own survival (eating and drinking) and the propagation of the species (reproduction). Animals with these survival enhancing mechanisms are in turn, more likely to pass on their genes to future generations, and in turn propagate the species.
