• HEALTH & RECOVERY
    Welcome Guest
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules Thread Directory 1 Thread Directory 2
    Mindfulness Links Addiction & Mind
    Sober Living Partner Program (SLiPP)
  • H&R Moderators: streaM Freak

A chemical free brain?

C

chickenclan

Greenlighter
Joined
Jul 22, 2013
Messages
37
I thought struck me today as I a while back heard that feelings are triggered by chemicals released by some part of the brain, I think it was hypothalamus or something. Anyway, since I tend to very rarely, without the influence of drugs feel content and no concern, relaxed and calm I started wondering how is the feeling when there are no chemicals present it the brain, if that event is possible. I am thinking about those emotional driven chemicals.
 
are you talking about neurotransmitters? if they'd be gone, the nervous system in the whole body wouldn't work and the body would die.
nerve cells are important for almost all processes in the living body.
 
No I read or watched/heard somewhere how various chemicals which are released within the brain trigger various emotions like anger, attraction, etc..
In that sense I wonder how would a person be and act without any of those chemicals floating around inside the brain, are you simply peaceful or neutral, or are you simple facially dead?:|
 
No, emotions are not simply the release of specific chemicals (while the hypothalamus is intimately involved in the regulation of mood and hunger, its activity is only a tiny piece of the story, and its activity cannot be reduced to the simple global release of chemicals). All neurotransmission involves sets of chemical reactions (including even changes in ionic gradients that underlie action potentials), but these neural cascades are very complex and multifaceted, depending on the 'wiring' of specific neural circuits as well). Ela.sand's point stands: take the chemicals out of the equation, and there is simply nothing happening in your brain.

ebola
 
#ebola? I see... I don`t really know that much about how the brain actually functions, but in any case thanks for clearing that up.
 
Not to mention, there is gray matter thoughout your body, including in your GI, around your heart, etc. Emotions aren't just in the brain, they have a whole-body basis.
 
Yeah, I still wonder though how does it feel to be ABSOLUTELY emotion free, I think I have never felt that.
 
There are chemicals in the brain released by stimuli that induce emotion. Like oxytocin, for instance, is a chemical released when a mother gives birth and it creates the lovey-dovey feeling and the bond between the slimy brand new alien child and its mother. It's a chemical released that leads to emotion. Anger, fear, etc - those are emotions that are part of the brain's fight or flight response, which occurs in the brain but sends signals throughout the body. Serotonin, dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine, etc - these are your neurotransmitters (released from neuron to neuron, communication signals) that are linked to feelings of motivation, reward, interest, etc.

Basically I'd say the complexity of our emotions is something we have created as a species. Survival of the fittest, interestingly enough.

Emotions seem like they have become an integrated part of our life, but initially they were more to ~fear~ threats, enemies, etc back in the day! Now they serve social purposes because our lives have become very social creatures.
 
ebola? said:
Ela.sand's point stands: take the chemicals out of the equation, and there is simply nothing happening in your brain.
Click to expand...

I have taken your message to heart, and added more chemicals to exercise my brain. Fitness! :D
 
If a "brain" was chemically free it would not be a brain. It would be a hunk of flesh that's missing everything vital about it. As to the actual question... I don't get your actual question.
 
Take a high daily dose of zoloft, you'd be able to sit and stare at a wall for 5 hours and be content
As to your main question, a complete lack of any neurotransmitters would kill you. The majority have involvement in breathing, circulation and digestion.
However if you had say, low enough levels to survive you'd probably

Dopamine: be a miserable paralytic mess, unable to learn or think, you'd have no motivation at all.
Serotonin: There was a study where a bunch of rats were genetically deprived of the serotonin 5ht1b receptor and put in a cage, They immediately attacked other mice viciously. There was also a man born with sepiapterin reductase deficiency, a genetic disorder in which the brain is deprived of an enzyme that is used in the production of serotonin and dopamine. He pretty much ate all day, had a messed up sleeping pattern, and overslept. Impressively he wasn't depressed, which says alot about the serotonin theory of depression.
Gaba: You'd have seizures and die. Or if you had just enough, be extremely anxious, restless, sleepless, and have cholinergic/glutaminergic excitotoxicity
Norepinephrine: You'd be extremely fatigued, not be able to move because of extreme hypotension and not be able to think or learn
Acetylcholine: Ever heard of datura?
Glutamate: Chronic fatigue syndrome
Endorphin: Extreme pain and depression
Thats only a few, theres a ton more i cant be bothered going into
Also if you lost your 5ht1b receptor and had low acetylcholine/low serotonin, you'd probably turn into a rabid zombie :!

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/265/5180/1875.abstract
http://mindhacks.com/2010/03/09/a-man-with-virtually-no-serotonin-or-dopamine/
 
Arlop said:
Take a high daily dose of zoloft, you'd be able to sit and stare at a wall for 5 hours and be content
As to your main question, a complete lack of any neurotransmitters would kill you. The majority have involvement in breathing, circulation and digestion.
However if you had say, low enough levels to survive you'd probably

Dopamine: be a miserable paralytic mess, unable to learn or think, you'd have no motivation at all.
Serotonin: There was a study where a bunch of rats were genetically deprived of the serotonin 5ht1b receptor and put in a cage, They immediately attacked other mice viciously. There was also a man born with sepiapterin reductase deficiency, a genetic disorder in which the brain is deprived of an enzyme that is used in the production of serotonin and dopamine. He pretty much ate all day, had a messed up sleeping pattern, and overslept. Impressively he wasn't depressed, which says alot about the serotonin theory of depression.
Gaba: You'd have seizures and die. Or if you had just enough, be extremely anxious, restless, sleepless, and have cholinergic/glutaminergic excitotoxicity
Norepinephrine: You'd be extremely fatigued, not be able to move because of extreme hypotension and not be able to think or learn
Acetylcholine: Ever heard of datura?
Glutamate: Chronic fatigue syndrome
Endorphin: Extreme pain and depression
Thats only a few, theres a ton more i cant be bothered going into
Also if you lost your 5ht1b receptor and had low acetylcholine/low serotonin, you'd probably turn into a rabid zombie :!

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/265/5180/1875.abstract
http://mindhacks.com/2010/03/09/a-man-with-virtually-no-serotonin-or-dopamine/
Click to expand...

Nicely listed, but really a zombie? I guess we then are a chemical machine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top