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DOPAMINE RESPONSIBLE FOR LOVE AND ADDICTION
Dopamine in brain keeps people in love and addicted
Come fall in love, get addicted! Dopamine in the brain seems to be what keeps males in love, addicted to drugs and being monogamous.
7 DEC 2005: 'Come fall in love!' may be one of the most popular movie ads but think twice before you do so.
Researchers of the University of Florida has found that more than cupid, the brain chemistry responsible for addiction plays a prominent part in love.
According to their findings, Dopamine, the chemical which drives the brain’s reward centre, keeps the male Prairie Voles monogamus. Prairie voles were selected for the study as they show signs of falling in love in the way humans do better than any other animal, with males and females bonding just after mating once.
According to a report in Nature Neurocience, Prairie Voles have the quality to forge long-lasting relationships.
The report said dopamine, which keeps drug addicts hooked on drugs, was found to drag people back to sources of pleasure.
After mating, the male voles showed aggression towards other females. The Florida researchers found that dopamine was released into the brains of males after mating took place. It was also released on an affected area of the brain known as nucleus accumbens. Researchers said nucleus accumbens is also present in humans.
After the team blocked this activity in the vole’s brain, males lost thir strong liking for their mate vis-ŕ-vis other females, it was found.
Rsearchers said the study demonstrated the way the brain reacts to prompt monogamy, possibly for the first time, stressing the fact that the underlying mechanisms would be same in humans also.
And he also agreed human attraction would be different to that of voles.
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