CH 2 Bio of Desire Flashcards
What is the reward centre
A conglomerate of distinct cell assemblies
What are examples of rewards
Peaches, money, power, drugs
What does the irrationality of addiction show about the brain
That it is human, not diseased. Irrationality is an essential feature of being human
What distinguishes mammalian brains
They live in complex environments and lean to adapt to the complexities
What structures are included in the limbic system
Amygdala, hippocampus, striatum
What role does the limbic system serve
emotion, memory, goal pursuit
Permanence
The way brain patterns settle into place so that the past can shape the present
How does an increase of feeling intensity affect the brains response to that situation
brain change takes on extra momentum, reinforcing learning connections more strongly
What drives the brain momentum with intensity
Emotions that recur over and over creates a feedback loop
What shapes the brain more acutely than other feelings
Desire
What do brain changes eventually settle and become
Habits
What happens to the brain when new changes come about
It restabilizes
How is addiction different from other habits
- It is a mental habit
- The feeling of addiction always includes the feeling of desire
- It’s a habit that becomes compulsive
By what process do brain grow
Self-organization
How do we define the patterns we find in brains
Self-perpetuating - they form habits through reinforcement