The Compass of Pleasure 1 Flashcards
proscribe
forbid especially by law
“Jails are bursting with people who have violated laws that proscribe certain forms of pleasure or who profit by encouraging others to do so.” (3)
medial forebrain pleasure circuit/medial forebrain bundle
runs between the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the lateral hypothalamus. It is inside this bundle that the nerve fibres of the reward circuit are located.
“They all evoke neural signals that converge on a small group of interconnected brain areas called the medial forebrain pleasure circuit.” (3)
provocative
serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate
“Provocatively, such persistent changes appear to be nearly identical to experience- and learning-driven changes in neural circuitry that are used to stor memories in other brain regions. In this way, memory, plseasure, and addiction are closely intertwined.” (4)
eclectic
deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
“Our eclecticism where pleasure is concerned serves to make our human existence wonderfully rich and complex.” (5)
prosocial
relating to or denoting behavior that is positive, helpful, and intended to promote social acceptance and friendship.
“It also calls for a reformation in our concepts of such virtuous and prosocial behaviors as sharing resources, self-deprivation, and the drive for knowledge. Crucially, brain imaging studies show that giving to charity, paying taxes, and receiving information about future events all activate the same neural pleasure circuit that’s engaged by heroin or orgasm or fatty foods.” (5)
electrode
a conductor through which electricity enters or leaves an object, substance, or region.
“The implanting surgery, conducted while the animals were anesthetized, involved cementing a pari of electrodes half a millimeter apart to their skulls….Long, flexible wires were then attached to the electrodes at one end and to an electrical stimulator at the other, to allow for activation of the specific brain region where the tips of the electrodes had come to rest.” (7)
ventral tegmental area (VTA)
located in the midbrain.
“When neurons in the region called the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are active, brief electrical impulses (called spikes) race from their cel bodies (located in the VTA proper) along long, thin information-sending fibers called axons.
ex. Eating Cake - VTA releases dopamine and it goes to different parts of the brain that have dopamine receptors uptake the dopamine released.
axon terminal
The somewhat enlarged, often club-shaped endings by which axons make synaptic contacts with other nerve cells or with effector cells. The somewhat enlarged, often club-shaped endings by which axons make synaptic contacts with other nerve cells or with effector cells.
“The axons have specialized structures at their endpoints called axon terminals. Some of the axon terminals of the VTA neurons are located some distance away in a region called the nucleus acumbens.”
neurotransmitter
a chemical released by neurons (nerve cells) to send signals to other nerve cells.
a chemical substance that is released at the end of a nerve fiber by the arrival of a nerve impulse and, by diffusing across the synapse or junction, causes the transfer of the impulse to another nerve fiber, a muscle fiber, or some other structure.
dopamine
Dopamine is a naturally occurring chemical in the body that functions as a neurotransmitter and neurohormone. It primarily affects movement control, emotions and the pleasure and reward centers of the brain.
“Dopamine is packed into membrane-bound vesicles in the presynaptic (information-transmitting) neuron. When electrical spikes traveling down the axon reach the axon terminal, they trigger the fusion of dopamine-containing vesicles with the presynaptic membrane, causing dopamine to spill out into the fluid filled synaptic cleft.” (17)
nerve fiber
the axon of a neuron. A nerve is formed of a bundle of many such fibers, with their sheaths.
amygdala
processes emotions and is connected to the hippocampus.
ex. Eating Cake - Amygdala says this is delicious I love this i’m feeling so happy right now.
nucleus accumbens
controls the bodies motor functions.
ex. Eating Cake - Let’s take another bite let me use my hand to use the fork to get another piece and eat it.
prefrontal cortex
the elongated ridges on the floor of each lateral ventricle of the brain, thought to be the center of emotion, memory, and the autonomic nervous system.
helps focus attention and planning
ex. helps you focus on the cake and divert your attention to it.
hippocampus
responsible for the formation of memories
ex. Eating Cake - Let me remember everything about this environment so we can do this again. What restaurant I’m at, what piece I had.
