LOVE ON THE BRAIN TORRENT
Such robust emotional bonds may critically contribute to the preservation of the human species," say the researchers.ĭr Ortigue and her colleagues believe that there are 12 areas of the brain involved in passionate love – the caudate nucleus/putamen, thalamus, ventral tegmental area, insula, anterior cingulate, posterior hippocampus, occipital, occipito-temporal/fusiform region, angular gyrus/temporo-parietal junction, dorsolateral middle frontal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, and the precentral gyrus.īut what happens first, what is the trigger for that torrent of cerebral activity? A new study to be published shortly by Dr Ortigue offers some clues. "As in the case of romantic love and maternal love, the rewarding nature of unconditional love facilitates the creation of strong emotional links between humans. Their view is that romantic love is one of three primary brain systems that evolved in avian and mammalian species to direct reproduction.Ī study at the University of Montreal into unconditional love shows that brain regions not implicated in romantic and maternal love, including BA 13 and BA 32, were activated. Researchers at Rutgers University in the US have also looked at romantic love and brain activity. "Our data demonstrate for the first time that circulating levels of nerve growth factor are elevated among people in love, suggesting an important role for this molecule in the 'social chemistry' of humans," say the researchers. Both these findings suggest that NGF may be involved in the very early stages of the love. The researchers also found that the higher the levels of NGF, the greater the intensity of the relationship. The highest levels were seen in men and women who had just fallen in love, compared to those in longer standing relationships. Blood levels of NGF were significantly higher in those who were in love. Researchers at the University of Pavia in Italy measured blood levels of NGF in 58 men and women who had recently fallen in love, and two control groups. Nerve growth factor of NGF is involved too. When the female vole was injected with a drug that blocks the activity of dopamine, she lost interest in him. Levels of oxytocin, (the so-called "cuddle hormone", released in response to stimuli including skin-to-skin contact) likewise go up, as do levels of vasopressin, both promoting relationship bonding. When a female prairie vole was paired with a male, dopamine levels went up 50 per cent. The importance of dopamine has been shown in a number of animal studies. It is also adrenaline which gets the heart racing. Overall, Dr Ortigue's analysis shows that passionate love involves brain areas involved in emotion, motivation, reward, social cognition, attention, and self-representation or body image.Īctivity in these areas leads to changes in the levels of a number of chemicals in the besotted brain, including increases in dopamine, oxytocin, adrenaline, vasopressin, and a decrease of serotonin, which results in the classic love symptoms, like obsessively thinking about the beloved, craving for a union with him or her, euphoria, and greater energy.ĭopamine is associated with feelings of euphoria, motivation, motor activity, desire, craving and addiction, while adrenaline heightens an indivual's attention, and boosts short-term memory, hyperactivity, and goal-oriented behaviour.
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