PSYC 4035 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Nucleus Accumbens, Yokel, Pimozide
Document Summary
Neurobiology of addiction: pleasure centers in the brain a. In the 1950"s, james olds and peter milner (accidentally) discovered existence of pleasure centers in the brain: rats were implanted with electrodes in certain brain structures. When they pressed a lever, these sites would be electrically stimulated. Most rats found this self-stimulation so desirable that they would not stop to eat, drink, or rest, but would press the lever until they were exhausted. They would even cross electrified grids to reach the lever. ii. Self-stimulation" only occurred in some parts of the subcortical brain. One of those was the nucleus accumbens (nac), which is also known as the ventral striatum. In humans, stimulation of the nac may elicit smiling, laughter, pleasurable feelings, etc. 3: dopamine mediates pleasure, before 1990, almost all data suggested that dopamine signaled pleasure, whether in response to drugs or any other reinforcing activity. ii, evidence that dopamine mediates pleasure.
