#neurobio

[er-cryptid]

[chaandki]

“So regardless of its official diagnostic classification, we propose that romantic love should be considered as an addiction ” (Fisher, Xu, Aaron & Brown 2016)

more information under the cut 

so oddly enough i was inspired to draw this during my neurobio class lol. we were learning about the different planes of the brain and saw a mid sagittal view of the brain via fMRI. i thought it looked so cool that i wanted to recreate it! i figured the best way to capture this was to draw the brain while under the influence of an emotion. naturally as a dnp artist love came to mind lmaooo.

i’m currently getting a degree in bio and psych and i want to eventually get my phd in neuroscience so i kinda dove in deep with the research for this. i knew i wanted to do something involving emotions but finding papers that supported my idea was ridiculously hard. seriously. i’ve been working in a research lab for a year now but nothing could have prepared me for the lit search i was about to go on.

the problem is that a lot of modern science involving the brain during love is either a) fucking pseudoscience or b) in the preliminary stages. luckily i was able to find this TED talk which lead me to read her paper and snowball to other papers and start formulating the idea.

i wanted this to be as scientifically accurate as possible so i read 4 peer reviewed papers to ensure i was choosing the right sections. i was able to verify the two (actually four) sections i highlighted through two papers which honestly was enough for me.

SO ABOUT THE SCIENCE.

okie so what you need to know is that this is a mid sagittal view of the brain via fMRI. so an fMRI basically takes sections of your brain and using the oxygen levels in blood can show regions of the brain that have increased blood flow (indicated by the colors). tbh the colors mean nothing. one of the images from a paper i read had the coloring on the left but i wanted to distinguish between the two so i made them different. the only important thing is that the brighter the color, the more activated the region.

the two sections showing activation are the posterior cingulate cortex (PC) and the anterior cingulate cortex (AC). more specifically, the two areas that are involved are the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the caudate nucleus. they’re really small sections tho which is why i chose to highlight the areas they’re found in, the PC and AC.  

the VTA and the caudate nucleus are areas involved in pleasure, arousal, attention and seeking rewards BUT they are also associated with addictive behaviors. a lot of the pathways that have been identified in drug addiction involve the aforementioned areas WHICH MEANS according to the study, love can be (and as the author argues, should be) classified as an addictive behavior.

I COULD GO ON but honestly it would stop relating to my drawing. if you’re interested, i would HIGHLY recommend reading the papers i’m linking below. the first two are pretty easy reads and should be good for someone with a basic understanding of science. the other two are a little more dense and get a bit technical at points so read at your discretion. the TED talk is super accessible so def watch that at least. OK THANKS FOR LISTENING BYE.

References 

Easy Article 1, Easy Article 2, Hard Article 1, Hard Article 2 (can’t find a public link, title is Reward, Motivation, and Emotion Systems Associated With Early-Stage Intense Romantic Love written by Arthur Aron)

Aron, A. (2005). Reward, Motivation, and Emotion Systems Associated With Early-Stage Intense Romantic Love. Journal of Neurophysiology,94(1), 327-337. doi:10.1152/jn.00838.2004

Acevedo, B. P., Aron, A., Fisher, H. E., & Brown, L. L. (2011). Neural correlates of long-term intense romantic love. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 7(2), 145-159. doi:10.1093/scan/nsq092

Bartels, A., & Zeki, S. (2004). The neural correlates of maternal and romantic love. NeuroImage, 21(3), 1155-1166. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2003.11.003

Fisher, H. E., Xu, X., Aron, A., & Brown, L. L. (2016). Intense, Passionate, Romantic Love: A Natural Addiction? How the Fields That Investigate Romance and Substance Abuse Can Inform Each Other. Frontiers in Psychology, 7. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00687

TEDTalks: Helen Fisher–The Brain in Love [Video file]. (2008, July 15). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYfoGTIG7pY

[chmenerd]

don't get shot by a poison arrow cause it could be bad.

My neurobiology professor

[er-cryptid]

Potentials in Neurons

-- potential = difference in electrical charges

-- two kinds of neural potential      -- resting potential      -- action potential

-- resting potential      -- maintained by inactive neuron      -- negative electric charge of 70 millivolts      -- present in unstimulated neuron

-- once neuron is stimulated, action potential is produced

-- resting potential changes to action potential if stimulation reaches the neural threshold

-- neural threshold = limit below which neuron is unable to fire

-- stimulation must be able to alter membrane permeability through neuron firing

-- polarization = change in membrane permeability

Patreon | Ko-fi

[er-cryptid]

Patreon | Ko-fi  

[memo-irvine-winter-2025]

Alicia Lin

Looking for a LITTLE!

Year: 4th

Major/Minor: Neurobiology

Favorite Color: Green or pink

Favorite Snacks: Altoids (Arctic), Lychee drinks

Favorite Animal: Cat :3

Favorite Hobbies: Art, Video Games, Manga

Dream Destinations: Japan, Italy, Vietnam

About: Hi, I’m Alicia and I’m from Los Angeles! A few of my hobbies are playing gacha games and JRPGs, reading shonen manga, and drawing fan art of said games and manga. As for outside activities, I enjoy morning hikes, musical performances, and trying boba places (current #1 is Jam Jam Tea Lab). Lastly, my favorite music genres are alternative rock, such as The Offspring, and J-Pop EDM, such as Reol.

In terms of professional goals, I am on the pre-med track aiming to specialize in neurology. I am especially interested in memory disorders, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, and the biological basis through which we learn and grow. I’m also just interested in biology in general and would love to expand my knowledge on more subtopics!

What are you looking for in your future Big/Little?: I’d like a Little who is passionate about something! It can be about anything, from academics to hobbies or their favorite pet! Regardless of what their passion is, I would love to hear about it endlessly and help them grow closer to their goals if possible. I’d also like it if they are open to hanging out outside of MEMO and making fun new memories. Otherwise, I just hope I can be a reliable Big whom they can trust and confide in for advice :>

[memo-irvine-fall-2024]

Annie Zhu

Looking for a BIG!

Year: 3rd

Major/Minor: Neurobiology

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Snacks: Chocorooms / milkis

Favorite Animal: Cat

Favorite Hobbies: Badminton, Art, shopping(?)

Dream Destinations: Japan, Spain, Switzerland

About: Fav hobby/sport: I love badminton! But I’ve been trying to get into archery as well. Music: KPOP all the way, love going to concerts and buying merch too Shows: I sometimes watch anime! Most recent favorite is Frieren

What are you looking for in your future Big/Little?: Someone who may share similar interests w me

[memo-irvine-fall-2024]

Alicia Lin

Looking for a LITTLE!

Year: 4th

Major/Minor: Neurobiology

Favorite Color: Green or pink

Favorite Snacks: Altoids (Arctic), Lychee drinks

Favorite Animal: Cat :3

Favorite Hobbies: Art, Video Games, Manga

Dream Destinations: Japan, Italy, Vietnam

About: Hi, I’m Alicia and I’m from Los Angeles! A few of my hobbies are playing gacha games and JRPGs, reading shonen manga, and drawing fan art of said games and manga. As for outside activities, I enjoy morning hikes, musical performances, and trying boba places (current #1 is Jam Jam Tea Lab). Lastly, my favorite music genres are alternative rock, such as The Offspring, and J-Pop EDM, such as Reol.

In terms of professional goals, I am on the pre-med track aiming to specialize in neurology. I am especially interested in memory disorders, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, and the biological basis through which we learn and grow. I’m also just interested in biology in general and would love to expand my knowledge on more subtopics!

What are you looking for in your future Big/Little?: I’d like a Little who is passionate about something! It can be about anything, from academics to hobbies or their favorite pet! Regardless of what their passion is, I would love to hear about it endlessly and help them grow closer to their goals if possible. I’d also like it if they are open to hanging out outside of MEMO and making fun new memories. Otherwise, I just hope I can be a reliable Big whom they can trust and confide in for advice :>