Tag Archives: Amygdala

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Amygdala effects on emotions and memories

September 30, 2016
Amygdala effects

Amygdala effects on emotions and memories that may facilitate addiction

Amygdala effects on emotions and memories: The formation of drug abuse

All of us have memories about various events in our lives which can either be bad or good memories and these memories and emotions can be affected by amygdala. The amygdala effects on emotions and memories can be can be categorized as good or bad depending on the emotional states that happen during those events we are remembering. It is therefore very important to appreciate that these memories are formed from the brain and up on their formation, they are kept still within the brain along with the emotional attachment that occurred during those events. Let’s use an illustration to bring it closer to our understanding take for example when you smell the sea air or feel the ocean breeze and hear the seagulls, you will have a pleasant memory and emotional experience alongside. This is because these things have been repeatedly associated with relaxing and enjoyable times. The memory of the sea is stored along with a pleasant emotional state.

It therefore means that you can merely visualize the sea in your mind without necessarily being there and you will experience a pleasant emotional state. In the same way an addicted person may only need to visualize about engaging in his addiction and that will be enough for him to experience pleasure. In that case, the memory of engaging in the addiction is stored with a pleasant emotional state and hence the pleasing memories of engaging with an addiction can lead to repeating those behaviors and eventually forms a habit. This is what we must deal with owing to the enormous consequences that come with the formation of an addiction. When you realize that such experiences are happening in your life, you must seek for an immediate treatment from the experts. Doctor Dalal Akoury a veteran addiction experts and her team of experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center will be of great help to you if only you can schedule for your appointment with her today and your life will never be the same again.

Amygdala effects on emotions and memories: Cue anticipation

Besides that, emotional memory also has another role in the development of addiction known as cue anticipation. This is the environmental cues that can initiate or elevate craving. And because cravings often lead to relapse they are often called relapse. The environmental cues (relapse triggers) can be anything that is associated with the addiction. It could be a certain time of day, a place, a person, or an activity.

Finally, the brain may also form an association between unpleasant emotions and a memory thereby forming a “bad” memory. For your information, these negative emotional memories play an important role in withdrawal. The negative emotional memory of anxiety becomes associated with the physical signs of withdrawal. And as withdrawal begins, the symptoms trigger an unpleasant emotional memory. This increases the negative experience of withdrawal. What we have discussed here may not be conclusive and therefore you may want to schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury for more health insight about addiction and the brain.

Amygdala effects on emotions and memories: The formation of drug abuse

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Dopamine and Infidelity

May 23, 2015

Dopamine, Infidelity and Sex Addiction

DopaminePeople think of infidelity differently from other social vices like marijuana addiction. They need to think of these two phenomena the same way since the behavior that takes place during an affair mimics exactly the behavior of a drug addict. A person who is addicted to sex or is practicing infidelity has been compared to a moth attracted to candle light. And infidelity has been referred to as “flame addiction.”

Infidelity can be defined as unfaithfulness in a relationship. It is a societal vice that has far reaching negative impacts on relationships and most painfully marriages. Infidelity is one of the major contributors to the tremendous numbers of divorce cases witnessed in the world today.

Another vice that goes hand in hand with infidelity is sex addiction. Sex addiction is in most cases the seed upon which infidelity sprouts. It is a compulsive behavior that completely takes control over the addicts life. The addict is willing to sacrifice what he/she cherishes most in order to preserve and continue his/her unhealthy behavior. They use sexuality to regulate their emotional life like relieving pain or anxiety.

Helping sex addicts and infidels requires first understanding the science of what happens in the brains of these people and seeking to find a way of controlling these biochemical processes towards the desired direction.

What happens when one falls in love?

The brain will produce changes in neurochemicals that alter the feelings of normality at the beginning, a period of infatuation. Then there will be a surge of adrenaline which will take the love struck individual to unimaginable heights. After this serotonin will drop thereby leaving a feeling of emptiness and an obsessive preoccupation with the other person. As have always been known, dopamine is the lighter of the flame addiction (infidelity).

What is dopamine?

Dopamine is a very crucial hormone as it is crucial for such effects as boldness, improved memory, attention, elation and a temporary desire to explore the world and take risks. During orgasm the levels of dopamine surge intensely and the person will be affected in similar manner to a person who has taken heroin. Dopamine is the hormone that causes addiction and once its levels have been fluctuated it will take up to a week to return to normal.

 

After dopamine surge has calmed down, prolactin is released and it works against the effects of dopamine causing such effects as depression, irritability and depletion.

If you have been blaming your lover for your post-sex and post-romance frustration, you need to know the chemistry causing it. It is advisable to have non-orgasmic sex as it helps avoid the dopamine peak and its side effects.

Dopamine and infidelity

Dopamine may cause infidelity. when a couple has been married and nothing is kept new or fresh the dopamine levels will be low while when a person has been seeing an attractive person out of marriage and he/she seems unreachable the levels of dopamine will surge and so the pursuit begins.

Since time immemorial, mating and reproduction is an activity that was not for the faint hearted as an individual has to pursue the possible mate with efforts and even fights to win. This could not be possible without a reward system, so the reward center was placed in the brain dopamine and it heightens when the pursuit for mate is successfully finished, hence a motivation to the pursuer.

Something new in relationship will boost the dopamine level that is why a couple who has been married for a long time will spend some nights without sex but a man who has just had sex may have sex with other women as the level of dopamine will be rekindled with each new partner. Infidelity is fuelled when the partner is playing hard to get as it heightens dopamine level.

Dopamine and sex addiction

Sex is addictive. All human behaviors that are rewarding in nature are prone to be addictive and sex is just one of the many addictive human behaviors, once a person has tasted the waters it becomes very hard to quit. If you need to break the chains of sex craving you need to be principled and committed to the course as it’s not an easy task.

Addictions sometimes do overlap and replace each other. When a person falls short on the dopamine triggered by having sex, he will turn to another source like eating, to fill the vacuum. This explains why some people prefer smoking a cigarette after sex; they seek the dopamine heights from nicotine smoking to make up for the falling levels after sex.

Apart from dopamine here are other hormones that may cause happiness but it is the hormone that persistently asks you to repeat an act that induces pleasure even when it has adverse effects.

Dopamine is a vital hormone but the pleasure it offers is addictive but you will never be willing to face the truth as it will be very rewarding. You therefore need to mind the frequency at which you do some pleasurable activities as you may become addicted to them.

Is there hope for infidels and sex addicts?

DopamineUnderstanding the process of flame addiction is crucial to healing—for both the victim and perpetrator. For any person who wants to quit philandering, it is essential to cut all the links between him/her and the mate with whom they had an affair.

Just like drug addictions quitting this behavior needs commitment, you may fail many times but you should not give up on your marriage. Feel open; seek help from leaders and people you respect.

Finally, Sex addiction is a serious menace, please call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Centre will give you the support you require and help you wrestle down this menace.

Dopamine, Infidelity and Sex Addiction

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Sex Addiction Affects the Nervous System

May 21, 2015

Neurobiology of Sex Addiction

Sex AddictionSex addiction is a crucial topic and when anybody has taken time to read very post about it, it is only prudent that I simplify everything and walk along with everyone as know about the neurobiology of sex addiction. This is really necessary as not very person who suffers from sex addiction can understand medicine jargons. To begin with;

What is Neurobiology?

This is the study of cells of the nervous system and how these cells are organized into functional circuits that helps in processing information and influence behaviors. Neurobiology is a sub unit of both biology and neuroscience. In comparison, neuroscience is broader as a scientific study of the nervous system than neurobiology.

The nervous system is very essential in the body owing to its vital functions. Firstly let’s delve into the functions of the neurons that we may validate its relevance in this topic of sex addiction. The neurons are cells that are specialized to receive, propagate, and transmit electrochemical impulses to initiate certain responses that are important for optimum functioning of the body. The human brain has neurons that amount to more than billions. The neurons are specialized to perform different functions; they are also diverse in morphology.

The nervous system is very important owing to its many function, it is therefore essential that it remains healthy all the time as any disorder may affect it negatively and culminate into more serious or even fatal conditions. Anytime there is a defect in the neurotransmitters the person must suffer the effects. Contrary to what people think, imbalances in the neurotransmitters never affect the health of a person only but also it influences the behaviors of a person.

Neurobiological disorders refer to diseases of the nervous system and they may be caused by genetic, metabolic and other biological factors. Most of the disorders termed as psychiatric disorders are neurobiological. They include but not limited to; autism, obsessive-compulsive disorders, Tourette syndrome, bipolar disorders and even schizophrenia. These disorders are common and can affect anybody, it is advisable to adopt good nutrition and avoid substances that may deplete the neurons and interfere with the proper functioning of the nervous system. In this post we will look at the changes or imbalance in the nervous system that may lead to sex addiction and how sex addiction relates to these neurotransmitters.

Neurobiology of sex addiction

For there to be an effective approach in sex addiction treatment, there has to be a detailed understanding of how the compulsive behavior affects the brain. This has led to many researchers to establish the link. In a research done by the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, a study that looked into brain activity in nineteen male patients affected by compulsive sexual behavior and then compared them to the same number of healthy controls. The patients that participated in this research study had begun watching pornography at early stages in their lives as opposed to the healthy volunteers.

Dr. Valerie Voon, a Welcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellow at the University of Cambridge explained that the patients had been suffering from lack of control of their sexual desires and acts and this had exposed them to adverse consequences that were weighing them down, ruining their lives and relationships. The doctor further observed that these patients exhibited the characteristics similar to those who from drug addictions. Part of the research goals was to show if there were similarities in the brain activity of sex addicts and drug addicts.

For this study, were shown videos some of which were sexually explicit while others were just sport videos, their brain activity was thereafter monitored by the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which uses a blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal to measure brain activity.

The researchers found that three regions in particular were more active in the brains of the people with compulsive sexual behavior compared with the healthy volunteers. Considerably, these regions; the ventral striatum, dorsal anterior cingulate and amygdala were regions that are also particularly activated in drug addicts when shown drug stimuli. The ventral striatum is the part of brain that is involved in processing reward and motivation, while the dorsal anterior cingulate is implicated in anticipating rewards and drug craving. The amygdala is involved in processing the significance of events and emotions.

Brain activity mirrors in sex addiction is similar to that in drug addiction

When the patients were asked to rate their level of desire after watching the explicit sexual videos, they showed higher levels of sexual desire but when asked when they liked them, they didn’t rate them high an indication that they watch porn compulsively but they really don’t like watching porn. This phenomenon is similar to drug addicts who do drugs but they don’t like doing it. Their desire was also correlated with higher interactions between regions within the network identified with greater cross-talk between the dorsal cingulate, ventral striatum and amygdala for explicit as compared to sports videos.

SEx AddictionThe researchers verified that the brain activity of those who are addicted to sex is similar to the brain activity of patents who are addicted to drugs and other substances.

“There are clear differences in brain activity between patients who have compulsive sexual behavior and healthy volunteers. These differences mirror those of drug addicts,” concludes Dr. Voon.

There is need to restore the chemical balances in the brain for a successful addiction treatment. At AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center we have made it our priority to ensure that every addict has a place he can call on and find a lasting help. Call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for help.

Neurobiology of Sex Addiction

 

 

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What is Sex Addiction?

May 20, 2015

Is Sex Addiction A Disease Or A Symptom?

Sex AddictionSex addicts are among the addicts who will suffer for a longer time before they are known to be suffering from the disease. This can be attributed to the traditional model of addiction that had it that addiction is a choice and not a disease. The society has placed high standards of morality that to find a sex addict stating publicly or even sharing the issue with those dependent to them is very rare and this may only make them suffer longer and may fail to get help for their condition. The earlier models of addiction escalated the chances of addicts getting stigmatized and sex addicts can be the ones who will be subjected to the most degrading treatments if they were to come out declaring that they need help in a society where sexual issues are known to blankets alone. So is sex addiction a disease or a symptom? This is a really mind boggling question as some experts I’ve shared this question will tell you. It is like asking which came first; the egg or the chicken? So to simplify things lets broaden our view and look at addiction generally before we confine it back to the topic.

Is addiction a disease?

Well, According to American Society of Addiction Medicine, addiction is a disease and not a symptom. They define addiction as a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Addiction of any kind affects the flow of signals within the nervous system. It alters neurotransmission and interactions within reward structures of the brain, including the nucleus accumbens, anterior cingulate cortex, basal forebrain and amygdala. When these areas of the brain are affected, the addictive behavior begins to replace the healthy behaviors, this is the neurobiology of addiction, and it doesn’t matter whether its alcohol, gambling or sex addiction; once the neurotransmission is inhibited then the addictive behaviors becomes a part of a person and a chain not easily broken.

Hippocampal and cortical circuit’s interactions are also altered by addiction, the brain reward structures are also altered by any addiction irrespective of what type of addiction it is. When the reward structures are affected, the memory of earlier exposures to rewards like sex, pornography and the like will lead to biological and behavioral response to external signals, in turn triggering craving and engagement in addictive behaviors.

As much as the neurochemistry of reward plays a role in addiction, there is more to neurobiology of addiction beyond the reward system. The frontal cortex of the brain and underlying white matter connections between the frontal cortex and circuits of reward, altered judgment, motivation and memory are fundamental in the manifestations of altered impulse control and the dysfunctional pursuit of rewards seen in addiction.

Sex addiction isn’t just a symptom

As have been explained above, all addictions can pass for diseases as they are primarily involved in wrecking the nervous system, causing chemical imbalances and alters the functions of crucial brain sections that are concerned with issues of reward.

From previous researches, it has been shown that sex addiction affects three regions in particular that are important in the reward mechanism; the ventral striatum, dorsal anterior cingulate and amygdala. These pars of the brain are more active in people with compulsive sexual behaviors; in research it has been shown that they are more active in sex addicts than in the healthy brains. This is an indication that that sex addiction is a chronic disease that affects the brain chemistry. These parts are equally active in those addicted to drugs and other substances, if drug addiction is a disease, and we have seen that both sex addiction and drug addictions affect the brain in similar manner then why can sex addiction be termed a symptom?

Sex addiction has its causes and symptoms

Sex addiction is characterized by an intense craving for sexual activity and an inability to control these desires for sex despite the risk that they may be exposed to. This inability to control the desire is not the only problem but the behavior changes that comes with sex addiction is a real reason to worry. Very many relationships have been broken because of sex addiction; it has also led to the patients contacting venereal diseases as result of their untamed sexual exploration with different partners.

Some of causes of sex addiction

People addicted to sex get a sense of euphoria from it that seems to go beyond that reported by most people. The sexual experience is not about intimacy. Addicts use sexual activity to seek pleasure, avoid unpleasant feelings or respond to outside stressors, such as work difficulties or interpersonal problems. This is not unlike how an alcoholic uses alcohol. In both instances, any reward gained from the experience soon gives way to guilt, remorse and promises to change.

Sex AddictionMost of the people who are addicted to sex came from broken families and maybe have been sexually abused in their lives. In a study it was found that 82 percent of sex addicts who participated in the study were sexually abused early in their lives. Other sex addicts have got here because of uncaring and distant parents who in most cases were substance abusers.

Despite the controversy of whether sex addiction is a disease or a symptom, it is a real menace that you should not accept to be silent with if you are affected. The journey towards recovery begins by accepting that you are affected and need help. At AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center we know of the nightmares sex addicts go through; the very reasons why we are devoted to availing help to sex addicts. Call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) and get the burden off your shoulder.

Is Sex Addiction A Disease Or A Symptom?

 

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