The Neuroscience of Pain and Pleasure

This chapter explores the intricate relationship between pain and pleasure through the lens of neuroscience, examining how techniques like hypnosis and electroacupuncture can alter brain activity. It highlights genetic factors, the role of endogenous opioids, and the influence of substances like dark chocolate on dopamine and serotonin levels, ultimately underscoring the survival importance of balancing these sensations.

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Episode notes

This episode I discuss our sense of pain and pleasure: where and how they each arise in our mind and body and various ways to control their intensity. I discuss the science of behavioral tools like acupuncture and hypnosis and directed pressure, including the neural circuits they each activate to modulate our experience of pain or pleasure. I also discuss whole body pain, pain "syndromes" and novel pain relief compounds such as Acetyl-L-Carnitine, SAMe and Agmatine. I discuss neuroplasticity of the pain system and the key role that visual perception plays in pain modulation. Finally, I address the link between dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, with arousal, pleasure and pain. As always, both basic science and various protocols are described.

Note: The description of the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) was intentionally simplified and does not include mention of dorsal horn spinal relay neurons, etc. For an excellent full text review of this anatomy and circuits for touch sensing, please see: https://bit.ly/3jH9CPf

Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com.