The Role of Reward Circuitry and Dopamine Release in Our Behavior

Most rewarding experiences have evolved to be reinforcing/nDangerous events trigger mechanisms in the brain to avoid repetition/nThe reward circuitry in the brain is activated by various stimuli/nDopamine release is associated with the brain's reward circuitry

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In this episode, my guest is Robert Malenka, MD, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine who has made numerous seminal discoveries of how the brain changes (neuroplasticity) in response to learning and in response to rewarding and reinforcing experiences. We discuss the brain’s several reward systems involving dopamine and serotonin and how these motivate us to seek out specific behaviors and substances. We discuss how these reward systems are modified based on context and our memories, and how they can be hijacked toward maladaptive drug seeking in addiction. We also explore how reward systems influence social connections, oxytocin and empathy and how that applies to our understanding of autism spectrum disorders. This episode should be of interest to those interested in neuroplasticity, social bonding, addiction, autism, learning and motivation.

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