Posted by linkadge on August 29, 2004, at 16:33:58
In reply to Re: Role of Dopamine in anhedonia?(chemist, linkadge) » zuzu80, posted by Maximus on August 29, 2004, at 14:49:10
What you are saying is very true. Dopamine itself is not the magic pleasure chemical. What we do know is that activation of the D3 receptors (which are loaded in the nucleus accumbens which is supposedly one of the pleasure centers in the brain) seems to improve anhedonia fairly reliably.
But boosting dopamine in other areas of the brain can cause apathy, dark moods, paranoia, guilt, jealousy, anger, grandiosity, and other strange states of the human condition.
Anyhow, one theory that I heard is that neuroleptics *can* increase pleasure by blocking some of the bad dopamine regions and allowing more dopamine to reach pleasure centers (ie d3 receptors)
I have found this too. If I take ritalin or coffee then I am oftentimes anhedonic, but neuroleptics seem to improve anhedonia. Stimulants plus neuroleptics can enhance the anti-anhedonic effect (but the combination is way too funky for me !!!)
Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:383680
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040825/msgs/383756.html