Mammalian Brain Chemistry Explains Everything

Mammalian Brain Chemistry

explains everything

Loretta G. Breuning PhDInner Mammal Institute

Your brain chemicals are inheritedfrom earlier animals

These chemicals are not meantto just flowall the time They’re meantto promote survival

The mammal brain releasesa happy chemical when it sees

a way to meet its needs

dopamine endorphin oxytocin serotonin

It releases a stress chemical when it sees

a potential threat to its needs

cortisol

A happy chemical tells a mammal to go toward

An unhappy chemical tells a mammal to avoid

The mammal brain is always scanning its world, and

responding with brain chemicals

We mammals survive because our brain chemicals steer us toward rewards and away from harm

The brainstructures that manage these chemicals are the samein all mammals

Humans have a big stock of extra neurons to feed this operating system with more information

When you know what turns on our brain chemicals in animals,

the world makes sense

dopamine endorphin oxytocinserotonin

Dopamineis the great feeling

that a reward is at hand

Dopaminereleases energy for the chase

Dopaminedroops

once you get the

reward, until

you set your sights on another

reward

Loretta Graziano Breuning PhD, Inner Mammal Institute

Oxytocinis often called

the “love chemical”

Loretta Graziano Breuning PhD, Inner Mammal Institute

Oxytocin is stimulated bytouch,trust,birth,and sex

Oxytocin droops when you’reseparated from the herd

This causes the feeling that your survival is threatened

Serotoninis the pleasure of social dominance

Serotoninis not

aggression but a calm sense that

“ I will get the

banana ”

Serotoninis soon reabsorbed, so we are always looking for ways to stimulate more

Endorphin masks pain so you can do whatit takes to survive

Endorphin is “endogenous morphine”

it’s meant for emergencies,not partying

Endorphin is triggered by vigorous exertion

Natural selection built a brain that motivates survival

behaviors byrewarding them

with a goodfeeling

How does a mammal know which rewards to approach and which threats to avoid?

Our brain chemicals are controlled by neural pathways

built from life experience

Brain chemicals are like paving on our neural pathways. This is why

it’s easy to repeatbehaviors

that triggeredhappy

chemicalsbefore

and to avoid behaviors that triggered pain before

The electricity in our brainflows like water in a storm,

finding the paths of least resistance

Electricity flows to your happy chemicals when something

resembles a past reward

Electricity flows to your cortisol when something

resembles past pain

Each mammal wires itself from its unique life experience

Reptiles are hardwired with the knowledge of their ancestors, but mammals add knowledge during an early period of dependency

A reptile leaves home as soon as it’s born becauseit already knows it all

A mother reptile can make hundreds of babies, and her genes will survive

even though most of them die

A mama mammal can only producea few babies in her lifetime.Her genes will not survive unless she guards each one constantly.

Attachment enables mammals to survive

Oxytocin circuits tell a mammal who to trust and who not to trust

By puberty, attachment transfers from mother to group,

thanks to oxytocin circuits

The biggera mammal’s brain, the longer its childhood

Big brains actually make it harder to survive because neurons use

so much energy

It takes time to wire neurons in ways that promotes survival

Mirror neurons also help a young mammal learn from the experience of its elders

Each mammal meets its needs withcircuits built from individual experience and

circuits inherited from its ancestors

The bigger a mammal’s brain,the more it builds circuits

from life experience

The smaller a mammal’s brain, the more it relies on circuits established long ago

New pathways build more easily in puberty. This supports transfer, which helps prevent inbreeding.

After puberty, myelin drops and a mammal relies on the core

neural network it has established

This network makes it easy to seek the rewards we know

And avoid the harm that we know

Humans havea very long dependency which gives us time to build more circuits from experience instead of relying on pre-wired impulses

It’s not easy being mammal !

Living with a group brings competition

The mammal brain evolvedto weigh alternatives

It asserts when that’s safe andit inhibits impulses when that’s

the better survival strategy

It must compare itself to others to do that

The impulse to compare is more urgent than the impulse to eat or mate

Serotonin makes it feel good when you

compare favorably

The mammal brain constantly weighs

opportunities and threats

Most of the time,a mammal sticks with the group despite the conflict

to enjoy protection from common enemies

Oxytocin makes itfeel good

But the mammal brain is very careful about who it trusts

Greener pastures feel good but the increased

predator threat feels bad

When a mammal goes for it, dopamine makes it feel good

The mammal brain scans for social rewards as well as material rewards

It scans for social threats as well as material threats

Primates have enough neurons to build individualized trust bonds

and update those circuits in response to new rewards and threats

A social threat feels like a survival threat tothe mammal brain

Disappointment feels like a survival threat to the mammal brain

But it finds another way to stimulate dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin

Loretta Graziano Breuning PhD, Inner Mammal Institute © 2015

It’s not easybeing mammal !

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Dopamine

Dopamine makes you jump for joy when you reach a goal or get a toy. In nature, it helps find food when you need it. “Eureka, I got it!” A memory gets created. Dopamine causes expectations. Correct predictions bring good sensations. Dopamine feels great so you try to get more. It rewarded our ancestors trudging through gore. Cocaine triggers dopamine. Caution to all: Joy without goal-seeking leads to a fall. Dopamine flows when you feel like “I’ve done it.” When others do it for you, your dopamine will shun it.

Endorphin

Endorphin helps you mask the pain Of injuries that you sustain. Your ancestors escaped from predator attack ‘Cause endorphin felt good while they ran back. Endorphin feels great when it eases your pains. But only real pain makes it flow in your veins. Exercise triggers it, experts alert you. But first you must do it ‘til body parts hurt you. Endorphin receptors let opium in. So you feel like you’re safe without lifting a shin. Laughing and crying can trigger it too. But just for a moment– then the job’s through.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin makes you trust your mates. We love the bonds that it creates. Oxytocin flows when you stick with the herd. “Not me!” you may say, “I’m no bovine or bird.” But without social bonds, your brain feels alarm. This protected our ancestors from all kinds of harm. Though the herd will annoy you, the pack hurt you so. When you run with a pack, oxytocin will flow. “My pack is great and the other is nuts.” This thinking prevailed since the first mammal struts. You’re above all this foolishness, obviously. But it feels good when I trust you and you trust me.

Serotonin swells your chest with pride When you get respect and needn’t hide. Your brain feels good when you boost yourself higher. But when others do this, it provokes your ire. “I don’t care about status. It’s other who do.” But you spurt serotonin when the limelight’s on you. You are quite modest and don’t like to boast. But no serotonin flows when you coast. Status doesn’t depend on money. You can be clever or helpful or funny. But when others one-up you, your mind agitates. ‘Cause serotonin droops ‘til you lift your own weights.

Serotonin