What is up with the "Dopamine Project"?

Someone is trying to make me eat my words.

yum. (source)

That someone is the Dopamine Project. I am on record as saying "It is better for the public to learn simplified bite-size science morsels than to learn nothing at all." And my specific example was that it's better for people to know that 'dopamine is a reward molecule' than to not even know the term dopamine.

But sometimes things just go too far. The "Dopamine Project" is a website run by Charles Lyell with a stated 'self-help' purpose:

"The Dopamine Project was founded to foster positive change by encouraging open-minded individuals to share readily available research into the connections between dopamine and a growing list of addictive behaviors." -About Tab

Doesn't sound too terrible, right? Share research about dopamine? sign me up! .... However, I don't see ANY research, or even references to research, on this website. In fact it's quite wootastic. Going through the posts, you get some gems like

"A Message from you Dopamine Angel"

and

"Keeping a Dopamine Diary: Wrestling with Dopamine-Induced Ignorance"

It's all about how 'good dopamine' makes you want things you should want (food) and 'bad dopamine' makes you want things that will hurt you later (addictive drugs for example). Basically the website's message is a self-help, self-control one with the word dopamine sprinkled all over it.

The worst part is that not only does the website not include a single citation to a research paper, it actively rails against science.

"The future depends on how long it takes scientists to discover what they haven’t been interested in discovering so far. Rather than wait for the mainstream scientists and media to get started, we’re reaching out to anyone interested in fostering positive change by raising dopamine awareness." -Welcome to the Dopamine Project

Trust me, scientists want to understand dopamine. At the IBAGS conference half the talks related to dopamine, and there is a conference completely devoted to dopamine coming up in May. The specific action of dopamine is really really complex, and scientists are working really really hard to unravel its intricacies. This Charles Lyell guy is pulling out a typical woo card, implying that he knows what scientists don't want you to know.

"If the thought of fostering positive change through dopamine awareness triggers a shot of dopamine that brings a smile to your face, this might be your chance to be among the top .001% who go on record as the first to understand and apply what we know about dopamine to make a difference."  -Welcome to the Dopamine Project

 He also seems to feel personally attacked by Steven Poole's New Statesman article on Neurobollocks.

Is the 'Dopamine Project' ridiculous and unscientific? Absolutely.

Is it harmful and dangerous to people? ... Honestly, I'm not sure. Reading it certainly makes me want to throw up, but there are worse things for pseudoscience to encourage than self-control. I'm not sure if I should devour my earlier words quite yet.

© TheCellularScale

To read more on the confusing line between science and pseudoscience, see Michael Shermer's Scientific American article:



Shermer M (2011). What is pseudoscience? Scientific American, 305 (3) PMID: 21870452

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

All About Holistic Psychotherapy

The statement holistic has been used to explain various health care practices such as acupuncture, massage therapy, Reiki, naturopathy, and homeopathy. These health care treatments attempt to carry harmony to the physical, energetic, and/or nutritional state of a person.

Holistic Psychotherapy also looks forward to keep stability between these techniques. However, as with all psychotherapy, the focal point is the treatment of psychological and emotional discomfort that exhibits in depressive disorders, stress and relevant conditions. It is the way in which holistic psychotherapy treats these conditions that represents its leaving from traditional psychotherapy and signifies its unique efficiency.

Traditional psychotherapy concentrates on difficult ideas and behaviors, translates the underlining meaning of these ideas and behavior, and then provides solutions that are used by clients and modified as circumstances guarantee.

As opposed to conventional psychiatric therapy, Holistic Psychotherapy properly encourages growth and treatment by observing the synergistic relationship between all the ways we experience ourselves and the world-thinking, sensation, doing, and realizing. Holistic experts then route this knowledge through methods that support the healthy connections between the procedures of the thinking mind, the sensation body, and the psychologically infused spirit to bring growth and treatment.

Holistic Psychotherapy connects methods that hearten us to talk, feel, act and sense in ways that make our skills convenient, secure, and empowering. Holistic Psychotherapy assists us to bring intelligence out of nervousness and depressed states, direct overpowering feelings, carry solutions of our troubles, and guides us how to successfully plan for our future.

Holistic Psychotherapy distinguishes, for occurrence, that sadness is a symptom. Depression might feel like the problem but it is really the messenger that tells us we are tormenting unevenness somewhere in self. Depression is the red light that signals which tells us to stop. Just as you would not carry on driving a car with the engine light blinking without risking a breakdown so ignoring sadness risks a physical and touching breakdown.

Holistic Psychotherapy is the corresponding of defensive medicine. A holistic expert will assess what area or areas of self are originating distress--the mind, the body, or the emotions--and how each area is distressing the other. A holistic psychotherapist has state of the art equipments and techniques honed by years of experience and ongoing training to help individuals, couples, and families recognize the basis of depressed and nervous experiences while helping to ease them, and then provide guidance to develop defensive skills to guard against recurrence.

Holistic Psychotherapy is not assorted psychotherapy or a bag of methods learned once in a workshop. It is a mindful, skilful, natural combination of eastern methods of curing with western healing psychotherapies that safely hold you to connect all your ways of experiencing-thinking, feeling, sensing, doing-so that you connect to yourself with understanding, admiration, approval, and joy.

Holistic Psychotherapy distinguishes that you have all the responds and its function is to help you use those answers with competence, accountability act, and felt a feeling of healthy control. Today many expert therapists available in the market and Lynne Arnold is one of them. She is the most popular psychologist of these days.

Fletcher Brysone is the expert therapist in Psychotherapy and has a vast knowledge of this field. People who want to know more about this topic or related topic can stay connected with Fletcher Brysone.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Un narcissique ne peut excuser ou prendre la responsabilité

A person suffering from narcissistic personality disorder has a trigger line of the hair to any criticism, real or imaginary, and can not be 'bad '. This creates a situation highly offensive for a person in a narcissistic relationship, because the narcissistic personality disorder occur heinous violent crimes and will not is no responsible for his actions.

According to the narcissistic, he or she is above reproach and he is still lack of someone else. The narcissist will use all kinds of weapons malicious to avoid take responsibility and apologize, including categorically and in righteousness denying everything hurt, using lies as weapons to distract, citing that he or she did apologize when no credible excuse was next, bred by focusing on past independent operating incidents any light it or it can mobilize against the other person, either by creating abandonment or threats do abuse the other person down or take out the fault.

When trying to get a narcissist to account for the painful, abusive and pathological acts, hanging in the abuse is certain and accountability impossible narcissistic personality. If trying to make a narcissist take responsibility and say 'Sorry', more you try liked the narcissist will hit back. Non-narcissique individuals who have a conscience are no match for the narcissistic conscienceless. Be aware that if he or she is facing, the narcissist is more likely to devalue and discard you, leave the relationship and abandon 'loving you' rather than accountable and risk injuring his false self.

Be aware that if and when the narcissist takes responsibility and apologize, it will be for two reasons. The first is that disappears a serious that occurred quite narcissistic wound that narcissistic personality is going to hit the bottom and the false self (who needs energy to take in) and emerges from the 'real' person.

Don't be fooled into thinking it's time will remain, because as soon as the narcissistic returns enough relief (energy) in order to restore the fake me, until he returns. It is when a person with narcissistic personality disorder will discredit the therapist and his or her spouse or partner is going to be broken, realizing the sincerity was short-lived and the wicked person without justification is back.

The second reason a narcissistic personality ' will be responsible for ' when no other option is left to get or conserve the narcissistic supply. This happens usually when the person who has been the source of narcissistic supply WINS enough force to leave and stay away and do can not be hung in thenarcissisticrelationship in any other way. Once the individual is addicted again, thenarcissistic personality will return, but more often in a form even more punishing to 'repay' obvious to have enough force to leave in the first place.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Help Understand Bipolar Disorder Symptoms

Male depression - what exactly does it mean, and how to males experience it differently from women? It comes as a surprise to many people to learn that men and women actually experience it very differently, often feeling very different symptoms and displaying different behaviours. It can be particularly difficult for men as the symptoms of male depression are often quite far from the common conceptions people have developed about how clinical depression looks. The words used can be very confusing, because although the word depression suggests a consistently low and 'sad' mood, it can often manifest in males in the form of agitation and anger.

Depression in men can be particularly hard to diagnose for these reasons, and very often men don't even recognise that they may be suffering from it. This is why it's so important to ensure a wider understanding of how the disorder manifests in men, how it can be controlled and how to find a way through it.

However, although the disorder can show different symptoms in men it's important to keep in mind that what most people think of as 'typical' symptoms are generally still present and dominant in most cases - for example, a loss of enthusiasm for formerly enjoyable activities, loss of interest in sex and consistently 'down' moods, along with recurring thoughts of death and suicide.

So how can you help someone you know who may be suffering from depression - or what can you do if you're a man and you think you might have depression? It's important that if a friend of family member may be suffering, you approach the situation cautiously, as some men may go into denial over having a problem. This denial can sometimes take on an angry form and cause the person to withdraw from you. It's important to broach the subject carefully and be prepared to explain how their behaviour lines up with common symptoms if necessary.

If you believe you might be suffering from depression you should talk to your doctor about potential treatment paths for you, which typically involve some therapy work and often medication (although that's not always the case). In the meantime, it's a good idea to try to avoid stressful situations if possible - while there are often many underlying factors that cause it, being put under pressure can trigger an episode.

Click here to learn more about bipolar disorder symptoms.

Richard Atchison, raised in New Zealand, graduated in 2002 from Auckland High School. A Presidential Scholar, he entered Auckland State University that autumn as an English major, with an emphasis in Literary Studies. Presently, an article contributor for various sites. bipolar disorder symptoms

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Flourish homes-Recover and rediscover yourself

Drugs is the biggest enemy of mankind, when he destroyed the lives of millions of people and their families. Once you get into the clutches of this habit, it is not possible to release you to her. Many young people these days is addicted to drugs in particular, many young girls and women receive this terrible habit of taking drugs. In the past few years, there is a huge increase in number of drug cases, the main reason for this increase is the peer pressure from friends. The other reason due to which these young people become addicted to drugs is loneliness. Especially if the addict is a girl or a woman, then it is really a matter of loneliness these young girls and women do not know that no only they play with their lives, but they also hurt the emotions of their loved ones.

Drug addicts can not blame totally for it that in one such situation, it is difficult for a person to distinguish between right and wrong. In such situation, the most important thing for an addict is the support of friends and family, because they can help them quit the habit. In such a situation, instead of sending them to a typical rehabilitation centre you should look for a place or rehabilitation centre which is specially designed for women and where they even do not feel that they are here for treatment. It should be like a home where they can do what they want and must have total freedom. It should provide the following equipment:-.

Drug and alcohol CounselingCase management ServicesJob research/ResumeCourt binding servicesRelapse prevention CourseSelf workshop considers itself healthy course relations

Above equipment can help drug addicts to regain their self esteem losses and realize how their life is important for their family and friends. It should also have facilities for yoga and meditation courses like this will not only to help soothe their body and soul, but also help them to stay fit and get rid of their dependence on drug much quickly. It should also have telephone and internet access so that they talk to their friends and family, whenever they have wanted. Will this not only help them to remain in contact with them, but also to motivate and to remind them to get rid of their addiction as soon as possible so that they can go home. Finally, it should have a healthy living environment, with all the basic amenities that make them feel comfortable and help them to rediscover themselves.

If blossom creates a positive, loving, healthy, fully furnished living environment 7 women, which provides safety and security while they begin their journey in recovery. Intentions flourish Homes is a funded program funding available to women through the zone of Santa Clara County. Houses flourish is becoming a not-for-profit organization. Note this Article

Flourish homes-Recover and rediscover YourselfNot rated yet

Anoop Kumar Srivastava has published 44 articles. Article submitted on 24 February 2013. Word Count: 429

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

The 3 Stages of Atlas Spinal Care

Several individuals have been testifying how chiropractors can aid them to feel much better after experiencing severe back pain or migraine. Of course, people who gain lots of benefit from this method can only testify how it can greatly help them in dealing with pain. With this proven experience, they will surely recommend you to also seek for a chiropractor to make you feel better as well.

The truth that the aim of chiropractic care is to eliminate any nerve meddling found, and allow your body to set off the inner healing power that already been there in your nervous system. Correcting spinal column also helps natural treatment, strengthens the function of your body and its vitality. For this basis, you will persist to hear of many various difficulties that individuals said that chiropractors have aided them.

Since the spinal column is important, it is much better if you know the three stages of Atlas spinal care that you can opt from. Here are the three stages of spinal care that you can pick depending on what you need.

First is the relief care. If a pain or visible indication has encouraged you to start this alternative method, the preliminary thing that you desire is to ease the pain and feel better. Of course, clinic visits will be often and the purpose of your corrections is to lessen the increase of injury, which will provide assistance. Moreover, depending on your lifestyle, age and health condition, your visit over weeks or even months may be required to lessen or get rid of your indications and aid remove subluxations that are there without indications.

Second, you can also find corrective care. Muscles and sometimes damage in the organ stay after original indications develop. Reconstructive care evens out the spinal column and aids correct treatment through your nervous system. Normally, individuals stat to have a better function in areas with difficulties in which they thought were not related to Atlas spinal care and chiropractic care. Normal alterations lessen blood pressure, have a better sleep and boost energy.

Last is the wellness care. When utmost development is reached, cyclic checkups in your chiropractor are needed. These visits can distinguish and aid correct new health issues before they become severe or painful. Health conscious individuals select this type of Atlas spinal care not only for their health, but also for their children as well. Like many other well-known procedures, this method can greatly help you to eliminate pain and other issues relating to your spine.

Philip Davis is an educator on all things healthy. Good health starts with a fully functioning spine and nervous system. Have you visited Atlas Spinal Care ?

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Is it 'Important' or is it 'valuable'?

We've recently discussed dopamine as a reward prediction signal. But that is really just the start of the complicated dopamine story.

Dopamine's role in reward and punishment (by the hiking artist)

Some research groups have also found that dopamine neurons respond to aversive stimuli, like an air puff to the face or an electric shock. This finding seems to be be completely incompatible with the idea that dopamine is a signal for reward.

Luckily some scientists took the time to try to resolve this discrepancy. Bromberg-Martin, Matsumoto, and Hikosaka (2010) have written an excellent review paper explaining that some dopamine neurons do code for value (reward), but other dopamine neurons code for salience (importance).

Differential Dopamine Coding (Bromberg-Martin et al., 2010 Fig 4)

When researchers are recording from a value coding dopamine neuron, it looks like the neuron responds to reward and actually reduces its response to the air puff. This makes sense as a 'dopamine = good' signal.

However, when a researcher is recording from a salience coding dopamine neuron, it looks like the neuron is responding equally to the good thing (reward) and the bad thing (air puff). This is confusing if you think 'dopamine = good', but makes sense if you think 'dopamine = important'. When the cue comes on (a light or a tone that signifies a reward is coming next or an air puff is coming next), these dopamine neurons fire if that cue means something.


Instead of just being confused about why sometimes dopamine would code for value and sometimes it would code for salience, Hikosaka's group showed that these two types of neurons are actually separate populations, and even seem separated in space.

(Bromberg-Martin et al., 2010 Fig 7B)

The value dopamine neurons are more ventral in the (monkey) brain, while the salience dopamine neurons are more dorsal-lateral. Importantly these two populations of neurons go to slightly different parts of the striatum and receive signals from different parts of the brain. The review paper suggests that the salience coding neurons receive their input from the central nucleus of the amygdala, while the value coding neurons receive their input from the lateral habenula-RMTg pathway.

The important thing here is that dopamine does not do just one thing to the brain. It doesn't just tell the rest of the brain 'yay, you won!' or 'you want that' etc... It says different things depending on different specific conditions. 

Dopamine doesn't 'mean' anything, the cell it comes from and the cell it goes to are what determine what it does. It certainly can't be classified as the 'love molecule'

 © TheCellularScale



Bromberg-Martin ES, Matsumoto M, & Hikosaka O (2010). Dopamine in motivational control: rewarding, aversive, and alerting. Neuron, 68 (5), 815-34 PMID: 21144997

reade more... Résuméabuiyad