The Paths to Pleasure

The Natural High Two key brain chemicals regulate how happy the body feels. Dopamine, which is released in the nucleus accumbens and the frontal cortex, bathes neurons involved in memory and emotion, rewarding activities like eating and sex with pleasurable feelings. Endorphins, which are chemically similar to morphine, promote pleasure by dampening pain and producing a high

DOPAMINE Once released, it floods the synaptic gap between nerve endings and binds to receptors on adjacent cells. With more dopamine, more neurons involved in memory and emotion are activated, reinforcing feelings of joy

OPIOIDS/ENDORPHINS Physical stress, such as a long run, stimulates pain signals. In response, neurons release opioids, such as endorphins, preventing the signals from reaching nearby cells and producing pleasure elsewhere in the brain

The Artificial Buzz Drugs can alter the brain???s normal reward circuit, making it harder to feel pleasure without help

NARCOTICS mimic opioids by binding to the same receptors, numbing pain and producing a feeling of euphoria

COCAINE triggers the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens to produce a very powerful high

ALCOHOL AND NICOTINE affect both endorphin and dopamine circuits in more roundabout ways

ADDICTION Because drugs co-opt the body???s natural high by triggering dopamine, repeated exposure can fool the brain into craving those drugs more than food and sex

Source: Dr. Eric Nestler, UT Southwestern

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