loveSick?

I took great interest in this article because it refers to the same 'lizard' area of the brain that is affected, or at least plays a observable part, in PTSD and ADD. Some of the functions attributed to it in the second quoted article below could explain some of the associated negative behaviors and demonstrate why it's not a matter of individual character or learned behaviors that can be effectively retrained or counseled. It could account for why intelligent people can be aware of their negative behaviors but unable to correct or control them. -Robt.

Ref: Watching New Love as It Sears the Brain - New York Times:

In an analysis of the images appearing today in The Journal of Neurophysiology, researchers in New York and New Jersey argue that romantic love is a biological urge distinct from sexual arousal.

It is closer in its neural profile to drives like hunger, thirst or drug craving, the researchers assert, than to emotional states like excitement or affection. As a relationship deepens, the brain scans suggest, the neural activity associated with romantic love alters slightly, and in some cases primes areas deep in the primitive brain that are involved in long-term attachment.

The research helps explain why love produces such disparate emotions, from euphoria to anger to anxiety, and why it seems to become even more intense when it is withdrawn. In a separate, continuing experiment, the researchers are analyzing brain images from people who have been rejected by their lovers.

xRef: googleSearch: caudate+nucleus ventral+tegmental+area

xRef: List of Regions in the human brain

xRef: Glossary of terms

Ref: healthsciences.columbia.edu:neuroanat_martin11.pdf

Parallel circuits course through the basal ganglia (fig. 11-3 and 11-4 are muy importante)
• Basal ganglia receive inputs from all lobes of cerebral cortex, but only project to frontal lobe (via
thalamus)
• There are anatomical “loops” which go from different parts of basal ganglia, to different thalamic
nuclei, and then to different parts of frontal lobe
o Each loop originates from multiple cortical regions that have similar general functions
o Each loop passes through different basal ganglia and thalamic nuclei (and within each
loop there may be anatomically distinct paths)
o The cortical targets of all loops are separate portions of the frontal lobe
• Skeletomotor loop: involved in control of skeletal musculature
• Oculomotor loop: involved in control of extraocular muscles
• Association loop: appears to be involved in cognition
• Limbic loop: appears to be involved in motivational regulation of behavior and emotions
• How loops work together when you want to pick up a cup of coffee:
o “Mmmm….that coffee smells good, I think I’ll drink some.” Limbic loop (motivation
and limbic system is close to olfactory structures)
o “Where should I reach in order to pick up the cup?” association loop
o “I need to focus on the cup and move my muscles appropriately so I can reach and grasp
it.” Skeletomotor and oculomotor
Knowledge of the connections and neurontransmitters of the basal ganglia provides insight into their
function in health and disease
Basal ganglia contain diverse neurotransmitters and neuromodulators

Comments: While I may be way off base because of limited knowledge and understanding I would like to say that it appears to me that treatments used currently, like SSRI drugs, are treating the malfunctions of these brain systems as if their processes were one way and open ended. From the best I can figure it out, they are loop-back systems that not only send out chemical 'signals' that cause the release of 'effectors' which generates 'indicators' that regulate the 'signals' to monitor their end results. It seems like tampering with the production or uptake of the chemicals anywhere in the loop will cause over or under production with unknown and possibly undesirable results. Here I'm referring to the increased risk of suicide or violent behavior anecdotially reported (and now studied) in patients being treated. - the Janitor

Which box can we put him in?

After a Shower of Anthrax, an Illness and a Mystery - New York Times:

Mr. Paliscak (pronounced PAL-uh-sack) remains a medical puzzle. Blood tests never detected the bacteria that cause anthrax or the antibodies the immune system should produce in response. As a result, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention never classified his disease with the 11 confirmed cases of inhalational anthrax, 5 of them fatal.

Mr. Paliscak's nondiagnosis ultimately has had little practical effect, because the Department of Labor agreed in 2002 that his illness was work-related, permitting workers' compensation to cover his medical bills and provide support of about $1,000 a week. But the C.D.C. decision rankles Mr. Paliscak, his family and his doctors.

'It sort of feels like - 'You don't believe me,' ' says Mr. Paliscak, rocking in agitation in his wheelchair, his old Postal Inspection Service bag sitting on the floor nearby. 'I've dedicated my life to law enforcement and the military. And an agency of the government I was sworn to protect won't accept this. That bothers me.'

After consulting with dozens of specialists across the country, his doctors at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore remain convinced that his anthrax exposure produced his disease, in part because exhaustive testing found no other cause. They believe his experience may hold scientific lessons about anthrax, which experts consider the likeliest weapon in future bioterrorist attacks.

Maybe a 'Syndrome' box?