Thursday 6 October 2011

Decency - and notes about decency on a biological level

I was just wondering if there are actually decent and honest guys.
I see perhaps there are with others but I haven't met one and that's probably a lot to do with me rather than them
Bliss
xx

The formation of an attachment and a bond. Monogamy - 97% of species are not manogamous but there are examples other than humans do form monogamous relationships.
Perhaps the evolutionary reason for this is that it takes two to raise the offspring. So unlike previous theories that say the male of the species simply has to spread the gene pool widely to ensure the survival of that genetic line. However, perhaps the way that humans have evolved beyond that.
Nothing human is unique? Perhaps but there are traces of behaviours that are evident in other species.
Like the strong bond of the mother and the child.
The relationship between the father and the child - he's often present in most cultures.
The relationship with the mother and father. This is not usual in many others species. The male mates and then moves on.
What is the biochemistry underlying behaviour and the biogenetics - using an a
Furryballs? Socially monogamous. They form partnerships and usually stick together for life. However if he is out in the prairie and comes across another female he may mate with that female. But he returns to the female he has formed the attachment with. Apparently the female may do the same.

It's not sexual exclusivity or genetic monogamy - its a formation of an attachemtn and a bond.

Evolution only in 3 % of species. It arises independently multiple times.
Why be monogamous? It seems more adaptive for a male to mate with as many females as possible.
But - it takes two to raise a family - resouces may be hard to come b or to protect from predators in the environment.
If he werent around he might have humdreds of babies but none of them survive. But mongamy means there ciuld be an increased chance of survival.
It may be difficult to come by a great partner. The deep sea angler fish is a good example of a fish that finds it difficult to find a female. So when he does he forms a long lasting relationships. They become one - literally. Apart from his hypothalamus and his "gonads".
Monogamy - the ability to form attachmanets may have formed from the mother baby bond - it gave rise to this social attachment.
Oxytocin - critical for reproduction and secretes at the breat to stimulate mik ejection.
Birth and nutrient responsibility. Hypothalamus is involved. Positive ffeedback as when the baby sucles oxytocin ensures more milk secreted.

Rats - virgin females don't like babies. When the female goes through pregnancy a woman goes through a change and the baby suddenly is attractive - oxytocin is involved in this.

Sheep give birth in a breeding season. When the lamb is born it can walk around. The ewew likes babies and in particular my baby - oxytocin is involved - vaginal stimulation stimulates the production of oxytocin.

The bond between two adults. -
Experiment to see if rodents bond - time spent together in cohabitation then separated and given a choice to go back together.

Is oxytocin involved in the bonding between two adults?
Experiments do suggest that oxytocin present in the brain encourages bonding.

Furryballs (Prairie Vole) crave social contact contrasted with voles who are very solitary - promiscuous and  do not form bonds
So what is different between these rodents?
The oxytocin levels are the same but what is different is the receptors of the neurons.
A big difference ....
They have high density of oxytocin receptors in nucleus accumbens which is involved in addiction.
If we inject a blocker into the receptors in this area then there is no bond formed in the animals.

I alone therre is no oxytocin released but if mating there is a dump of oxytocin

and another molecule vasopressin - sexually dimorphic - males have much more than fenales
responsible for male typical behaviour - territorial behaviour ie dogs peeing everywhere
Its also responsible for male bonding with female partner.
Interesting implications for differences between bonding in the male and the female
Female to male - nurturing
male to fenmale - territorial

Vasopressin system - located in same areas but the location of areas that respond to vasopressin
in the ventral pallidum - which is connected to the n.a - also involved in reward in addcition
if blocked then there is no bonding.

How do you go from a molecule to a bond?
Subtle effect but important - responsibility to process social cues of others.
similar eyes nose mouth - eyes fine tuned to pick out unique features - recognition.
Some creature use smell for recognition.

Oxytocin lacking = social amnesia
Experiment observing sniffing which reduces each time they encounter.
If no oxytocin then they cannot remember each other. So oxytocin makes social signals more salient
Dopamine - involved in reward - reinforcement
Opiioids - maing pleasure - hedonia

Male mating - activiate VTA where dopamine is made - released to n.a and ventral pallidum - pleasure area and that's what makes sex rewarding
Prairie vole (furryball) - receptors involved in social discrimination are concentrated in the reward area where the dopamine is being released at the same time - there is an integration of the social cues of the parntern and the reward of the socil inteaction
a perception of the social cues and recogntion of the prairie vole
They have the receptops there allowing them to link the social coding. Different brain physiology

Genetic changes in an experiement have further supported this.

Diversity of behaviour - different behaviours in different species

Oxytocing - diverisyt in receptor patterns in different species giving rise to different social interaction in different species
Virgin rats don't like pups. Virgin prairie voles seriously maternal
Humans - individual variation - individual variation in brain physiology - different behaviours
Can this be ttracked to DNA?
Differences in behaviour related to difference in the expression of the gene

Gene - coding region that makes the protein that does the job - a set of instructions determines how much of the gene is going to be made.
Parts make the protein - almost identical except for very slight changes
ie. Prairie vole had a coding for the gene tat is much longer than the meadow vole
And then within the same species slight variations - individuality

Create differnt lines of voles for one little variation of DNA
receptor expression in the brain determined by specific DNA coding and therefore predict the social behaviour. So genes play an important part in species difference and individual varioations
But experience and events play an important part as well - parental behaviour shapes offspiring behaviour as well.

Human experience and oxytocin observation
abuse in childhood - and oxytocin lower levels

Humans - same genes as animals - similar will apply
Hippocampus and amygdala - oxytocin receptors predict how the human will act

Human literature explosions related to oxytocin.
If we sniff it it can pass the blood brain barrier and get into the brain - what does this do?
It enhances trust - more likely to trust another person.
But it doesn't actually pass the blood-brain barrier efficiently.

Oxytocin role in the human brain
increases amount of time perosn looks into the eye region of another person
eyes are where a lot of socisl interaction occurs
Also increases "mind reading" infer the emotions of other peopk,e by just looking at the other poeson face - Theory of mind
it also increase some aspects of empathy
females sow more empathy than males but with increased oxytocin empathy levels increase in males
it increase socially reinforced learning - learn a task based on trials - reinforcement = a smiling face at them -people with oxytocin learned how to do the task faster when given positive reinforcement
it increase the memory of familiar faces
it increase the inmporatnce/focus to the social stimuli

Important clinical implications ....
correct disorders of social problems in the brain - autism disorder for example
deficits in social reprocity and integration - problems in communication - repetitive and restrictive behaviours
not one single autism - a collection of disorders giving rise to similar gentoype
all work through different disorder -so therefore difficult to medicate
maybe though enhancing soocial learnign might help - ie social reward and reinforcemtn - therefore perhaps oxytocin + dopamine and opiods involved in reward and reinforcement and pleasure

All could help - and improve social functioing
BUT lilmitations we don't know hoe much gets into the brain or travels through the brain when sniffed - intranasal

If we knew where the ocytocin receoptors were on the neurons - they could dump oxytocin -
One ,molecule found when given a specific drug - it targets a receptor that is in oxytocin neurons
if get the drug that hits this receptor there is an improvement in bonding more strongly as dumped directly into areas precisely where these receptors are
and longer memory of the bonding too

maybe the drug can enhance social learning that will imporve the efficacy of therapies when attempting to help people with deficiences that are creating dysfunction for a person

















Gone gone gone

It's gone. My assignment is submitted - the end of the course. Fascinating and demanding and tiring and exciting. But all finished. I hope I pass and better than that I hope I get a 2:1.
I so need to be working less to really be able to apply myself the the levelt that I do now believe I am nore than capable of. It is not satisfying doing things in a half measured way because of time restraints. However, it is satisfying in many other ways.
I am free now - assignment gone. I am free to enjoy the next few days off without the pressure of studying and writing and interpreting.
Yipppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

And thanks to everyone sinlge one of my friends and associates who support me.

Bliss
XX

The gift of the present

ADVENTURERS WARNING:
Sometimes, being your true radiant self, living in the moment, glad for all you already have and who you already are, Bliss, isn't always easy.
Nope, such conditions create the precise moment in one's life when the floodgates of physical abundance swing open the farthest, giving rise to that persistent, nagging "issue of the ages": where to put it all.
Really -  
    The Universe

I cannot write right at this moment on this posit. However, I will savout the moment as recently I have been able to apply this easily. An it therefore has influenced my decisions. I do have fears about financial security and with that comes an immediate anxiety of what I can't have and won't be able to afford. An instant move away from the above sentiment.
Must get on - will be back

Bliss
XX