Guy's Behavior

What Happens In the Heat of the Moment?

Adrenaline and Endorphins - In the heat of the moment

With help from many articles about health related issues, I'd like to share what I found - from Adrenaline to Endorphins.

We're starting with Endocrine system - A system of chemical communications amongst cells. The classical vertebrate endocrine system consists of a group of discrete glands that secrete unique products (hormones) into the bloodstream. These products travel in the blood to distant sites or targets where they cause specific physiological responses.

Adrenaline works in mysterious ways. From the flight-to-fight response in a stress situation (like a break-up or heated argument) - to - building up tension to an exciting release (the adrenaline "rush").

Adrenaline is a hormone associated with, or called Epinephrine. Epinephrine, works with Norepinephrine and Dopamine, and are known as Catecholamines. All three are released at some nerve terminals to act as neurotransmitters. Adrenaline is also produced in gland(s) above the kidney's (the adrenal gland) and released into the bloodstream.

Its main actions are to increase blood pressure and to mobilize tissue reserves of glucose (leading to an increase in the blood glucose concentration) and fat, in preparation for flight or fighting. Also, Slowing down blood-flow and oxygen to areas such as the gastrointestinal tract, and giving more blood-flow to the skeletal muscles by dialating and constricting the arteries in the appropriate areas. It also improves the force of muscular contractions and delays the onset of fatigue. Its actions oppose those of insulin. Adrenaline accelerates fat mobilization and encourages the conversion of glycogen to glucose.

Triggers are certain stimuli that cause the body to release the hormones at different times. Conditions that trigger the body to release the hormones vary in ways from exciting or threatening, and also from the surrounding atmosphere such as bright lights, and loud noises.

Now Norepinephrine - As a stress hormone, norepinephrine affects parts of the brain where attention and responding actions are controlled.

Although epinephrine does not have any psychoactive effects; stress or arousal also releases Norepinephrine in the brain. Norepinephrine has similar actions in the body, but is also psychoactive.



- Norepinephrine System:

The noradrenergic neurons in the brain form a neurotransmitter system, that, when activated, exerts effects on large areas of the brain. The effects are alertness and arousal, and influences on the Reward system.

- Now, the Reward System:
In neuroscience, the reward system is a collection of brain structures which attempts to regulate and control behavior by inducing pleasurable effects.

The major neurochemical pathway of the reward system in the brain involves the mesolimbic and mesocortical pathway. Of these pathways, the mesolimbic pathway probably plays the major role, and goes from the ventral tegmental area via the medial forebrain bundle to nucleus accumbens, where mainly Dopamine is released.

- Dopamine has many functions in the brain, including important roles in behavior and cognition, motor activity, motivation and reward, punishment, sleep, mood, attention, and learning. The phasic responses of dopamine neurons are observed when an unexpected reward is presented. These responses transfer to the onset of a conditioned stimulus after repeated pairings with the reward. Further, dopamine neurons are depressed when the expected reward is omitted. Thus, dopamine neurons seem to encode the prediction error of rewarding outcomes. Leading to the body's natural response to predicting rhythms and ratios and possible outsomes of various types of conditions.

Dopamine's role in experiencing pleasure has been questioned by several researchers. It has been argued that dopamine is more associated with anticipatory desire and motivation (commonly referred to as "wanting") as opposed to actual consummatory pleasure (commonly referred to as "liking"). Dopamine is not released when unpleasant or aversive stimuli are encountered, in effect enhancing the pleasure of avoidance or removal of the unpleasant stimuli.

And now onto Endorphins - Endorphins are endogenous opioid polypeptide compounds. They are produced by the pituitary gland(an endocrine gland) and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during strenuous exercise, excitement, and orgasm, and they resemble the Opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a sense of well-being.

The term "endorphin rush" has been adopted in popular speech to refer to feelings of exhilaration brought on by pain, danger, or other forms of stress, supposedly due to the influence of endorphins. Like feeling the experience of what is called "runner's high."

Now, Timeout here. This is where I seriously had to take a timeout. I became stuck on the idea of "Wanting" and "Liking," with an anticipated desire vs. actual consumatory pleasure. It seemed similar to the idea of Lust vs. Love. Similar. Now combined with the effects of the mystery, suspense, thrill, excitement and all the ups-and-downs of the pursuit of "casual relations" in dating, could feel like the effects of a different "rollercoaster ride," each time, with different people. With the combination of how different people trigger the effects of all of these kinds of hormones in the body. Now, add in the effects of what testosterone and estrogen can do, and who knows, right. The ratios of which these hormones buildup and climax to a release in the bloodstream have the potential to be different every time.

So when you meet someone who really gets your "blood flowing," or really makes you "blood boil" - what's triggering you to feel that way? What brought you to - "The heat of the moment?"
What Happens In the Heat of the Moment?
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