Megan Lee
U3 Biology
Ms. Bruce
5-10-2015
The Nervous System—the effect of drugs on the brain
1)
The Reward Pathway
(a)
In the center of the brain sits the reward pathway, which is responsible for driving
our feeling of motivation, reward and behavior.
(b)
The central job of the reward pathway is to make us feel good when we engage in
behaviors that are necessary for our survival.
(c)
The reward pathway connects to several other important areas of the brain.
These
connections allow the reward pathway to gather information about what is
happening outside of the body, and to strengthen brain circuits that control desirable
behavior.
(d)
The release of dopamine gives you a little jolt of pleasure when the five senses let
the brain know that the body is eating, smelling, touching etc.
(e)
When the reward pathway signals brain regions involved in memory, it enables the
brain to create the memory that the thing y9u are doing makes you feel good.
This
increases the likelihood that you do the things again.
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- Spring '11
- reiz
- Biology
