Love potion

Capt'n Midnight

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/28/romantic_love_fades_study/

Scientists at the University of Pavia reckon that a brain chemical linked to feelings of euphoria - rather than amoré - in responsible for setting new lovers' hearts a flutter. Scientists looked at levels of proteins known as neurotrophins in the blood of men and women aged 18 to 31.

The sample included people in both long and short relationships as well as singletons. The researchers found that those starting a relationship experienced increased levels of nerve growth factor (NGF) proteins, which causes sweaty palms and the butterflies, the BBC reports. Boffins found levels of these psychotropic proteins - which they linked to feelings of euphoria and dependence between partners - receded over time as relationships become more established.

Would it be possible to create this artifically or should we just continue to use chocolate ?

John

There's a lot of research going into neurotrophins as there is a strong linkage with them and many mental illnesses like schizophrenia, depression (the current thinking is that serotonin works through neurotrophins to alleviate depression), anxiety and also as a pre-treatment against neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. Actually I'm in the middle of preparing a fourth year research project on NGF and another neurotrophin called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and their effect on positive cognitive effects following exercise.

I can't see a love potion like that ever being legal though, it's a bit like advanced date rape in my opinion.

DrIndy

John2 wrote:

There's a lot of research going into neurotrophins as there is a strong linkage with them and many mental illnesses like schizophrenia, depression (the current thinking is that serotonin works through neurotrophins to alleviate depression), anxiety and also as a pre-treatment against neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. Actually I'm in the middle of preparing a fourth year research project on NGF and another neurotrophin called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and their effect on positive cognitive effects following exercise.

I can't see a love potion like that ever being legal though, it's a bit like advanced date rape in my opinion.

I think the problem here would be more the intracranial injection needed to make it work. Women don't like big needles stuck into their head. Or so I'm told.......

John

Maybe the ones you hang out with...

There's other ways of increasing NGF levels in the brain without having to stick a needlefull of the stuff in. Getting a girl to run on a treadmill for a week will work too. Dietary restriction works too. Bringing her to somewhere that you'd class as an enriched environment would be another option (so off to the theatre, a gig, a well textured box, etc.).

DrIndy

John2 wrote:

Maybe the ones you hang out with...

perhaps.......

a girl to run on a treadmill for a week will work too. Dietary restriction works too.

starve her and chase her around a running track? hmmmmm, never tried that on a date before....

a well textured box, etc.).

We all like that!

Vangelis

Interesting article!!

But.. why would an eventual 'love potion' ever be necessary?
Who wants lab-based romantic feelings..?

John

I don't think they did it so they could use it, I think they did it so they could understand what makes us tick.

Vangelis

That's relieving.

I was shocked when I read an article in a science mag that I collect, which read "Love is reason, falling in love is psychosis!". That's pretty offensive, but I suppose this heading said so to attract attention.

In the article it said that CT-scans of individuals who were in love with someone had a brain pattern very similar to that of a psychotic person.

And I was afraid that some evil doctor would create a potion to end this 'irrationality' among humans. That in itself is irrational. But it puzzles me that they write an article like that anyway.

Do they want to portray romantic emotions as unwanted and something we should get rid of?

John

No that is not the way romantic emotions are portrayed at all by science. It's no different from wanting to know why people enjoy music or whatever

Vangelis

John2 wrote:

No that is not the way romantic emotions are portrayed at all by science. It's no different from wanting to know why people enjoy music or whatever

Then, does research on 'lovesickness' have any directly practical advantage apart from illuminating the chemical mysteris of love.. or not?

John

I can't see any practical advantages but why do you need a practical advantage to do any research? Once it's interesting and not something crazily dangerous I say persue knowledge for the sake of knowledge.

Vangelis

John2 wrote:

I can't see any practical advantages but why do you need a practical advantage to do any research? Once it's interesting and not something crazily dangerous I say persue knowledge for the sake of knowledge.

It's just a curious thing... But: Agree!