Summary: Dopamine Response In Adolescents

381 Words1 Page

Sex is a very taboo topic for teenagers that is met with shyness, excitement, and a surge of hormones - it is no wonder that this novel experience is one that many risk-seeking, dopamine filled teenagers are drawn towards. Looking to research for explanation, Galván's paper details a monkey behavioral study done to parallel dopamine response in adolescents. The experiment showed a resounding conclusion that repeating the same reward again and again led to the dopamine response moving earlier in time towards the cue rather than to the reward itself, seemingly in anticipation. Additionally, these dopamine responses mapped on to faster reaction times in behavior. Relating this to adolescent sexual behaviors, then, it would seem that after multiple

Show More
Related

  • Drug Addiction: A Brain Disease?

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    Drugs seem to cause surges in dopamine neurotransmitters and other pleasure brain messengers. However, the brain quickly adapts and these circuits desensitize, which allows for withdrawal symptoms to occur (3). Drug addiction works on some of the same neurobiological mechanisms that aid in learning and memories (3). "This new view of dopamine as an aid to learning rather than a pleasure mediator may help explain why many addictive drugs, which unleash massive surges of the neurotransmitter in the brain, can drive continued use without producing pleasure-as when cocaine addicts continue to take hits long after the euphoric effects of the drug have worn off or when smokers smoke after cigarettes become distasteful." (4)

    Read More

  • Statutory Rape

    662 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1995 a study was conducted to see how many teenagers were sexually active or had been involved sexually in any way. The study revealed that, by the age of sixteen, 50% of teenagers in the U.S have had been involved in sexual intercourse (Oberman, 1994). There was another study that was conducted statewide surveying young girls from 8th grade to 12th grade. The survey asked about what age was the young girls when they first had sex and the age of their sexual partners. The survey excluded intercourse that was by force. Girls who were between the ages thirteen to eighteen did not have a partner that was much older than them. However younger girls between the ages of eleven to twelve said that their partners were five or more years older (Leitenberg, 2000).

    Read More

  • Dopamine Research Paper

    255 Words  | 1 Pages

    Have you ever gotten a good grade on a science test? How did you feel? Happy, right? Well, that feeling you got is called dopamine. Dopamine controls the brain's reward center and gives you a good feeling. It also helps control movement and emotional responses.

    Read More

  • Drugs and The Teenage Brain

    670 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Everything we do, every thought we’ve ever had, is produced by the human brain. But exactly how it operates remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries, and it seems the more we probe its secrets, the more surprises we find.” Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist, said this and the statement could not be more true. According to NIMH, 23% of Americans are diagnosed with a mental illness a year. That is equivalent to 57.7 million United States citizens. What could cause those millions of people to be diagnosed with a mental disorder? There is a variety of factors that can lead to a mental illness, such as, a person’s genetic makeup or a dramatic event a person goes through in their life. However, a huge percent of the Americans that were diagnosed with a mental illness have admitted to substance abuse during adolescence. Substance abuse weakens the teenage brain and allows the brain to become open to mental illnesses. There is a variety of drugs in arms reach of teenagers that could potentially cause harm to their brain in adulthood. Several studies have shown that there is a link between drug abuse and mental illness.

    Read More

  • Ritalin Research Paper

    141 Words  | 1 Pages

    Ritalin is a drug typically prescribed to children who are experiencing or showing symptoms of ADHD. ADHD is more commonly known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Symptoms of this disease are commonly lack of ability to concentrate and control, because of these symptoms a stimulant medication like Ritalin is prescribed; approximately one to two children out of every 100 is prescribed stimulant medicine (Centre, 2010.) Ritalin works to help focus the child to specific tasks instead of being unable to learn and listen. Most commonly children take this medicine whilst in school so they can pay attention and not be disruptive throughout the day. “Ritalin is manufactured by Novartis which comes in the form of 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg

    Read More

  • Twerski's Addictive Thinking: The Substances, Types Of Adolescents

    1972 Words  | 4 Pages

    For instance, when you perform an activity that coincides with the brain’s biological “primary reinforcers” (have sex or eat food), these pleasure centers of the brain are flooded with a neurotransmitter known as dopamine. Simply put, when ingesting these substances, the brain is experiencing a “high” that has never been felt before, causing the user to want to repeat the experience (O’Leary, 2014).

    Read More

  • The Inverse Power of Praise

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    Salamone, J D., and M Correa. "Motivational Views of Reinforcement: Implications for Understanding the Behavioral Functions of Nucleus Accumbens Dopamine." Behavioral Brain Research 137 (2002): 3-25. Pubmed. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. .

    Read More

  • Societal Norms and Masturbation

    984 Words  | 2 Pages

    Physical evidence that masturbation and sexual pleasure are positive behaviors seems to be more evident now than ever before. Not only is the act arousing, but serotonin and “epinephrine [course] through your body” (Daniels), increasing one’s mood significantly. Also, many researchers argue that people who masturbate have a heightened sense of what pleases them sexually, which often leads to a better intimacy with a partner (...

    Read More

  • Essay On Sports Tryout

    1837 Words  | 4 Pages

    As young children, ages 12 and up to 17, one should be worrying about going to sports tryouts, having bubble guts worrying if they are going to make the cheerleading team or the basketball team. They should be outside in the summer time taking in the beautiful weather with their friends. Many teenagers are starting to build relationships with the opposite sex as early as 12 or 13. With relationships come other new experiences like sexual intercourses. “Fewer than 2% of adolescents have had sex by the time they reach their 12th birthday. But adolescence is a time of rapid change. Only 16% of teens have had sex by age 15, compared with one-third of those aged 16, nearly half (48%) of those aged 17, 61% of 18-year-olds and 71% of 19-year-olds.[1]

    Read More

  • Phychoanalytical Theory Of Psychoanalysis

    2091 Words  | 5 Pages

    Traditional psychoanalytical theory states that all human beings are born with instinctual drives that are constantly active even though a person is usually not conscious of thus being driven. Two drives--one for sexual pleasure, called libido, the other called aggression--motivate and propel most behavior. In the infant, the libido first manifests itself by making sucking an activity with pleasurable sensations in the mouth. Later similar pleasures are experienced in

    Read More

  • The Role Of ADHD In Adolescents

    1468 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States is experiencing a consuming epidemic in which American children are subject to stimulant medication in order to counteract an infamous and widely abused diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder by doctors, for teachers, and at the discretion of a parent. The percent of children, ages 4-17 years old, diagnosed with ADHD rose from 7.8% in 2003 to 9.5% in 2007, and finally to 11.0% in 2011-2012, (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, 2018). In total, “the prevalence of ADHD increased 42% from 2003 to 2011 [and even more if one were to count 2012], with increases in nearly all demographic groups in the United States regardless of race, sex, and socioeconomic status,” (Manos, 2017). Furthermore, for every 10 school-aged children in the U.S., more than 1 of them meet the requirements for an ADHD diagnosis, and among adolescents, 1 in 5 high school males and 1 in 11 high school females fit the diagnosis, (Manos, 2017). This steady increase is alarming, but even more bothersome in young children, whose percentage of ADHD increased by over 50% from 2007-2008 to 2011-2012, (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, 2018).

    Read More

  • Essay On Permissive Parenting

    1067 Words  | 3 Pages

    Becoming sexually active is a normal part of development that most adolescents take part in. Adolescence is a sensitive stage where teens are trying to find themselves and fit into society. During this critical time, teenagers are becoming more involved in more intimate forms of sexual behavior at earlier ages than adolescents in the past (Sigelman & Rider 2015). There has been a rise in concern about teens becoming sexually active when they are too young because early sexual activity is associated with risky behaviors that can lead to unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (Sigelman & Rider 2015). Sexual behaviors can be shaped by the social and cultural contexts that surround an adolescent. This leads to the idea that parents can influence their teens sexual attitudes and behaviors. I believe permissive parenting causes sexual risk-taking in their adolescent children.

    Read More

  • Dopamine Research Papers

    506 Words  | 2 Pages

    The neurotransmitter dopamine is known as the "”feel good hormone.” A neurotransmitter is a chemical released by nerve cells to send signals to other nerve cells. Dopamine is derived from the brain and other areas of the body, gastrointestinal tract, spleen, and pancreas. In relation to cognition, dopamine is a powerful brain stabilizer that regulates mood, attention span, short-term memory, and heightened awareness. High levels of dopamine released into the body can produce an intense euphoric sensation, making its release highly addicting. Once a high level of dopamine is released in the body, it can take several hours, days, or weeks before its effect wears off. It is believed that high levels of dopamine help promote stronger bonds to a person, place, or thing.

    Read More

  • Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

    3600 Words  | 8 Pages

    Zhang, S., Liu, Y., & Rao, Y. (2013). Serotonin signaling in the brain of adult female mice is required for sexual preference. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(24), 9968-9973.

    Read More

  • In Favor of Sex Education in Schools

    2239 Words  | 5 Pages

    Manfredi, L. "Sexual Urge among teenagers". SeXis Magazine. New York: copyright 2009 SeXis Magazine Corporation, 4 May 2009. Page4. Print.

    Read More

More about Summary: Dopamine Response In Adolescents

Open Document