Nerves, and fibers, and slowly built-­up cells The neurobiological basis behind ‘wanting’, ‘liking’ and compulsion

Abstract

This thesis will deal with ‘wanting’, ‘liking’ and compulsion and the role they play in addiction and OCD. In this thesis we’ll be ‘zooming-­‐in’ on the problem, starting the a description of the behavior followed by several chapters focusing on the specific brain regions involved and finally a discussion of the relevant neurotransmitters. To do this we will be discussing addiction and obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD). These are examples of disorders in which ‘wanting’, ‘liking’ and compulsion have been implicated. We’ll then look at imaging studies and other experiments that have identified the brain regions involved in the behavior that we are interested in. To really try to understand the neural substrate of ‘wanting’, ‘liking’ and compulsion the specific cells and mechanisms will have to be explored, this will be done in chapters three and four. These two chapters, the key chapters of this thesis, will deal with the core of the problem: the exact cells and mechanisms that produce ‘wanting’, ‘liking’ and compulsion. In the words of Oscar Wilde we will be investigating: ‘(the) nerves, and fibres, and slowly built-­up cells in which thought hides itself and passion has its dreams’.