Brain reward systems and social interaction

[Jim Kohl]

In article <Pine.SUN.3.91.951123202036.559I-100000 at icogsci1.ucsd.edu>, 
pvollrat at icogsci1.ucsd.edu says...

>Actually, David Brin asked an audience on Nov 17 at UCSD, for 
information 
>to confirm his suspicions that women goo-gooing a baby in a carriage are 
>getting an neurotransmitter fix of some kind or another.  
>
>How do we go about examining this hypothesis?

Many neuronal systems and pathways feedback on gonadotropin-releasing 
hormone (GnRH) pulsatility. A fraction of GnRH acts as a 
neurotransmitter, but GnRH cannot be directly measured in humans. In the 
neuroendocrine sequence I have proposed, increased frequency of GnRH 
pulses is consistent with elevated luteinizing hormone(LH)/follicle 
stimulating hormone(FSH) ratios. If, as I suspect, the goo-gooing is a 
classically conditioned response to subliminal olfactory cues, the most 
obvious change would be found in assays of LH and FSH. However, to 
acheive statisticaly significance might be very difficult, especially 
given fluctuations accross the menstrual cycle and and values in women 
who take oral contraceptives.

Jim Kohl