top | item 43863566

(no title)

shemtay | 10 months ago

is it not true though that activity/threshholds of dopamine synapses can be globally or semi-globally up and down regulated?

discuss

order

Aurornis|10 months ago

It is not true.

It’s unfortunate that so many podcasters have leaned into the myths about being able to manipulate dopamine as some global up/down thing you can adjust by following certain protocols.

Andrew Huberman is among the worst at this because he has enough education that he should know better. I think he’s too enamored with the traffic and clicks he gets when he talks about dopamine, so he’s willing to stretch the truth or even break it completely if it will make for engaging podcast content.

Some of the studies he cites over and over again about dopamine don’t even say what he claims. Huberman is a joke among people who actually know the science, but he became a hero to people who thought he was just a nice guy sharing free knowledge with them.

braebo|10 months ago

Would you say the harm outweighs the good Huberman does with his ability to communicate complex concepts in ways that are more digestible to laymen?

loa_in_|10 months ago

Not true. Down/up regulation happens in areas where (sometimes called) psychoactive substances and/or regulatory nervous signals reach. Substances that cross blood brain barrier still might not reach areas due to lowered blood flow or tissue damage.

pepa65|10 months ago

And dopamine cannot cross the blood-brain barrier.

dayvigo|10 months ago

No, activity and expression are always local. Exclusively. There are no global levers.

immibis|10 months ago

I'm pretty sure there are things that affect the brain globally... nutrient availability? Oxygen availability? Sledgehammers?