Posted by FredPotter on October 29, 2006, at 16:03:30
I know Deep Brain Stimulation has been discussed before but recently I read an article featuring Prof Helen Mayberg's work on area 25 (between the frontal cortex and the limbic system) in the Scientific American MIND series. Here's a link to her work
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4627438
The general idea is that depressed people have an over-active area 25 which behaves like a gate and opens when too active, letting emotions from the limbic system enter the frontal cortex.
The limbic system is more primitive than the cortex. I was wondering why all the emotions from the limbic system felt so bad. Is it because they are chiefly life-saving? This would make fear the dominant emotion entering the depressed person's frontal cortex. Presumably sex and falling in love are feelings rather than emotions and reside somewhere else. Can someone help? As you can tell I don't know what I'm talking about
Thanks
Fred
poster:FredPotter
thread:698783
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061028/msgs/698783.html