Alan, > [motovation problem]. > > No, human euphoria is much more than simple neural reenforcement. It is > a result of special endorphines such as dopomine that are released when > the midbrain is happy about something.
You're right. I really should have thought out that post a little more before writing it when I said about removing chemistry from the equation what I was sort of getting at was that the endorphins'(or cocaine or any other pleasure-generating chemical) presence results in changes in the behavior and activity of affected neurons, and what we 'feel' is the shifts in activity patterns. Without getting too offtopic or philosophical, I was trying to universalize the phenomena of "feeling" emotions, by saying that it's not the chemical activity itself we feel. If one were to stimulate a given cluster of neurons in a manner that would cause them to act exactly as if they were being influenced by endorphins, I think the subject would 'feel' the exact same sensation as if the neurons were 'naturally' stimulated > You see, the cortex has no oppinion about anything whatsovever. It is > merely a computational matrix. It receives its programming from exactly > two sources. External stimuli and the midbrain/brain-steam. (though > special areas of the cortex are dedicated to doing some of the > high-level work required by emotional circuits). > > In the brain steam there are special neural networks that generate > special kinds of "decisions" that I will call "oppinions". ;) > > When this circuit likes something it gets all happy and sends excitory > signals... When it is unhappy it sends inhibitory signals. A particular > disorder that I have (and many other people have) is depression where > excessive inhibitory signals are generated I have moderate depression w/ an associated sleep disorder; it's one of the things that originally got me interested in neurology and cog. science. > I'm still reading and hopefully I'll have some ideas about emotional > "qualia" and the like. I'm looking at your website as I write this, you have some fascinating ideas on there... J Standley http://users.rcn.com/standley/AI/AI.htm ------- To unsubscribe, change your address, or temporarily deactivate your subscription, please go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?[EMAIL PROTECTED]
