Humors, hormones, and the mind : an approach to the understanding of behaviour

Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. Preface Brain science is passing though a revolution, with the progress in recent years being little short of astounding. A major force in the upheaval has been, and still is, the contribution of research on hormones and humors; for the old idea that the brain served as conductor of a hormonal orchestra, with a major gland attached to the base ofthe brain, the pituitary gland, acting as the controlling baton, has given way to a much more dynamic concept, for the brain itself produces many hormonal factors. Almost every bodily function is affected by hormones, from eating, drinking, digestion, emotion, learning, memory, and intellectual endeavour, to muscular action, growth and sexual activity, but coverage in the present work is largely restricted to the chemical control of behaviour, for it is here that progress is of greatest import. The new knowledge is not simply of theoretical significance, but of major practical impact, for in addition to helping us understand ourselves, and the way we behave, it is providing novel tools for the treatment of mental illness, and altering the approach of psychiatrists and psychologists to their patients, as well as that of the social services to their clients.Inevitably, much of the new information appears a little complicated and difficult to comprehend, but its impact upon society and the way we live is such as to merit the present attempt to convey some of the interest and excitement in a non-technical but systematic manner. Both the layman and the professional will find much of interest within these pages, and the material can be approached in several ways. The knowledgeable might prefer to start at the beginning and continue to the end; the tyro may opt to dip into a chaPter on some particular aspect of behaviour and explore from there. It is for this reason that numerous cross-references have been inserted. Whatever the approach, the reader is certain to encounter material of immediate appeal. The fact that the subject matter is of direct concern to the drug-taker, endocrinologist, immunologist, nutritionist, physiologist, psychologist, psychiatrist, and teacher, to name but a few, should not be a deterrent: it is of great moment to us all.This book develops a point of view presented in a more technical way, primarily for psychiatrists, in my Hormones and Human Behaviour (published in 1985). Some matters touched upon lightly here are covered in viii Preface greater depth in that work and to a degree the volumes are complementary. But each stands alone.Readers should note that in places I have deliberately reproduced quotations from other sources exactly as they originally appeared. This has occasionally led to oddities of grammar, punctuation and spelling.London, 1987 B.T.D. reflect the conditioning of the patient in the Pavlovian sense: that certain physiological responses can become activated by a stimulus such as the taking of a pill. This is illustrated by an old observation in dogs, where the sleepiness induced by the administration of morphine occurs in experienced animals just observing the preparations for an injection of the drug. Here it may be noted that the activities of endogenous morphine-like peptides in the brain (Chapter 6) feature in physiological studies of the placebo response. These peptides are likely to be the chemical agents particularly involved, so that research on the placebo effect may well emerge as but one aspect of the process of release of endogenous opiate-like peptides in the brain. Front Matter....Pages i-viii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Humours, Humors and Hormones....Pages 3-22 The Neural Basis of Humoral Action....Pages 23-37 Front Matter....Pages 39-39 Neurohumors....Pages 41-63 Hormonal Humors....Pages 64-84 The Master Humors....Pages 85-111 Peptide Humors....Pages 112-137 Immunohumors....Pages 138-146 Front Matter....Pages 147-147 Senses....Pages 149-157 Emotion....Pages 158-171 Stress....Pages 172-184 Aggression....Pages 185-197 Learning and Memory....Pages 198-210 Eating and Drinking....Pages 211-231 Masculinity....Pages 232-256 Femininity....Pages 257-270 Intellect and Personality....Pages 271-281 Back Matter....Pages 282-291