hedonologist

Realplayer videos of dopamine, cocaine's effect on a transmitter, etc <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/brain/episode3/video.html" target="_blank">http://www.pbs.org/wnet/brain/episode3/video.html</a>

Basically, what I learned was somewhat how drugs such as cocaine cause the receptors to die, thus everything other than doing coke becomes less pleasurable, but I am looking for more specific info on what causes the receptors die. On the show they said the brain "fights back" (against the coke) killing off the receptors. I hate it when they personify these things, especially as if the brain were anti-pleasure. I want a physiological explanation. I'm also wanting to know what other causes of pleasure may cause these receptors to die, both on the chemical level and then in terms of lifestyles.

For example, do the receptors die simply because they are overworked?

Is there some point at which the receptors start dieing?

It seems those vacuum cleaner things conserve the neurotransmitters for reuse. Is this true?

The answers to those questions affects this question: Does any sort of pleasure slightly diminishes the ability to experience other sorts of pleasure? Can pain also diminish sensitivity to pleasure by harming these transmitter receptors?

Has anyone looked at the effect of sexual stimulation on receptors? Does having more orgasms or stimulation without orgasm, cause more of the receptors to die?

This was the only search I did that turned up anything.: <a href="http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22receptors+die+from%22&hl=en&sa=N&tab=w g" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22receptors+die+from%22&hl=en&sa=N&tab=w g</a> (Yes, I am trying to get other people to do some of the work for us, hehe)

"With heavy use, receptors "die" more quickly, and fail
to be replenished fast enough."

"endorphins, which stimulates the nerve grow more receptors"

"Because the extra androgens aren't there,
the remaining receptors die off."

I would also be interested in any other neurological explanations of pleasure, and how this effects how we "should" live.

Vorkosigan

this looks to be a science and skepticism topic...