Love story

As you may recall, the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience recently hosted a "Brains on Film" competition. This competition was designed to inspire scientists to make films about neuroscience for a general audience.

Below the jump is Love Story, the film that was chosen as the winner of this year's UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience Brains on Film competition. Love Story is by PhD student Alistair Jennings. It is about the dopamine system, and the film addresses the notions of reward and desire:

Dopamine is a chemical messenger manufactured by special dopamine neurons in the brain. It affects brain processes that control movement, emotional response, and the ability to experience pleasure and pain. Adequate amounts of dopamine are essential to proper functioning of the nervous system (Parkinson's disease results from inadequate levels of dopamine in the brain, whereas it is thought that some forms of schizophrenia may result from too much dopamine). Dopamine is a precursor (biochemical forerunner) of adrenaline and another closely related molecule, noradrenaline. It also is one of the neurotransmitters that plays a major role in addiction.

Here are a few of my favorite Brains on film entries that you might wish to watch, too.

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