In this series, we explore how the human brain feels! How does it decide when to be happy, angry or sad? Why does stress make us cranky? How is mood affected in psychiatric illnesses?
In an earlier SciRio piece, we discussed how the brain is a wonder organ. In addition to orchestrating most bodily functions, it dictates how we perceive the environment. There are basic functions that the animal brain, brains in birds and even fishes perform! Coordinating all the systems in the body; processing sensations like sight, smell and taste; learning, memory formation etc.
It is, however, a popular fact that the human brain is remarkably different. Several things that we take for granted, like our ability to think and analyse, our flair for imagination, our sense of individuality, and all the other features that make us ‘human’; are mediated by complex events in our brains. Arguably, one of the least understood aspects of the human brain is how it dictates mood and behaviour.
In this series, we explore how the human brain feels! How does it decide when to be happy, angry or sad? Why does stress make us cranky or sad? How is mood affected in psychiatric illnesses? We will try to answer all of this in this series.
So read on, to get an idea about the feels!
Articles in this Series
The moody brain: mood regulation and disorders
More to follow!
Annapoorna P K
I am a PhD student with Dr Arvind Kumar at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad. My research is at the interface of neurobiology and epigenetics. I work on depression using mouse models and investigate factors that change in the brain in depression-like conditions. My two great loves are neuroscience and science communication. I also advocate the importance of mental health and LGBTQ+ rights and wish to see the taboos surrounding these matters lifted.
- Annapoorna P K#molongui-disabled-link
