Study shows that chronic grief activates pleasure areas of the brain

Findings could change how health professionals treat the disorder.
Grief is universal, and most of us will probably experience the pain
grief brings at some point in our lives, usually with the death of a
loved one. In time, we move on, accepting the loss.


But for a substantial minority, it's impossible to let go, and even
years later, any reminder of their loss — a picture, a memory — brings
on a fresh wave of grief and yearning. The question is, why? Why do
some grieve and ultimately adapt, while others can't get over the loss
of someone held dear?

Reporting in the journal NeuroImage, scientists at UCLA suggest that
such long-term or "complicated" grief activates neurons in the reward
centers of the brain, possibly giving these memories addiction-like
properties. Their research is currently available in the journal's
online edition.

This study is the first to compare those with complicated and
noncomplicated grief, and future research in this area may help
psychologists do a better job of treating those with complicated
grief, according to Mary-Frances O'Connor, UCLA assistant professor of
psychiatry and lead author of the study.

"The idea is that when our loved ones are alive, we get a rewarding
cue from seeing them or things that remind us of them," O'Connor said.
"After the loved one dies, those who adapt to the loss stop getting
this neural reward. But those who don't adapt continue to crave it,
because each time they do see a cue, they still get that neural
reward.

"Of course, all of this is outside of conscious thought, so there
isn't an intention about it," she said.

The study analyzed whether those with complicated grief had greater
activity occurring in either the brain's reward network or pain
network than those with noncomplicated grief. The researchers looked
at 23 women who had lost a mother or a sister to breast cancer. (Grief
is very problematic among survivors of breast cancer patients,
particularly among female family members who have increased risk based
on their family history). They found that, of that number, 11 had
complicated grief, and 12 had the more normal, noncomplicated grief.

Each of the study participants brought a photograph of their deceased
loved one and were shown this picture while undergoing brain scanning
by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Next, they were
scanned while looking at a photograph of a female stranger.

The authors looked for activity in the nucleus accumbens, a region of
the brain most commonly associated with reward and one that has also
been shown to play a role in social attachment, such as sibling and
maternal affiliation. They also examined activity in the pain network
of the brain, including the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the
insula, which has been implicated in both physical and social pain.
They found that while both groups had activation in the pain network
of the brain after viewing a picture of their loved one, only
individuals with complicated grief showed significant nucleus
accumbens activations.

Complicated grief can be debilitating, involving recurrent pangs of
painful emotions, including intense yearning, longing and searching
for the deceased, and a preoccupation with thoughts of the loved one.
This syndrome has now been defined by an empirically derived set of
criteria and is being considered for inclusion in the DSM-V, the
psychiatric manual for diagnosing mental disorders.

O'Connor, who is a member of UCLA's Cousins Center for
Psychoneuroimmunology, cautions that she is not suggesting that such
reveries about the deceased are emotionally satisfying but rather that
they may serve in some people as a type of craving for the reward
response that may make adapting to the reality of the loss more
difficult.

Source: University of California - Los Angeles
http://www.physorg.com/news133190780.html

On 22 Jun, 11:47, Lance  wrote:
> Study shows that chronic grief activates pleasure areas of the brain
>
> Findings could change how health professionals treat the disorder.
> Grief is universal, and most of us will probably experience the pain
> grief brings at some point in our lives, usually with the death of a
> loved one. In time, we move on, accepting the loss.
>
> But for a substantial minority, it's impossible to let go, and even
> years later, any reminder of their loss — a picture, a memory — brings
> on a fresh wave of grief and yearning. The question is, why? Why do
> some grieve and ultimately adapt, while others can't get over the loss
> of someone held dear?
>
> Reporting in the journal NeuroImage, scientists at UCLA suggest that
> such long-term or "complicated" grief activates neurons in the reward
> centers of the brain, possibly giving these memories addiction-like
> properties. Their research is currently available in the journal's
> online edition.
>
> This study is the first to compare those with complicated and
> noncomplicated grief, and future research in this area may help
> psychologists do a better job of treating those with complicated
> grief, according to Mary-Frances O'Connor, UCLA assistant professor of
> psychiatry and lead author of the study.
>
> "The idea is that when our loved ones are alive, we get a rewarding
> cue from seeing them or things that remind us of them," O'Connor said.
> "After the loved one dies, those who adapt to the loss stop getting
> this neural reward. But those who don't adapt continue to crave it,
> because each time they do see a cue, they still get that neural
> reward.
>
> "Of course, all of this is outside of conscious thought, so there
> isn't an intention about it," she said.
>
> The study analyzed whether those with complicated grief had greater
> activity occurring in either the brain's reward network or pain
> network than those with noncomplicated grief. The researchers looked
> at 23 women who had lost a mother or a sister to breast cancer. (Grief
> is very problematic among survivors of breast cancer patients,
> particularly among female family members who have increased risk based
> on their family history). They found that, of that number, 11 had
> complicated grief, and 12 had the more normal, noncomplicated grief.
>
> Each of the study participants brought a photograph of their deceased
> loved one and were shown this picture while undergoing brain scanning
> by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Next, they were
> scanned while looking at a photograph of a female stranger.
>
> The authors looked for activity in the nucleus accumbens, a region of
> the brain most commonly associated with reward and one that has also
> been shown to play a role in social attachment, such as sibling and
> maternal affiliation. They also examined activity in the pain network
> of the brain, including the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the
> insula, which has been implicated in both physical and social pain.
> They found that while both groups had activation in the pain network
> of the brain after viewing a picture of their loved one, only
> individuals with complicated grief showed significant nucleus
> accumbens activations.
>
> Complicated grief can be debilitating, involving recurrent pangs of
> painful emotions, including intense yearning, longing and searching
> for the deceased, and a preoccupation with thoughts of the loved one.
> This syndrome has now been defined by an empirically derived set of
> criteria and is being considered for inclusion in the DSM-V, the
> psychiatric manual for diagnosing mental disorders.
>
> O'Connor, who is a member of UCLA's Cousins Center for
> Psychoneuroimmunology, cautions that she is not suggesting that such
> reveries about the deceased are emotionally satisfying but rather that
> they may serve in some people as a type of craving for the reward
> response that may make adapting to the reality of the loss more
> difficult.
>
> Source: University of California - Los Angeleshttp://www.physorg.com/news133190780.html


Interesting, thanks.  I'm not sure that the term 'complicated grief'
is an appropriate description of how people can gain satisfaction (but
at a cost)  by recreating and embroidering the past.  Is the central
problem that they don't fully come to terms with their loss,  but
rather flee from it by 'living in the past' ?

Dave

On Jun 24, 12:12 am, Dave Smith  wrote:
>
>
> Interesting, thanks.  I'm not sure that the term 'complicated grief'
> is an appropriate description of how people can gain satisfaction (but
> at a cost)  by recreating and embroidering the past.  Is the central
> problem that they don't fully come to terms with their loss,  but
> rather flee from it by 'living in the past' ?
>
I read it to me an people like Mrs Haversham, only now suggesting that
she was somehow enjoying the experience.

It did seem a little circular to me - people who showed the symptom
were judged to be suffering from complicated grief, which explained
the symptom. I'd like to know a little more about what they did mean
by complicated grief.

Not coping with grief after a long period is pathological, we know
that. However it is prefectly normal for people to gain pleasure, if a
bitter-sweet sort of pleasure, from thinking about and discussing the
dead that they've known. I don't think that is pathological or what
they are talking about.

Peter Brooks wrote:
> On Jun 24, 12:12�am, Dave Smith  wrote:
> >
> >
> > Interesting, thanks. �I'm not sure that the term 'complicated grief'
> > is an appropriate description of how people can gain satisfaction (but
> > at a cost) �by recreating and embroidering the past. �Is the central
> > problem that they don't fully come to terms with their loss, �but
> > rather flee from it by 'living in the past' ?
> >
> I read it to me an people like Mrs Haversham, only now suggesting that
> she was somehow enjoying the experience.
>
> It did seem a little circular to me - people who showed the symptom
> were judged to be suffering from complicated grief, which explained
> the symptom. I'd like to know a little more about what they did mean
> by complicated grief.
>
> Not coping with grief after a long period is pathological, we know
> that. However it is prefectly normal for people to gain pleasure, if a
> bitter-sweet sort of pleasure, from thinking about and discussing the
> dead that they've known. I don't think that is pathological or what
> they are talking about.

I think, as is so often the case (probably from necessity) they
started with pre-existing groups and then looked for differences. I
agree that had they chosen a finer range of groups the interpretation
would have to be more subtle, or may be overturned completely. As they
say, More research is needed.

Still, I found it interesting and suggestive.

Lance