I'm "friends" with the Rubicon Research Repository on Facebook, and just about every day, those folks share links to what they think are interesting articles about diving research. This morning's paper went by the rather intriguing name of, "A review of recent neurochemical data on inert gas narcosis." Who could resist reading that?
Well, I found the abstract fascinating. The researchers were looking at changes in various transmitters and receptors in a very specific part of the brain of rats. Although single nitrogen exposures lowered the levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with reward circuitry, repeated exposures actually resulted in an INCREASE. One of the final sentences in the abstract was:
We all knew it, but there's scientific proof. Diving IS addictive!
Well, I found the abstract fascinating. The researchers were looking at changes in various transmitters and receptors in a very specific part of the brain of rats. Although single nitrogen exposures lowered the levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with reward circuitry, repeated exposures actually resulted in an INCREASE. One of the final sentences in the abstract was:
(bolding mine)The desensitization of the GABAA receptors on DA cells during recurrent exposures and the parallel long-lasting decrease of glutamate coupled to the increase in NMDA receptor sensitivity suggest a nitrogen neurotoxicity or addiction induced by recurrent exposures.
We all knew it, but there's scientific proof. Diving IS addictive!