Ginny Smith - Overloaded: How Every Aspect of Your Life is Influenced by Your Brain Chemicals

Also available in the Bloomsbury Sigma series:

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Contents

Writing this book has been a long process, and it hasnt been a solo endeavour, so I would like to thank everyone who has made it possible:

My husband Jamie thank you for the lunch-time discussions, the evening pep-talks and the weekends spent reading drafts and discussing changes. And thank you for your willingness to let me talk about our relationship, and our differences and make the odd joke at your expense! Without your help and encouragement this book simply wouldnt have been possible.

My parents, for the proof-reading, the googling, the advice and the never-ending support and encouragement. And for sparking a love of science and a curiosity about the world that has made me the person I am today.

My friends who so kindly gave up their precious time to read the book at various stages of its development. Emma, Mitch, Trent each of you provided a different viewpoint, and helped me change the book for the better, so thank you for that. And other friends, especially Kat, who have provided pep-talks, acted as sounding boards and boosted me along the way thank you for your unwavering confidence in me.

I am forever grateful to those researchers who were happy to speak to me for the book, to review chapters and to answer my incessant emails. Your patience and generosity has been vital in allowing me to write this book. And to all the scientists whose work I have covered in this book without your dedication, tenacity and passion, we wouldnt understand the brain in the way we do today. Thank you for giving me the chance to tell your stories

My editors Anna and Angelique for your hard work, and to Jim, for believing in me, and giving me the opportunity to write this book.

All the people in my life who have told me during green room chats at various events that I can and should write a book I remember each one of those and am grateful for them.

And to the drunk woman at a science show who told me to stop doubting myself, and to call myself an author, your words will forever ring in my ears, whenever I find myself hesitating to promote something I have done, or talking it down: Would a man say that?!. Thank you you probably dont remember our meeting, but the (slightly aggressive) kindness of one stranger really can make a difference.

This is a book about some of the most fundamental questions in neuroscience; perhaps in science as a whole. How does our brain produce our everyday experiences, and drive our behaviour? How can a kilo and a half of jelly allow us to learn a foreign language, decide what to have for lunch, or even fall in love? While the cells that make up our brains are important for this, it is the chemicals that bathe them, and allow them to communicate, that paint the complex details which colour every aspect of our daily lives. But how exactly can these tiny molecules cause the full spectrum of human experience, with all its richness, its highs and lows, its joys and sorrows? And how does the brain ensure it isnt overloaded by this melee of molecules?

In this book, we will uncover cutting-edge research and meet leading scientists aiming to better understand the complex and intricate workings of your brain, and the molecules that control it. We will explore drugs, both medicinal and recreational, which alter the levels of these molecules, and investigate how a better understanding of our brains workings might help us improve treatments for common conditions, without overloading the delicate balance of our chemical brain. We will even touch on ideas about free will, consciousness, and how our brain enables us to control our instincts.

Along the way we will dig into the history of neuroscience, uncovering stories of scientists curiosity and persistence in the face of huge challenges. There are also tales of accidental discoveries which have revolutionised our understanding of the brain. I find these stories of how science is done as fascinating as the science itself, as they help us get a deeper understanding of the way knowledge develops over the years as well as giving us a glimpse into the characters behind the chemicals.

My hope is that this book arms you against the over-simplification rife in the media. As we will see, the idea that serotonin is the happiness chemical or dopamine is addictive misses so much of the important nuance as to render these statements pointless. Instead, here, we will explore that complexity and celebrate it, keeping things comprehensible and cutting through the scientific jargon to examine the underlying concepts. While this book may not be able to provide all the answers to these fundamental questions (in many cases we just dont know them yet), I hope that it sparks your curiosity, and encourages you to want to find out more about your incredible brain.

More questions than answers

I have always been curious, wanting to understand why and how the things around me work. As a child I was lucky to have parents who encouraged this curiosity, and did their best to answer my questions. In one infamous story, my mum remembers us walking into a public toilet and me, aged around three, turning to her and asking: Mummy, why are sounds louder in here?

As she began explaining to me how sound is absorbed by soft surfaces, but bounces off hard ones, of which there are far more in a public toilet, another mum came out of the cubicle and gave her an admiring (or perhaps astonished) look, saying: Im glad my daughter doesnt ask me questions like that!

I always loved science, soaking up knowledge and understanding, but it wasnt until university that I discovered my fascination with brain science. As so often seems to happen, the decisions that change the course of our lives arent those huge, momentous ones we agonise over, but the seemingly small, inconsequential ones. And this was definitely the case for me. It was just a couple of lectures, given as part of a course called Evolution and Behaviour, which I picked on a bit of a whim, that opened my eyes to the wonders of the human brain. Here was a real challenge. An incredibly complex system, full of mysteries and unknowns, that needed breaking down, and understanding at the most fundamental level. And not only that, but it was something that affected us all, every day. I was hooked, and decided to change the focus of my degree from chemistry to psychology.