Methamphetamine_A Disrupted Dialogue Between Memory and Reward

Heysieattalab and colleagues(2016) delve into the neurological underpinnings of addiction, specifically how amphetamine disrupts communication within the brain's reward and memory systems, and here is a closer look (Heysieattalab et al., 2016): 

• Hijacking the Reward System: Our brains naturally have a reward system that reinforces positive experiences by strengthening connections between neurons. This system helps us learn and remember pleasure-related things, motivating us to repeat those actions. Addictive drugs like methamphetamine interfere with this system, essentially hijacking it and causing it to prioritize the drug above all else. 
• Focus on the Hippocampus:  Heysieattalab and colleagues focused on the hippocampus, a critical brain region for memory function. It's like the brain's filing cabinet, storing information and helping us consolidate memories. Their research investigates how METH use disrupts this process. 
• METH and Impaired Memory: Normally, the hippocampus strengthens connections between neurons through a process called Long-Term Potentiation (LTP). This allows us to learn and form lasting memories. However, the study finds that METH disrupts LTP in the hippocampus, hindering its ability to function effectively. This can explain the cognitive deficits often observed in people struggling with METH addiction. 
• 
  The Reward Circuit Connection: The hippocampus doesn't operate in isolation. It communicates with other brain regions, including the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key player in reward processing. The NAc is like the brain's pleasure center, registering and amplifying feelings of reward. METH disrupts dopamine levels in both the hippocampus and NAc. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter heavily involved in motivation, reward, and movement. By altering dopamine function in these areas, METH can further manipulate the reward system and drive addictive behaviors.
• Potential Therapies: Heysieattalab and colleagues (2016) explore using medications targeting specific NAc receptors. These medications could potentially counteract the adverse effects of METH on memory function by regulating dopamine signaling within the reward circuit. This research paves the way for developing treatments that address not just the addictive aspects of drugs like METH but also the associated cognitive impairments.

In conclusion, Heysieattalab and colleagues' (2016) study highlighted how Meth addiction disrupts communication within the brain's memory and reward circuitry, and by understanding these changes, scientists can develop more comprehensive treatment strategies to combat addiction and its consequences.

References

1. Heysieattalab, Soomaayeh & Naghdi, Nasser & Hosseinmardi, Narges & Zarrindast, Mohammad-Reza & Haghparast, Abbas & Khoshbouei, Habibeh. (2016). Methamphetamine-Induced Enhancement of Hippocampal LTP Is Modulated by NMDA and GABA Receptors in the Shell-Accumbens. Synapse (New York, N.Y.). 70. 10.1002/syn.21905. 

Dreams and the Therapeutic Relationship

Understanding Dreams in Trauma: Beyond Repression

This blog post explores the role of dreams in individuals with trauma, particularly those with borderline or psychotic presentations, and here, we delve more deeply than the Freudian concept of repressed unconscious, examining the idea of an "unrepressed unconscious" shaped by early experiences (Scalabrini et al. 2021):

• The Compulsion to Repeat

Trauma survivors often experience dreams that seem to repeat the traumatic event. This repetition isn't a conscious choice but rather a way for the mind-body system to initially process what it couldn't handle. These dreams lack the symbolic language of neurosis and instead focus on raw emotions and sensory details.

• The "Unrepressed Unconscious"

Freud's theory emphasized repressed memories, those actively pushed down. However, for traumatized individuals, especially those with pre-verbal experiences, the trauma may be "unrepressed" - lodged in the amygdala (our emotional center) and influencing us unconsciously.

• The Role of Memory Systems
  

Our memory systems play a crucial role. Repressed memories involve active forgetting and are linked to conscious thought. Unrepressed memories, often from pre-verbal stages, reside in the implicit memory system, with the amygdala playing a central role.

• Dreams as a Bridge

Traumatic dreams can bridge the implicit (bodily) and explicit (narrative) memory systems. Triggers in daily life or therapy can reactivate these memories, leading to dreams that express them in sensory and emotional ways.

• The Importance of Nightmares

Nightmares, often accompanied by intense emotions, are crucial to processing trauma. They represent an initial attempt to verbalize what was previously nonverbal. Through dreams, patients can integrate these experiences into their conscious awareness. A safe and supportive therapeutic relationship is essential. By focusing on bodily sensations and verbalizing emotions, therapy helps patients utilize dreams as a symbolic tool to work through past experiences.

• Beyond the Neurotic Spectrum

Severely borderline and narcissistic patients may have difficulty with dreams or remembering them. This difficulty is linked to problems with symbolizing emotions. The body receives emotions but doesn't connect them to feelings, leading to a "short circuit" where emotions remain trapped in the body. (Scalabrini, et al, 2021)

Conclusion

Dreams in trauma offer a window into the "unrepressed unconscious." By understanding the link between implicit memory, emotions, and dreams, therapists can help patients utilize dreams for healing and integration.

References

1. Scalabrini, A., Mucci, C., & Esposito, R. (2021). Dreaming the unrepressed unconscious and beyond: repression vs dissociation in the oneiric functioning of severe patients. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 24(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2021.545

Unveiling the Unconscious: Repressed vs. Unrepressed Memories in Dreams

Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, introduced the concept of the unconscious mind, a vast reservoir of thoughts, memories, and desires hidden from our conscious awareness. Within this unconscious, Freud proposed the existence of "repressed" content—traumatic or unacceptable experiences we actively suppress. This blog post explores the concept of the unconscious and challenges Freud's view with a more recent understanding  (Scalabrini et al.,2021):

• Freud's Repressed Unconscious

Freud believed the unconscious contained "thing representations"—emotional traces of childhood experiences that were too painful to remember and thus repressed. According to Freud, these repressed memories could only be accessed indirectly, often through dreams. (Scalabrini et al., 2021)

• Challenging Freud: The Unrepressed Unconscious

Recent research by Mancia, Schore, and others proposes a different view. They argue that the first year of life is crucial for self-development. During this period, the right brain, dominant for emotions and implicit memory, plays a more significant role than the left brain, responsible for language and explicit memory.

• Early Trauma and Dissociation

This developmental perspective suggests that very early traumatic experiences, especially those related to insecure attachment with caregivers, cannot be effectively repressed. Instead, they become dissociated – buried deep within the amygdala and implicit memory, influencing our emotional lives without conscious awareness.

• Dreams: A Window to the Unrepressed Unconscious

While Freud saw dreams as expressions of repressed desires, this new view proposes that dreams can also reveal the unrepressed unconscious. These dreams, particularly in individuals with severe personality disorders, may contain fragmented images and emotions linked to those early traumatic experiences.

• 
  The Role of Memory Systems

The different memory systems involved further support the distinction between the repressed and the unrepressed unconscious. Repressed memories, requiring active forgetting, are linked to the left brain and explicit memory. Conversely, unrepressed memories, often from pre-verbal stages, reside in the implicit memory system, with the amygdala playing a central role.

The Science of Dreaming and Memory

Studies show that REM sleep, characterized by increased hippocampal activity and decreased prefrontal cortex activity (the opposite of deliberate forgetting), might be when the unrepressed unconscious manifests in dreams. This suggests that dreams may be a way to process and integrate these early experiences.

• Implications for Therapy

Understanding the difference between repressed and unrepressed unconscious has significant implications for therapy. It suggests that for individuals with severe trauma, traditional techniques focused on recovering repressed memories may not be as effective. Instead, therapists might need to focus on helping patients process the unprocessed emotional residue from those experiences stored in the implicit memory system.

• Conclusion

The concept of the unconscious mind is complex and ever-evolving. This post highlights the emerging view of the unrepressed unconscious, formed through early experiences and influencing our emotional lives. By exploring this uncharted territory, we can gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and develop more effective therapeutic approaches for those carrying the weight of unprocessed trauma.

 References

1.  Scalabrini, A., Mucci, C., & Esposito, R. (2021). Dreaming the unrepressed unconscious and beyond: repression vs dissociation in the oneiric functioning of severe patients. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 24(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2021.545