Neuroscientists identify ‘chemical imprint’ in the brain that keeps romance alive

Desire has a biological signature that makes us desire certain people more than others, experts reveal.

A new study has found that some people can leave a unique chemical imprint on our brains that drives people to maintain relationships over time.

And time truly does heal all wounds – as these researchers also found that the same chemical imprint fades as you cut off contact with your love over time.

Researchers believe that the dopamine released in the brain when moving toward meeting a partner may play a crucial role in keeping desire alive.

A new study has found that some people can leave a unique chemical imprint on our brains that drives people to maintain relationships over time. The researchers believe that dopamine released in the brain when en route to a loved one may play a crucial role in keeping desire alive

“What we’ve essentially found is a biological signature of desire that helps explain why we want to be with some people more than other people,” says Zoe Donaldson, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder.

“As humans, our entire social world is basically determined by different levels of selective desire to interact with different people,” explains Donaldson, co-author of the new study, “whether it’s your romantic partner or your close friends.

‘This research suggests that certain people leave a unique chemical imprint on our brains that drives us to maintain these bonds over time.’

To obtain their results, the team used neuroimaging technology on prairie voles as they tried to reach their partners.

These fluffy rodents were chosen because they are among the three to five percent of mammals that form monogamous pair bonds.

Scenarios were played out in which a field mouse had to try to reach her partner, who was in a separate room.

Every time the sensor detects a hit of dopamine, it lights up, and graduate student Anne Pierce described that when the couple was reunited, it “lit up like a rave.” And the party continued as they snuggled and nuzzled each other.”

Each time the sensor detects a dose of dopamine, it lights up, and student Anne Pierce described that when the subject pairs were reunited, it “lit up like a rave.” And the party continued as they snuggled and sniffed each other’

In contrast, when a random field mouse was placed on the other side of the door/wall, the sensor dimmed.

“This suggests that not only is dopamine very important in motivating us to find our partner,” Pierce noted, “but that we actually have more dopamine flowing through our reward center when we are with our partner than when we are with a stranger.”

The researchers also found that there is hope for heartbroken people because, after a while, the brain resets, ready to form a new bond.

To discover this, the vole pair were kept apart for four weeks – an eternity in a rodent’s life – and when they were reunited, the dopamine spike had almost disappeared.

The desire had disappeared in their brains and their former partner was hormonally indistinguishable from other voles.

“We think of this as a sort of reset in the brain that now allows the animal to move on and potentially form a new bond,” said Dr. Donaldson.

‘This could be good news for people who have suffered a painful break-up, or even the loss of a partner, suggesting that the brain has an inherent mechanism to protect us from endless unrequited love.’

The team hopes they can explore this research further and see exactly how well the results translate to humans.

According to Dr. Donaldson, her team hopes that “by understanding what healthy connections look like in the brain, we can begin to identify new therapies to help the many people with mental health conditions that impact their social world.”