It Came From Out of Nowhere
Dopamine is one of the most misunderstood chemicals. Often called the “Reward Chemical”, dopamine plays a powerful role in learning, behavior, and motivation; it tells us where to move, how fast and in which direction; and it does this all within fractions of a second. This edition of Know Your Sheet explores the role dopamine plays in the milieu, and how to employ naturally occurring dopamine spikes and dips effectively and therapeutically in treatment.
The Article: Dopamine reward prediction- error signaling: a two-component response (2016)
Authors: Wolfram Schultz
Publishing Journal: Nature Reviews│ Neuroscience
Research Agency/University: University of Cambridge
Funding Source: Wellcome Trust, the European Research Council, and the US National Institutes of Health, Caltech Conte Center
In a Nutshell:
Dopamine neurons are highly specialized neurons that detect, identify, and valuate environmental stimuli. This process, known as Dopaminergic Reward Prediction Error coding is responsible for tracking which behaviors are successful in obtaining rewards and avoiding threat. Dopamine also tracks the predictability or unpredictability of survival resources in our environment. This all happens within fractions of a second. Timing plays a huge role in the tracking process. Experiences that are better than we expect/predict create a spike in dopamine activation. Experiences that are worse than we expect create a dip in dopamine activation. These spikes and dips in dopamine activation shape our behavior to optimize reward and minimize threat.
A quote to keep:
“Rewards lose subjective value after delays, even when they remain physically unchanged”
Why this Article Matters to you:
When we witness behaviors on unit they are an illustration of the events that allowed that youth to survive.
Even small delays in anticipated rewards; timing of meals, visits, or activities, can mean the difference between calm and chaos in the milieu.
Dopamine tracks predictability on your unit. You should too.
Opportunities for Immediate Application:
Train staff to track and choreograph predictability on their unit
Identify opportunities to reduce delays in expected reward (meals, transitions to activities, etc) Downtime during transitions is a common window for escalation, behavioral sequences, and restraint. Tracking dopamine can help reduce these foreseeable events in the milieu.
Use frequent reward on your unit to cultivate mainstream behaviors in youth. (Food is not the only reward. We’ll talk about unexpected reward in another Know Your Sheet)