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Everyone has something
that motivates them.

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For some people 
it's money.

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For some,
it may be recognition,

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and others,
maybe chocolate.

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If you're one 
of my research animals,

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it's the beloved Froot Loop.

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They absolutely love 
these as treats.

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They're easy for them 
to put in their mouth,

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and most importantly,

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they're packed with sugar.

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In our lab, we study
the brain chemical dopamine.

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Dopamine is involved in movement,

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most notably implicated
in Parkinson's disease,

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motivation and reward.

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We study dopamine

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in relation to learning
and memory tasks.

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Our rats learn
to run in a maze,

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and if they complete
the task correctly,

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they receive 
a food reward at the end.

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We study and record
when dopamine is released

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as the rats are completing
this task.

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Look, he is even smiling!
(Laughter)

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Dopamine helps activate
the learning centers in the brain.

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So if dopamine is released

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as you're learning something,

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it will help you 
remember that information

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at a later date.

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For example,


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I had a chemistry professor 
on the very first day of class,

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do an intense reaction
with lots of flames and smoke.

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He then explained

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how and why this chemical 
reaction took place.

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This reaction was done

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just using regular 
tap water and sodium.

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After he explained 
how this reaction worked,

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I'll never forget exactly

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how those electrons
are moved in that reaction.

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It is likely that as this reaction
was taking place,

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dopamine was being released
in my brain.

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Of course, since I don't have
any of our lab's electrodes

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placed in my brain,
we won't know for sure.

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On the left
is a picture of the electrodes

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we build in our lab.

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The electrode end consists 
of a single strand of carbon fiber.

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It's about one-tenth the diameter
of the strand of human hair.

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We then implant these electrodes

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in freely moving animals,

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and record
when dopamine is released,

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as they complete maze tasks.

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As you can see,

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the rat brain is very small.

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It's about the size of a nickel.

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And the area of the brain
that we're trying to reach,

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is about the size of a pea.

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We implant these electrodes
in an area of the brain,


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that's known to have
a high number of dopamine neurons.

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One of my main hobbies 
is photography.

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So, 
for the background of my talk,

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I thought I would take you
all on a tour of my lab,

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by way of my photography.

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These are just
a few of the things

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we use in our lab

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to help us record dopamine.

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So what can we do 
to increase dopamine in our brain?

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Exercise, is a great way
to increase dopamine.

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Exercise will increase 
dopamine release in your brain,

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as well as other neurochemicals,

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such as endorphins

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which are the brain's 
natural painkillers.

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Eating properly,

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is another great way 
to increase dopamine.

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Specifically, 
eating foods rich in tyrosine,

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which is a precursor to dopamine,

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will help, increase the available 
dopamine in the brain.

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Foods rich in tyrosine

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include things such as: Avocados,

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almonds and bananas.

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Another great way 
to release dopamine,

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is doing something 
rewarding to you.

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This can be something

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as easy as checking something 
off your to-do list,

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or perhaps volunteering
at a community center.

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And of course,

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one of my personal favorite ways,
to increase dopamine,

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is sex.
(Laughter)

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Sex releases many beneficial
chemicals in the brain

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in addition to dopamine,

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such as oxytocin,

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which is implicated 
in human bonding.

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Serotonin,

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which relates to happiness
and a feeling of well-being.

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And norepinephrine,

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which increases alertness.

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So how can we use
this information?

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Professors can develop 
new and exciting ways,

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to deliver information to students.

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It doesn't have 
to be as exciting

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as involving flames and explosions

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like my chemistry professor.

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It can be as simple as


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having students 
do a hands-on experience,

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or perhaps using
the students as props

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to explain a difficult concept.

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Professors, get away
from the traditional monologue lectures.


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It'll be more rewarding
for you,

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and will stimulate the students
to promote long-term learning.

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Let's get
those dopamine neurons firing.

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Thank you.
(Applause)