Table of Contents
List of figures vii
List of tables viii
Acknowledgments ix
1 What makes humans special? 1
1.1 Myths concerning the origins of human behavior 3
1.1.1 Was human intelligence genetically selected? 3
1.1.2 Did our larger brains make us more intelligent? 10
1.2 The evolution of human intelligence: an alternative view 13
1.2.1 Dopamine and advanced intelligence 13
1.2.2 The rise of dopamine during human evolution 17
2 Dopamine in the brain 19
2.1 The neurochemistry of dopamine 19
2.2 The neuroanatomy of dopamine 23
2.3 Dopamine and the left hemisphere 31
2.4 Dopamine and the autonomic nervous system 33
2.5 Summary 35
3 Dopamine and behavior 37
3.1 Dopamine and distant space and time 38
3.1.1 Dopamine and attention to spatially and temporally distant cues 41
3.1.2 Dopamine and goal-directedness 46
3.1.3 Dopamine and extrapersonal experiences 49
3.2 Dopamine and intelligence 53
3.2.1 Motor programming and sequencing 57
3.2.2 Working memory 59
3.2.3 Cognitive flexibility 59
3.2.4 Abstract representation 61
3.2.5 Temporal analysis/processing speed 62
3.2.6 Generativity/creativity 63
3.3 Dopamine and emotion 64
3.4 The dopaminergic personality 66
3.4.1 Ventromedial dopaminergic traits 68
3.4.2 Lateral-dopaminergic traits 69
3.4.3 Dopamine and the left-hemispheric (masculine) style 71
3.5 Summary 73
4 Dopamine and mental health 75
4.1 The "hyperdopaminergic" syndrome 75
4.2 Disorders involving primary dopamine dysfunction 79
4.2.1 Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder 79
4.2.2 Autism 81
4.2.3 Huntington's disease 83
4.2.4 Mania (bipolar disorder) 84
4.2.5 Obsessive-compulsive disorder 86
4.2.6 Parkinson's disease 88
4.2.7 Phenylketonuria 90
4.2.8 Schizophrenia 91
4.2.9 Tourette's syndrome 95
4.3 Summary 97
5 Evolution of the dopaminergic mind 101
5.1 The importance of epigenetic inheritance 101
5.2 Evolution of the protodopaminergic mind 104
5.2.1 Environmental adaptations in the "cradle of humanity" 104
5.2.2 Thermoregulation and its consequences 108
5.3 The emergence of the dopaminergic mind in later evolution 114
5.3.1 The importance of shellfish consumption 117
5.3.2 The role of population pressures and cultural exchange 119
5.4 Summary 121
6 The dopaminergic mind in history 123
6.1 The transition to the dopaminergic society 123
6.2 The role of dopaminergic personalities in human history 130
6.2.1 Alexander the Great 134
6.2.2 Christopher Columbus 136
6.2.3 Isaac Newton 139
6.2.4 Napoleon Bonaparte 142
6.2.5 Albert Einstein 144
6.2.6 Dopaminergic personalities in history-reprise 147
6.3 The modern hyperdopaminergic society 149
6.4 Summary 153
7 Relinquishing the dopaminergic imperative 155
7.1 Reaching the limits of the dopaminergic mind 155
7.2 Tempering the dopaminergic mind 161
7.2.1 Altering dopamine with individual behavior 161
7.2.2 Knocking down the pillars of the hyperdopaminergic society 165
7.3 Toward a new consciousness 170
References 173
Index 208
