[moremi]

I know that I get this way from time to time. Certain seasons or events. I know when I am this way and I know there are triggers that can cause it but what is it though that puts us there. That can make us feel so great. Whats behind it. Is it too much of a good chemical in our brain or too many different chemicals in our brain or the lack of a certain chemical. Do they know what goes on inside of our brains to cause euphoria or the strength of a grown man coming from a small woman, the ability to all of a sudden know things you have not studied? Im just very curious. Any thoughts or answers are welcome. Thanks

[thinker22]

I think certain areas of our brain light up when we're hypomanic to manic. It's like when we're depressed certain areas of the brain go dark. What causes it is a mystery to all. Probably brain chemistry and synapse connections. When we are injured endorphins are created or released in the brain, so maybe we have a chemical imbalance or predisposition that when specific incidents (like lack of sleep) occur our endorphins are released en masse. That's my guess anyway. Wish I were hypomanic right now. I have no motivation to work on my projects for my classes. Blah. Good question though. If we knew how it worked and how to trigger it, then I bet most of us would choose hypomania.

[bluematador]

Here is what I have discovered in my research on neurplasticity:
" The here and now symptoms of BPD disorder, such as profound mood swings, racing thoughts and frenetic energy, are thought to stem from faulty information processing along nerve cell signalling pathways known as cellular plasticity cascades. Many horomones are implicated in the pathophysiology of BPD and other moodidisorders, including gonad steroids, thyroid hormones and glucorticoids, act on cellar plasticity. These are the latest developments using new imaging techniques and are resulting in the creation of new treatments for BPD. I how this isn't too technical. I try to learn as much as I can about this illness so I can manage it. I am always researching the latest discoveries in neuroscience. There are new drugs being developed that will target the hormones and the cellular plasticity instead of just addressing the chemical imbalance. The current drugs are like a blunt instrument when what we really need due to the complexity of the brain is finely tuned laser surgery!

[faerie_moon_x]

I don't know about mania but I know for depression the problem is that the nerves are firing incorrectly and the seritonin and norepinephrin cannot cross the gap from one nerve to the next in the proper manner. That's what I remember from taking psychology like 12 years ago... so it's a bit fuzzy.

I have also heard, but not sure if it is true, but I heard somewhere along the lines that ever manic episode causes damage to our brain or nervous system. But, I can't remember where I heard it so could be totally wrong.