Rejection: A natural withdrawal

Identifier:  TFG:9930

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TFG9930

Authors:  Astasio Agramunt, Júlia

Abstract:
This systematic review of 11 fMRI studies compares the neurobiological mechanisms of grief following a romantic breakup and cocaine withdrawal in humans. The results demonstrate that, although their initial etiologies differ, both phenomena share a common neurobiological basis in crisis processing. Critical anatomical overlaps are identified in the periaqueductal gray matter (physical pain and somatization), the nucleus accumbens (anhedonia and compulsive seeking), and the anterior insula (homeostatic disruption). Clinically, the study concludes that heartbreak is a brain system in biological crisis equivalent to a true withdrawal syndrome.