The Neurochemistry of Heartbreak: Unravelling the Complex Interplay of Brain Regions, Emotions and Neurotransmitters in Relationship Breakups

Arnab Roy, Mahesh Kumar Yadav, Ankita Singh, Indrajeet Kumar Mahto, Abhijit Kumar, Abhinav Kumar, Rajnish Raj , Niraj Kumar, Balram Mahto, Aliya Neshab, Avishek Raj, Sandeep Kumar, Khushboo Kumari, Shruti Kumari, Manvi Kumari, Mina Patel,

doi:10.5281/zenodo.15861168

Review Paper | Open Access
Volume 02 | Issue 07 | Article Id IJSRT/250307013

The Neurochemistry of Heartbreak: Unravelling the Complex Interplay of Brain Regions, Emotions and Neurotransmitters in Relationship Breakups
Arnab Roy* ¹ Mahesh Kumar Yadav ² Ankita Singh ³ Indrajeet Kumar Mahto ¹ Abhijit Kumar ⁴ Abhinav Kumar ⁴ Rajnish Raj ⁴ Niraj Kumar ⁴ Balram Mahto ⁴ Aliya Neshab ⁴ Avishek Raj ⁴ Sandeep Kumar ⁴ Khushboo Kumari ⁴ Shruti Kumari ⁴ Manvi Kumari ⁴ Mina Patel ⁴
¹Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medical Science and Research, Department of Pharmacy, Sai Nath University, Ranchi, Jharkhand 835219, India.
²Principal In-charge, Faculty of Medical Science and Research, Department of Pharmacy, Sai Nath University, Ranchi, Jharkhand 835219, India.
³Vice-principal, Faculty of Medical Science and Research, Department of Pharmacy, Sai Nath University, Ranchi, Jharkhand 835219, India.
⁴Student, B. Pharm, Faculty of Medical Science and Research, Department of Pharmacy, Sai Nath University, Ranchi, Jharkhand 835219, India

Abstract

Romantic relationship represents one of the most intense forms of heartbreak social pain arising out of disintegration, often leading to prolonged emotional pain. Emotional evidence from neuroimaging studies has shown that the brain processes heartbreaking in ways that are attained by physical pain, especially the anterior cingulate cortex. This review synthesizes the current findings of how the intervention in the attachment system activates the overlapping nervous circuit responsible for the perception of pain, reduces the sensitivity to the reward, and increases stress reactions. There are central neurochemical changes for this process that include dopamine and oxytocin, two major neurotransmitters that regulate relationships, motivations and emotional regulation. We discuss personal variability in further sensitivity and recover from heartbreak, informing why some individuals experience deep psychological wounds. Understanding the neurobiology of heartbreak not only deepens our understanding of human attachment and social pain, but also has important implications for developing clinical intervention targeted to reduce emotional crisis.

Keywords

heartbreak, social pain, attachment, dopamine, oxytocin, anterior cingulate cortex, neuroimaging

Introduction

Romantic relations experience disintegration - commonly called "heartbreak" - a universal human experience that crosses cultural boundaries and historical ages. Despite its omnipresent, the neurobiological underpinning of heartbreak has recently initiated a systematic examination through a lens of modern neurology. Acute emotional pain associated with relationship breakup is often more than rivals or physical pain in its subjective intensity, suggests shared neurobiological mechanisms that have developed to induce social relations and prevent relationship dissolution. Heartbreak's scientific examination sits at the intersection of several major neuro scientific domains, including social neurology, emotional neurology, and stress biology. The concept of "social pain" - as an unpleasant experience arising out of real or potential psychological distance from close people - has emerged as a central structure to understand heartbreak. This structure suggests that social rejection and loss pain shares neurobiological system with physical pain, which reflects the evolutionary significance of social connections for survival. Contemporary neuro scientific research employs several functioning approaches to investigate heart breakdown, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), electroencephalography (EEG), and biochemical analysis of neurotransmitters. These complementary approaches have shown that Heartbreak involves complex interaction between brain areas associated with reward processing, pain perception, attachment, and emotional regulation [1, 2].

Neuroanatomical Foundations of Heartbreak

The Social Pain Network ^{[3, 4]}

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Arnab Roy

Corresponding author

Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical Science and Research, Sai Nath University, Ranchi, Jharkhand 835219, India

Mahesh Kumar Yadav

Co-author

Principal In-charge, Faculty of Medical Science and Research, Department of Pharmacy, Sai Nath University, Ranchi, Jharkhand 835219, India.

Ankita Singh

Co-author

Vice Principal, Faculty of Medical Science and Research, Department of Pharmacy, Sai Nath University, Ranchi, Jharkhand-835219, India.

Indrajeet Kumar Mahto

Co-author

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medical Science and Research, Sai Nath University, Ranchi, Jharkhand 835219, India.