Resumen
El amor romántico es un sentimiento complejo característicamente dirigido hacia una sola persona, que involucra componentes eróticos, cognitivos, emocionales y conductuales. Estos componentes y su estrecha relación son difíciles de describir por separado. Esta dificultad es una consideración necesaria tanto para la investigación en modelos animales, como para estudios en seres humanos. Tomados de forma individual, cada uno de los procesos cognitivos se puede asociar a análogos en otros organismos, que sirven como punto de partida para el estudio de la neurobiología del amor. La presente revisión toma la perspectiva desde los factores neuroendocrinos involucrados en procesos cognitivos asociados al amor romántico. Las regiones neuroanatómicas involucradas se discuten en el contexto de la densidad de neurotransmisores y sus receptores, y de sus patrones de activación bajo diferentes estímulos en imágenes funcionales.
Citas
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