neuroanatomyblog:

[…] Music that people described as highly emotional engaged the reward system deep in their brains — activating subcortical nuclei known to be important in reward, motivation and emotion. Subsequently we found that listening to what might be called “peak emotional moments” in music — that moment when you feel a “chill” of pleasure to a musical passage — causes the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine, an essential signaling molecule in the brain.

When pleasurable music is heard, dopamine is released in the striatum — an ancient part of the brain found in other vertebrates as well — which is known to respond to naturally rewarding stimuli like food and sex and which is artificially targeted by drugs like cocaine and amphetamine. […]

neuroanatomyblog:

Glial cells are a type of brain cell. They are just as important as neurons, because they help them to do their jobs. They are the ‘support cells’ that bring nutrients to the neurons. They also hold them in place, protect them and clear away rubbish. 

Your brain has about 10 times more glial cells than neurons, and there are several different types, for example, astrocytes.

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