Lucy L. Brown

Lucy L. Brown is a neuroscientist who pioneered the study of the brain in love, becoming one of the first researchers to apply neuroimaging to romantic attachment. She has studied the function and neuroanatomy of the basal ganglia for decades, proposing that the striatum is a combinational map for sensorimotor, cognitive, and emotional stimuli. Her research on romantic love has proven relevant to understanding drug addiction, suicide, and post-breakup depression.

• Reward, Motivation, and Emotion Systems Associated With Early-Stage Intense Romantic Love (2005) Paper
• Romantic love: An fMRI study of a neural mechanism for mate choice (2005) Paper
• Reward, Addiction, and Emotional Regulation Systems Associated with Rejection in Love (2010) Paper