10. Neurobiology of Emotions

Question 1

Emotion is a response of the whole organism, what are the 3 components that it involves?

Answer 1

Physiological arousal
Expressive behaviours
Conscious experience

Question 2

At what level does physiological arousal occur?

Answer 2

Anatomical level & hormonal level

Question 3

At what level do expressive behaviours occur?

Answer 3

At behavioural level

Question 4

At what level does the conscious experience occur?

Answer 4

At cognitive level

Question 5

What is the evolutionary advantage of emotions?

Answer 5

Darwin believed emotions evolved from behaviours that would indicate what an animal would do next in a given situation and these would be advantageous to the animal

Question 6

Why are negative emotions useful?

Answer 6

As motivation for moving away from what one doesn’t want

Question 7

What are positive emotions useful for?

Answer 7

Motivation for moving towards what one does want

Question 8

Describe James-Lange’s theory

Answer 8

They contradicted the common-sense view that emotion causes the physiological response and instead theorised that the physiological response is what then causing the emotion being expressed

Question 9

Describe Cannon-Bard’s theory

Answer 9

That the physiological response and emotional response trigger simultaneously

Question 10

Why are neither James-Lange or Cannon-Bard’s theory correct?

Answer 10

Because emotions can be induced by stimuli that cannot elicit a peripheral, visceral response (e.g. patients suffering from a spinal cord transection)
&
Visceral responses can often induce an emotional state in the absence of any obvious stimuli (e.g. a racing heartbeat can produce feelings of fear)

Question 11

Describe Schater-Singer’s theory

Answer 11

The two-factor theory of emotions - to experience emotion one must: be physically aroused and cognitively label the arousal (e.g. I am afraid)

Question 12

What are the two dimensions of emotion?

Answer 12

Valance & Arousal

Question 13

Describe a positive valence, high arousal state?

Answer 13

Joy

Question 14

Describe a low arousal, negative valence state?

Answer 14

Sadness

Question 15

Which system controls our arousal?

Answer 15

The autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Question 16

What is the ANS?

Answer 16

Part of the NS responsible for control of bodily functions not consciously directed (e.g. breathing, heartbeat and digestive processes)

Question 17

Describe the role of Epinephrine

Answer 17

A hormone that increases heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels in times of emergence

Question 18

Emotions can be expressed by what?

Answer 18

The face, the body and the intonation of the voice

Question 19

Describe Ekamn and Friesen’s work

Answer 19

They analysed hundreds of films and photos of people experiencing emotions and concluded that they are 6 primary facial expressions

Question 20

Particular brain regions are involved in emotion, but often the same areas seem to be involved in many different emotions, through what experimentation do we know this?

Answer 20

Through the electrical stimulation of the septum in rodents

Question 21

How do we know that emotional behaviours must be organised at a subcortical level, with the cerebral cortex normally providing inhibition of emotional responsiveness?.

Answer 21

As a result of decorticate cats/dogs responding with unusual aggression to the slightest provocation

Question 22

Describe the features of the Papez Circuit (Papez, 1937)

Answer 22

It is the subcortical circuit of emotion

Emotional system on the medial wall of the brain, linking the cortex to the hypothalamus

Question 23

Describe the limbic system

Answer 23

Neo cortex => Cingulate cortex => hippocampus => hypothalamus => anterior nuclei of thalamus

Question 24

At which levels of the limbic system do emotional colouring, emotional experience, and emotional expression occur?

Answer 24

Emotional colouring = Neocortex
Emotional experience = Cingulate cortex
Hypothalamus = Emotiona expression

Question 25

Outline the evidence for which the limbic system exists

Answer 25

Temporal lobe lesion in primates induced Kluver-Bucy Syndrome which meant they had no fear or aggression, deeper regions of the temporal lobe (including sites within the limbic system) were implicated

Question 26

What is the amygdala responsible for?

Answer 26

Fear

Question 27

Of you have a lesion in the Amygdala, there is no processing of what?

Answer 27

Fear

Question 28

The amygdala appears to be very involved in the ___ of fear as opposed to the ____

Answer 28

Perception was opposed to the expression

Question 29

Describe the role of the left hemisphere in terms of emotions

Answer 29

It is less involved in the perception of emotion, lesions in the LH can lead to depressive symptoms

Question 30

Describe the role of the right hemisphere in terms of emotions

Answer 30

RH is more involved in perception of emotion, specifically facial expression and prosody, lesions in the RH can lead to euphoric symptoms

Question 31

What is prosody?

Answer 31

The melody of speech that conveys sincerity, sarcasm etc.

Question 32

Describe Bartles & Zeki’s (2000) findings in terms of love compared with friendship

Answer 32

Love compared with friendship involved increased activity in the insult and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and sub cortically in the caudate and putamen (bilaterally)