17: Biopsychology of Emotion, Stress, and Health Flashcards
Medial prefrontal lobes are involved in…
Planning and emotion.
Darwin believed that expressions of emotion are…
Products of evolution, e.g. threat displays.
Principle of antithesis…
Opposite messages are often signalled by opposite movements, e.g. submission and aggression.
James-Lange Theory for emotion…
- The experience of emotion is induced by changes in autonomic behaviour (e.g. pulse increase), which in turn are induced by the emotional event.
- Emotional experience depends entirely on feedback from autonomic and somatic nervous system activity.
Cannon-Bard Theory for emotion…
- Believes that emotional experience and emotional expression are parallel, causually unrelated processes. They are both independently excited by the emotional stimuli.
- Emotional experience is totally independent of such feedback.
Both James-Lange and Cannon-Bard theories are wrong…
- Emotion can be experienced independently of both autonomic and somatic feedback.
- But the feedback of these systems can have an important influence.
Sham rage…
The disproportionately aggressive responses to touch produced by decorticated cats.
Through sham rage, Bard discovered that…
- Hypothalamus has role in producing aggressive responses.
- The cortex’s role is involved in inhibiting such responses.
Kluver-Bucy Syndrome…
- Removal of monkey’s anterior temporal lobes induced inappropriate eating and sexual behaviour, repetitive exploration of familiar objects, and lack of fear.
- Related to damage to amygdala.
Polygraphy…
Lie detector (specifically, emotion detector). Measures ANS responses.
Control-question technique..
- An interviewing method employed in mock-crime procedures.
- Assumption is that lies are related to increased sympathetic activation.
Guilt-knowledge technique…
- Counters obstacles of lie-dectection.
- Observes the reactions of a guilty suspect to actual and contrived details of a crime.
The 6 primary facial expressions…
- Surprise, anger, sadness, disgust, happiness, and fear.
- But may be more, such as embarrassment, contempt, and pride.
Facial Feedback Hypothesis…
Putting on a facial expression is more likely to induce that emotion.
The two facial muscles that are contracted during genuine/Duchenne smiles…
- Orbicularis oculi - creases around eyes and forehead. Cannot be induced voluntarily.
- Zygomaticus major - pulls lip corners up. Can be induced voluntarily.
Fear conditioning…
A response of fear from associating a previously non-threatening conditional stimulus to an unconditionally threatening stimulus via exposure.
Bilateral lesions to the medial geniculate nucleus blocks…
- Auditory fear conditioning.
- But lesions directly to auditory cortex doesn’t.
Similarly, lesions to the amygdala blocks…
- Auditory fear conditioning.
There are 2 pathways from the medial geniculate nucleus to the amygdala…
1 - Directly from one to the other. Fear conditioning for simple sounds.
2 - Indirectly via the auditory cortex. Fear conditioning for complex sounds.
The hippocampus has a role in what type of fear conditioning?
Contextual fear conditioning.
Which particular part of the amygdala is involved in conditioned fear?
The lateral nucleus.
The prefrontal cortex projects to the lateral nucleus of the amygdala to…
Suppress conditioned fear.
Aggression directed by the alpha male of a colony at a male intruder is called…
Social aggression.
What is the usual target site of rat-defensive attacks towards the attacking rat?
Face.
Testosterone increases what type of aggression in rats?
Social aggression.
Human violent outbursts are not aggressive attacks, but…
Defensive attacks.
Selye attributed the stress response to the activation of the APAC…
Anterior-pituitary adrenal-cortex system.
(Selye argued that) Stressors act to release what hormone?
Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).
(Selye argued that) In turn, ACTH triggers the release of…
Glucocorticoids, which produce most physiological stress responses.
What is the most common method for measuring physiological stress?
Observing the levels of circulating glucocorticoids.
Stressors activate the SNS and trigger the release of what two neurotransmitters?
- Epinephrine
- Norepinephrine
Just think of drugs and mental disorders… These are key neurotransmitters involved.
Epinephrine and norepinephrine are released from the…
Adrenal medulla.
What is the main assumption of Selye’s theory for stress?
- Both physical and psychological stressors induce the same general stress response.
- Only one stress response? Oversimplification!
Brief stressors generate an increase of what major stress hormone in the blood?
Cytokines.
Subordination stress…
- When conspecific stress becomes a part of daily life.
- Usually studied in dominance hierarchies (pecking orders).
Psychosomatic disorders…
Medical disorders that have a psychological cause.
Gastric ulcers…
- Lesions to stomach lining and duodenum which can sometimes be fatal.
- Thought to be psychosomatic, but actual cause is bacteria-related. But stress is associated.
Psychoneuroimmunology is the study of…
The interaction between psychological factors, the nervous system, and the immune system.
Antigens…
Protein molecules on body’s surface that have a role in identifying native (body) or foreign cells for the body.
The two sub-systems of the mammalian immune system…
- Innate immune system
- Adaptive immune system
Innate immune system…
- First line of defence, acting near body entry points.
- Attempts to destroy pathogens (disease-causing agents).
Adaptive immune system…
- Activated if innate immune system fails to destroy pathogen.
- Binds to antigens of foreign cells and destroys or marks them for destruction. Has a memory for foreign cells.
Vaccinations work by…
- Exposing a weak version of a virus to the adaptive immune system so that it is safely able to learn and remember virus for potential later infection.
Immunisation…
Immunity via vaccination.
Toll-like receptors…
- Activate the innate immune system.
- So-called because of toll-like structure.
Phagocytes…
- Pathogen-destroying cells.
- Contain toll-like receptors which destory pathogens when they bind to them.
Phagocytosis…
The destruction of pathogens.
Phagocytes release cytokines to produce an…
Inflammatory responses, and also to attract more phagocytes.
Also activate lymphocytes of the adaptive immune system.
Cell-mediated immunity is directed by…
T cells (T lymphocytes).
Antibody-mediated immunity is directed by…
B cells (B lymphocytes).
Antibodies…
Synthesised by B cells; is a lethal receptor molecule.
T-reg cells (regulatory T cells)…
- Combat autoimmune diseases by destroying faulty T cells involved.
Autoimmune diseases…
- When T cells mistake body tissue for foreign cells and start destroying it!
- e.g. multiple sclerosis.
What type of stress is beneficial for the INNATE immune system?
Eustress. Short, acute stressors.
What type of stress is detrimental to the ADAPTIVE immune system?
Distress. Long-lasting/chronic stressors.
What is a short-term cytokine-induced inflammatory response?
Help combat infection.
Long-term cytokine release…
Detrimental effects to immune system.
What effects does stress have on the hippocampus? (2)
- Reduces dendritic branching which reduces later neurogenesis.
- Disrupts hippocampus-based tasks.
Rat pups groomed intensely by their mothers showed a decreased release of what hormone in response to stress in adulthood?
Glucocorticoid.
Corticosterone is a major type of…
Glucocorticoid.
Embodiment of emotions…
The repetition of motor, autonomic, and neural patterns during emotional experience.
Mirror-like system…
Mirror neurons are also engaged in the experiencing and seeing of emotion interactively. May be basis for human empathy.
Amygdala is more involved in what aspects of fear?
The perception of it, rather than the experience.
Urbach-Wiethe disease…
- Genetic disorder; calcification (hardening of calcium) of the amygdala.
- Disables ability to perceive fear.
Suppression paradigms…
- A method for studying medial prefrontal lobe activity.
- Exposes participants to unpleasant stimuli and instructs participants to inhibit emotional responses.
Reappraisal paradigms…
- Method for studying medial prefrontal lobe activity.
- Participants instructed to change emotional reaction to a picture.
Right-hemisphere model for the cerebral lateralisation of emotion…
The right-hemisphere has role in emotional processing.
Valence model for the cerebral lateralisation of emotion…
Right hemisphere: Negative emotion processing.
Left hemisphere: Positive emotion processing.
