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2911 Brain and Behaviour > 22 Neurobiology of sex, attachment and empathy > Flashcards

22 Neurobiology of sex, attachment and empathy Flashcards

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1
Q

How widespread is sexual dimorphism?

A

Most animals and plants - masculine and feminine form

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2
Q

What are the two main periods when sex hormones have developmental function?

A

Around period of birth and during adolescence

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3
Q

What are the main sexually dimorphic hormones for early stages of development?

A

Testosterone, oestrogen and progesterone

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4
Q

What part of brain is most involved in modulating release of sex hormones?

A

Hypothalamus

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5
Q

How does the hypothalamus influence activity influence activity of testes and ovaries?

A

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is released from the hypothalamus to…

Anterior pituitary, which produces gonadotrophins -follicle-stimulating hormone and lutenising hormone –which…

In male testes - produce sperm and testosterone

In females - produce oestrogen and progesterone

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6
Q

What is in the medial preoptic area?

A

It contains the sexually dimorphic nucleus

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7
Q

Does castration reduce sex drive?

A

Only if it’s done before puberty. In adult men, it appears testosterone does not regulate sex drive - more a habitual drive

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8
Q

How does relative length of ring and index finger in men indicate testosterone levels?

A

Longer ring finger is relative to index, more testosterone around time of birth. These men more risk-taking (eg. in financial industry) and more likely to be international footballers/coaches.

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9
Q

What is the effect of lesioning the medial preoptic area in male rats?

A

It abolishes sexual behaviour

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10
Q

What else reduces size of medial preoptic area?

A

Stress levels of parents

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11
Q

Which hormone appears to be most important in controlling women’s sexual behaviour?

A

Oestrogen

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12
Q

Which hormone appears around the time of ovulation?

A

Luteinising hormone - it stimulates ovulation

and a little bit of follicle-stimulating hormone but not very much

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13
Q

What hormone gradually builds up prior to ovulation?

A

Oestrogen, then it rapidly subsides at the moment of ovulation

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14
Q

What hormone builds up after ovulation?

A

Progesterone, which drops off during menses

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15
Q

How does female sexual behaviour change across the menstrual cycle?

A

Women’s sexual interest peaks around time of ovulation - more likely to initiate sex, have affairs, be aroused by pornography

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16
Q

Three phases of menstrual cycle?

A

Follicular (high in oestrogen)
Ovulatory (high in luteinising hormone)
Luteal (high in progesterone)

17
Q

How does type of male faced preferred change across the menstrual cycle?

A

In follicular stage or ovulation stage, women more attracted to rugged features in men - square jaw, bushy eyebrows

18
Q

How does the masculine/feminine face preference make sense evolutionarily?

A

Women prefer more masculine face when ovulating - healthier babies; but more feminine face the rest of the time - better provider, less violent

19
Q

How does preference for smell differ in women over menstrual cycle?

A

Prefer smell of men who are genetically different at follicular stage - hybrid vigour

20
Q

What is the effect of knocking out oestrogen receptors in female mice?

A

No interest in sex, no lordosis

21
Q

What is lordosis?

A

A posture assumed by some female mammals during mating, in which the back is arched downward.

22
Q

What’s the difference between montane voles (sex fiends) and prairie voles (pair bonders)?

A

Only in prairie voles can oxytocin stimulate the release of dopamine - mesolimbocortical desire/reward pathway

23
Q

What is oxytocin?

A

It’s a nonapeptide, released from pituitary gland after signal from hypothalamus. It’s important for:

Lactating, signals to let down milk
Contractions during labour

24
Q

What is arginine vasopressin?

A

Nonapeptide, hypothalamus -> pituitary gland. It’s important for:

Homeostatic affects of water retention in kidneys (yawn)

25
Q

What interpersonal effects do oxytocin and vasopressin have?

A

They increase probability of forming pair bonds. In prairie voles, oxytocin important for females, vasopressin for males.

26
Q

What role does oxytocin play in maternal care?

A

Helps lactating, but also induces pair bonding between mother and child

27
Q

What is the effect of intranasal spray of oxytocin/vasopressin?

A

For women, oxytocin helps perceive emotionality in faces and remember faces

For males, vasopressin has same effect

28
Q

How might oxytocin be linked to the effects of ecstasy?

A

The prosocial “love drug” effects of ecstasy may be mediated by oxytocin. If rats given oxytocin antagonist while on ecstasy, the cease prosocial behaviour - crawling on each other etc. Same goes for prosocial effects of alcohol.

29
Q

How does romantic love correlate with activity in the dopaminergic system?

A

When subjects in fMRI asked to visualise someone they’re passionately in love with, activation of mesolimbocortical DA reward pathway activated - same as with drugs

30
Q

How might oxytocin be linked to the effects of ecstasy?

A

The prosocial “love drug” effects of ecstasy may be mediated by oxytocin. If rats given oxytocin antagonist while on ecstasy, the cease prosocial behaviour - crawling on each other etc. Same goes for prosocial effects of alcohol.

31
Q

How does romantic love correlate with activity in the dopaminergic system?

A

When subjects in fMRI asked to visualise someone they’re passionately in love with, activation of mesolimbocortical DA reward pathway activated - same as with drugs

32
Q

What systems are involved in the functioning of mirror neurons?

A

Visual input from posterior superior temporal sulcus; frontal lobe pre-motor cortex structures, parietal lobe structures

33
Q

Why are mirror neurons important in theory of mind?

A

They allow you to model the behaviours of others and attribute intentions to those behaviour

34
Q

What systems are involved in the functioning of mirror neurons?

A

Visual input

35
Q

What part of the brain responds to pain?

A

Anterior cingulate cortex

36
Q

How does the brain function of seeing someone in pain differ between psychopaths and control?

A

Control group has activation of somatosensory cortex (related to body part in pain) and anterior cingulate cortex (related to pain) - brain replays the pain. For psychopath, reward pathways are activated.

37
Q

What does the Heider-Simmel theory of mind demonstration suggest about attribution of intentionality?

A

Humans have innate tendency to attribute intentionality - even to inanimate shapes

2911 Brain and Behaviour (30 decks)

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