ch. 11.2 Attack and escape behaviors Flashcards
What relationship did Caspi et al. (2002) report between the
enzyme MAOA and antisocial behavior?
Overall, people with genes for high or low production of MAOA do not differ significantly in their probability of antisocial behavior. However, among those who suffered serious maltreatment during childhood, people with lower levels of the enzyme showed higher rates
of antisocial behavior.
Why did researchers test the effects of testosterone on
women?
Studying the correlation between men’s testosterone and their aggressive behavior does not demonstrate cause and effect.
Administering testosterone to women is more likely to produce demonstrable effects because women start with a lower level.
If we want to know how much serotonin the brain has been releasing, what should we measure?
the concentration of 5-HIAA, a serotonin metabolite, in the cerebrospinal fluid or other body fluids.
The more 5-HIAA, the more serotonin has been released and presumably resynthesized
What is the relationship between cortisol and aggressive behavior?
Cortisol
tends to inhibit impulsive behaviors, including aggression.
What brain mechanism enables the startle reflex to be so fast?
Loud noises activate a path from the cochlea to cells in the pons that trigger a tensing of neck muscles.
Amygdala is also critical to increase og decrease the startle reflex
How could a researcher use the startle reflex to determine whether some stimulus causes fear?
Pres- ent the stimulus before giving a loud noise. If the stimulus increases the startle reflex beyond its usual level,
then the stimulus produced fear
Given that the amygdala becomes more active when an expression is harder to interpret, can you explain why it does not respond strongly to happy faces?
Smiling faces are easy to interpret!
If you wanted to predict which soldiers might have the greatest difficulty dealing with combat stress, what brain measurement might be worth trying?
. Examine amygdala responses to disturbing pic- tures. In one study, soldiers with the greatest amygdala responses were the most likely to report great combat stress. Determining the strength of connections between prefrontal cortex and amygdala might
be helpful also.
Why do people with amygdala damage have trouble recog-
nizing expressions of fear?
They focus their vision on the nose and mouth. Expressions of fear depend almost entirely on the eyes
What evidence indicates that a smaller than average hippo-
campus makes people more vulnerable to PTSD?
For victims of PTSD who have a monozygotic twin, the twin also has a smaller than average hippocampus, even if he or she does not have PTSD. Also, people with a smaller hippocampus are less likely to recover easily
from PTSD
What would be the effect of benzodiazepines on someone
who had no GABA?
Benzodiazepines facilitate the effects of GABA, so a person without GABA would not respond to benzodiazepines
how does anti-anxiety drugs work?
Anti-anxiety drugs decrease fear by facilitating the binding of the neurotransmitter GABA to the GABAA receptors
