Ch. 29: Emotional Regulation and Mood

Question 1

emotional regualtion

Answer 1

ability to manage emotional responses to environmental stimuli that are perceived as aversive (cause strong dislike) or negative

Question 2

anxiety (define & s/s)

Answer 2

apprhension mixed with fear or worry that occurs in response to a real or perceived threat

(s/s): {apprehension intiates somatice response} palpitations, sweating, tachypnea or nausea
{fear response can be adaptive} alertness for potential danger

Question 3

GAD (define)

Answer 3

(generalized anxiety disorder)
state of excessive worrying that interferes w/ daily function

Question 4

SAD (define)

Answer 4

(social anxiety disorder)
conditon characterized by periods of significant fear resulting from a feeling of being judged that = impairment of daily function

Question 5

Panic disorder (define)

Answer 5

condition characterized by sudden episodes of intense fear that often results in increased sympathetic function

Question 6

general ages affected by anxiety

Answer 6

18-54

Question 7

fear-centered anxiety disorders

Answer 7

panic disorder and social anxiety disorder (SAD)

may occur following a situation the mind associates with overwhelming negative consequences

Question 8

worry-centered anxiety disorders

Answer 8

GAD
functional disruptions in neuronal circuitry; increased activity on the part of the cortical-striatal-thalamic pathway

Question 9

risks for development of anxiety

Answer 9

genetic: 1st degree relative increases chance; variation on (5-HT) transporter gene (SLC6A4) related to hyperreactivity of amygdala
(5-HTTLPR = inadequte response to SSRI)

familial: parent who is anxious models anxious repsonses; possibly reinforce fearful behavior

environmental: negative and stressful life events, socio-economic status, and culture

Question 10

anxiety’s comorbidity partner?

Answer 10

depression

Question 11

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

Answer 11

(SSRI)
widely used for anxiety

Question 12

consolidation (fear conditioning)

Answer 12

occurs largely in the amygdala, where memories of fearful stimuli are stored

long term potentiation: single fearful event stored as long term memory

Question 13

reconsolidation

Answer 13

an older memory is activated once again and reinforced; the reactivated memory becomes a new experience

Question 14

conditioned stimulus

Answer 14

external stimulus: picked up by sensory organs
internal stimulus: arise from thoughts or bodily sensations

{beginning of the fear conditioning pathway}

Question 15

three roles of the amygdala in response to stimuli

Answer 15

1) grants significance on the stimuli that come from the thalamus or the hypothalamus
2) holds “emotional memories”
3) has extensive projections to motor areas and areas of the brainstem that control autonomic responses (e.g., heart rate, breathing)

Question 16

conditioned response

Answer 16

child climbs over a fence into a neighbors yard and gets chased by a dog; if this occurs multiple times = fear learning
the now-grown child sees an empty yard, has a conditoned response of apprehension of “what if” there’s a dog about to chase me?

Question 17

prefrontal cortex

Answer 17

• registers and assigns menaing to emotions from memories of the amygdala
• weighing action on the basis of potential reward and helps the individual to adjust to changing circumstances
• (ACC) balancing emotion and thought & controlling attention

Question 18

caudate nucleus

Answer 18

unease is felt = do something about it; action-reward sequencing

common feature in SAD: negative information processing bias

Question 19

a sense of apprehension that prompts to amygdala to fire = a conditioned response = …

Answer 19

increase in the flow of norepinephrine (NE) = anxiety w/ stress

Question 20

GABA

Answer 20

(gamma aminobutyric acid)
primary inhibitory AA neurotransmitter of the CNS

balances the mind/body when in overstressed by CRH (corticotropin-releasing hormone) or sustained for too long

Question 21

extinction

Answer 21

process in which a new association forms between a conditioned stimulus and a conditioned response

key to cognitive treatments for anxiety

Question 22

when the body enters into a stressful state, NE increases and causes…

Answer 22

increases in locus coeruleus, limbic system, cerebral cortex

locus coeruleus: site of NE synthesis

causing an overproduction of NE; making the GABA-BDZ effect too little = why Tx for panic disorders are fast acting BDZ (lorazepam)

Question 23

serotonin and anxiety

Answer 23

neurotrans. 5-HT, drugs that increase 5HT (SSRIs) are effective against anxiety, specifically SAD

Question 24

first line of treatment of anxiety disorder

Answer 24

SSRIs or SNRIs; safest and least side effects

paroxetine (Paxil), used for all anxiety disorders
sertraline (Zoloft), used for all except GAD

Question 25

nonpharmacologic therapy for anxiety

Answer 25

CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), the anxious individual learns to identify and challenge the fearful automatic and catastrophic thoughts

individuals learn how to identify these automatic thoughts, evaluate their accuracy, and then practice alternative, more realistic ways of thinking about their responses

Question 26

how best to practice realistic thoughts in an anxiety-inducing event?

Answer 26

exposure therapy; taught to experience the fear fully yet remaining safe

Question 27

depression

Answer 27

a mood disorder in which the individual has persistent feelings of sadness and lack of interest in life

Question 28

MDD

Answer 28

(major depressive disorder)
clinical syndrome characterized by the presence of one or more depressive episodes of 2+ weeks over an individual’s lifetime

Question 29

MDD (s/s)

Answer 29

depressed mood, significant less interest in activity, change in weight and sleep patterns, feeling worthlessness or guilt

Question 30

persistent depressive disroder

Answer 30

(aka dysthymia)
depressed mood (feeling sad or down) that occurs on more days than not for at least 2 years

Question 31

premenstral dysphoric disorder

Answer 31

severe form of PMS in which typical PMS symptoms appear so severe that they affect womens mental health = depression or anxiety

Question 32

risk factors/causes of depression

Answer 32

family history
depression could be a consequence of CVD, cerebrovascular disease, HIV, cancer, epilepsy
bidirectional association with alzhiemers and parkinsons

Question 33

specific monoamine neurotransmitters for depression

Answer 33

5-HT (serotonin)
NE (norepinephrine)
DA (dopamine)

Question 34

serotonin is responsible for

Answer 34

obsessions, compulsions, impulse, sex, appetite, aggression

Question 35

dopamine is responsible for

Answer 35

motivation, pleasure, reward, drive

Question 36

norepinephrine is responsible for

Answer 36

alertness, energy, interest, irritability

in combination with dopamine = sense of hope and life purpose

Question 37

720-721