Chapter 17 - Biopsychology of Emotion, Stress, and Health Flashcards
James-Lange theory
The theory that emotion-inducing sensory stimuli are received and interpreted by the cortex, which triggers changes in the visceral organs via the autonomic nervous system and in the skeletal muscles via the somatic nervous system. Then, the autonomic and somatic responses trigger the experience of emotion in the brain.
Cannon-Bard theory
The theory that emotional experience and emotional expression are parallel processes that have no direct causal relation
Decorticate
Lacking a cortex
Sham rage
The exaggerated, poorly directed aggressive responses of decorticate animals
Limbic system
A collection of interconnected nuclei and tracts that ring the thalamus
Klüver-Bucy syndrome
The syndrome of behavioral changes (e.g., lack of fear and hypersexuality) that is induced in primates by bilateral damage to the anterior temporal lobes
Amygdala
A structure in the anterior temporal lobe, just anterior to the hippocampus; plays a role in emotion
Polygraphy
A method of interrogation that employs ANS indexes of emotion to infer the truthfulness of a person’s responses
Control-question technique
A lie-detection interrogation method in which the polygrapher compares the physiological responses to target questions with the responses to control questions
Guilty-knowledge technique
A lie-detection method in which the polygrapher records autonomic nervous system responses to a list of control and crime-related information known only to the guilty person and the examiner; also known as the concealed information test.
Facial feedback hypothesis
The hypothesis that our facial expressions can influence the emotions we experience
Duchenne smile
A genuine smile, one that includes contraction of the facial muscles called the orbicularis oculi
Fear
The emotional reaction that is normally elicited by the presence or expectation of threatening stimuli
Defensive behaviors
Behaviors whose primary function is protection from threat or harm
Aggressive behaviors
Behaviors whose primary function is to threaten or harm other organisms
Alpha male
The dominant male of a colony
Target-site concept
The idea that aggressive and defensive behaviors of an animal are often designed to attack specific sites on the body of another animal while protecting specific sites on its own
Fear conditioning
Establishing fear of a previously neutral conditional stimulus by pairing it with an aversive unconditional stimulus
Contextual fear conditioning
The process by which benign contexts (situations) come to elicit fear through their association with fear-inducing stimuli
Hippocampus
A structure of the medial temporal lobes that plays a role in various forms of memory
Lateral nucleus of the amygdala
The nucleus of the amygdala that plays the major role in the acquisition, storage, and expression of conditioned fear
Prefrontal cortex
The areas of frontal cortex that are anterior to the frontal motor areas
Central nucleus of the amydala
A nucleus of the amygdala that is thought to control defensive behavior
Urbach-Wiethe disease
A genetic disorder that often results in the calcification of the amygdala and surrounding brain structures
Suppression paradigms
An experimental method for studying emotion; subjects are asked to inhibit their emotional reactions to unpleasant films or photos while their brain activity is recorded
Reapparaisal paradigms
An experimental method for studying emotion; subjects are asked to reinterpret a film or photo to change their emotional reaction to it while their brain activity is recorded
Stress
The physiological changes that occur when the body is exposed to harm or threat
Stressors
Experiences that induce a stress response
Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
An anterior pituitary hormone that triggers the release of adrenal hormones from the adrenal cortices
Glucocorticoids
Steroid hormones that are released from the adrenal cortex in response to stressors
Adrenal cortex
The outer layer of each adrenal gland, which releases glucocorticoids in response to stressors, as well as small amounts of steroid hormones
Adrenal medulla
The core of each adrenal gland, which releases epinephrine and norepinephrine in response to stressors
Cytokines
A group of peptide hormones that are released by many cells and participate in a variety of physiological and immunological responses, causing inflammation and fever
Subordination stress
Stress experienced by animals, typically males, that are continually attacked by higher ranking conspecifics
Bullying
A chronic social threat that induces subordination stress in members of our species
Psychosomatic disorders
Any physical disorder that can be caused or exacerbated by stress
Gastric ulcers
Painful lesions to the lining of the stomach or duodenum
Pyschoneuroimmunology
The study of interactions among psychological factors, the nervous system, and the immune system
Immune system
The system that protects the body against infectious microorganisms
Innate immune system
The first component of the immune system to react. It reacts quickly and generally near points of entry of pathogens.
Pathogens
Disease-causing agents
Toll-like receptors
Receptors found in the cell membranes of many cells of the innate immune system; they trigger phagocytosis and inflammatory responses
Leukocytes
White blood cells
Phagocytes
Cells, such as macrophages and microglia, that destroy and ingest pathogens
Phagocytosis
The destruction and ingestion of foreign matter by cells of the immune system
Adaptive immune system
The division of the immune system that mounts targeted attacks on foreign pathogens by binding to antigens in their cell membranes
Lymphocytes
Specialized leukocytes that are produced in bone marrow and the thymus gland and play important roles in the body’s immune reactions
Cell-mediated immunity
The immune reaction by which T cells destroy invading microorganisms
T cells
T lymphocytes; lymphocytes that bind to foreign micro-organisms and cells that contain them and, in so doing, destroy them
Antibody-mediated immunity
The immune reaction in which B cells destroy invading microorganisms via the production of antibodies
B cells
B lymphocytes; lymphocytes that manufacture antibodies against antigens they encounter
Antigens
Molecules, usually proteins, that can trigger an immune response
Antibodies
Proteins that bind to foreign antigens on the surface of microorganisms and in so doing promote the destruction of the microorganisms
Vaccination
Administering a weakened form of a virus so that if the virus later invades, the adaptive immune system is prepared to deal with it
Immunization
The process of creating immunity through vaccination
Corticosterone
The predominant glucocorticoid in humans
Adrenalectomy
Surgical removal of the adrenal glands
