Chapter 29 - Emotions Flashcards
Who first coined the term limbic lobe?
Paul Broca in 1878 used this term (le grand lobe limbique) to refer to the part of the cerebral cortex that forms a rim (limbus is Latin for rim) around the corpus callosum and diencephalon on the medial face of the hemispheres.
Paul Broca in 1878 used the term limbic lobe (le grand lobe limbique) to refer to the part of the cerebral cortex that forms a rim (limbus is Latin for rim) around the corpus callosum and diencephalon on the medial face of the hemispheres. Two prominent components of this region are … (two gyri)
the cingulate gyrus and the parahippocampal gyrus.
What is the location of the cingulate gyrus, a part of the limbic lobe?
The cingulate gyrus lies above the corpus callosum.
What is the location of the parahippocampal gyrus, a part of the limbic lobe?
The parahippocampal gyrus surrounds the hippocampus.
The book has a very broad definition of what the amygdala does. What definition?
The amygdala mediates neural processes that invest sensory experience with emotional significance.
The book refers to a lot of studies on the amygdala, both in humans and in rats, that implicate it’s role in emotions - especially fear. What types of study designs are used in these?
They’re almost exclusively lesion studies.
The amygdala has significant connections with several cortical areas in the orbital and medial aspects of the frontal lobe. Why is such higher-order cortices recruited?
We don’t know. What we do know is that emotional responses are not stereotyped in humans. What is frightening for one individual may be perceived as benign in others, which means there must be a lot of processing in these responses.
Clinical evidence concerning the significance of the circuitry linked through the amygdala has come from functional imaging studies of …
patients suffering from depression.
Clinical evidence concerning the significance of the circuitry linked through the amygdala has come from functional imaging studies of patients suffering from depression. Why?
This clinical group is known for displaying patterns of abnormal cerebral blood flow in this area.
An area normally involved in giving emotional salience to experience, and learning from this experience, has recently been implicated as a structure relevant to addiction. Which?
The nucleus accumbens.
The nucleus accumbens receives dopaminergic projections from a collection of neurons that lies where?
The nucleus accumbens receives dopaminergic projections from a collection of neurons that lies just dorsal and medial to the substantia nigra, in a region called the ventral tegmental area (VTA).
What happens when the nucleus accumbens neurons receive dopaminergic stimulation?
It makes the nucleus accumbens more responsive, enhancing the circuitry it’s a part of. Activation of these complex limbic circuits is believed to instantiate the rewarding effects of natural agents and experiences such as food, water, micronutrition, and sex, as well as more complex social rewards.
