Chapter 8 Flashcards
Sympathetic Nervous System
activates during bodies arousal
- increases physiological symptoms and shuts sown digestion
Emotion
an increase or decrease in physiological activity accompanied by feelings that are characteristic of the emotion
- often accompanied by behaviour or facial expression
Parasympathetic
certain emotions activate this
- shuts down the body following arousal
- rest and digest
- decreases symptoms created by the sympathetic nervous system
James Lange Theory
emotional experience come from physiological arousal that recedes it
- different emotion are result of different patterns of arousal
- emotion comes after the bodies reaction, then the brain tells you why your body is reacting this way
- early research supported this theory
Cognitive Theory
belief that identity of an emotion is based on cognitive assessments of a situation
- emotion is a cognitive choice
- mental and physiological arousal combine to create emotion
- can be mental without physical
- can explain why some people misidentify their emotion
Integrative Embodiment Theory of Emotion
combination of the James Lange Theory and Cognitive Theory
Mirror Neurons
neurons that fire both when we engage in a specific act and while observing the same act in others
- empathy is related to the number of active mirror neurons you have
- first discovered in monkeys
- narcissists wouldn’t have mirror neurons in the emotion system
Limbic System
network of structures arranged around upper brain stem
- central to emotion, motivation, learning, and memory
- emotion processed in hind, mid, and forebrain
Hypothalamus
primary control over the autonomic system
- produces general autonomic activation
- accompanied by feelings of fear, rage, or pleasure, depending on the location of the electrode
Type of brain imaging used for emotion
functional
Amygdala
small limbic system structure near lateral ventricle of temporal lobes
- associated with fear and anxiety
Short SLC6A4 Allele
reduced serotonin and increased fear/anxiety due to hyper-responsive amygdala
Bilateral Amygdala Damage
patients with this do not experience traditional dear responses to external stimuli
- still have internal fear
Insular Cortex
involved in disgust
- cortical projection site for taste
Basal Ganglia
involved in disgust
- involved in motor functions
- plays role I the face made and recognizing the face of disgust on someone else’s faec
- damaged; inability tor recognize disgust on others faces
- OCD and Hutingston; abnormalities basal ganglia
Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC)
- attention, decision-making, impulse control
- relates to emotion
- involved in all emotional activity but linked most to stronger emotions like sadness and happiness
Macrophage
ingests invaders and displays foreign antigens
T cells
attracted by specific antigens
- different T cells for different antigens
B cells
produce antibodies that attack a particular cell type
Leukocytes
white blood cells
- recognize invaders by the unique proteins that every cel has on the surface and kills them
Natural Killer Cells
attack and destroy certain kinds of cancer cells and cells infected with viruses
- less specific than a T or B cell
- attack cells that have already been infected
Microglia
acts like macrophages vs any agents that get through
- only immune cell that protects the CNS through the blood-brain barrier
Prolonged stress negative side effects
- memory interference
- appetite changes
- diminished sexual desire and performance
- depleted energy
- disrupted mood
- compromised immune system
- worsened concentration
Stress
condition in environment that makes unusual demands on an organism
- threat, failure, or bereavement
Sudden Cardiac Death
excessive sympathetic activity with stress sends heart into fibrillation, contracting so rapidly that it pumps little or no blood
Chronic Stress
can change the structure of the brain and kills cells
- functional and structural degeneration
- more active amygdala ( increase negative emotions), under ac
- cause hippocampus damage
Hypothalamus
stimulates adrenal medulla to release epinephrine and norepinephrine
- increase output from the heart and liberate glucose from the muscles for additional energy
Adrenal Medulla
releases norepinephrine and epinephrine
- also releases cortisol
Cortisol
stress hormone
- increases in metabolism, glucose availability, and blood supply to the skeletal muscles
Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone
stimulates the synthesis and release of adrenocorticotropic hormone from the pituitary gland
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone
ACTH
- binds to the adrenal cortex and triggers release of cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine
- triggers stress-reducing response from target organs
- decrease subsequent release of hormones in this pathway
Type D ‘distressed’ Personality
personality linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease
Introversion
moderately heritable
- more likely to be anxious
Congenital Insensitivity to Pain
rare genetic disorder of PNS in which people are unable to sense pain
- prone to injury
- about the sensation not the perception of pain
- don’t have the senses to receive pain
Stress can mutate genes
mutated genes can be passed on to offspring
- this is why we think chronic stress decreases sexual desire so these genes are not passed onto offspring
Pain
intentional pain hurts more than accidental pain
- this is due to it’s connection to emotion and intentional pain also triggers an emotional response
- adaptive emotion
- processed in the somatosensory cortex
- activates anterior cingulate cortex, which connects to limbic system
Aggression
forceful or assertive behaviour that is intended to harm or control another
Predatory Aggression
aggression that occurs when an animal attacks and kills its prey or when a human makes a premeditated, unprovoked attack on another
Prolonged Pain
- recruits prefrontal cortex to make long term plan to deal with it
Affective Aggression
aggression characterized by it’s impulsiveness and emotional arousal
Proactive (instrumental) Aggression
aggression that is unprovoked and emotionless and is intended to bring about some gain for the aggressor
Reactive (impulsive) Aggression
aggression that occurs in response to a threat, real or imagined, and is characterized by heightened emotionality
Brain Structures involved in Aggression
Amygdala- detects and responds to threats
Prefrontal cortex- moderates aggression with regard to amygdala
Hypothalamus- primary instigator or aggressive behaviour
Insula and Anterior Cingulate- (when emotion is involved
Testosterone
plays a role in animals and both male and female human aggression
- reduces functional connectivity between orbitofrontal cortex and the amygdala, leading to poor emotion regulation
- relationship between aggression and testosterone highly variable without considering other influences
Serotonin
conventionally inhibitory, suppressing motivated behaviors
- low serotonin is linked to impulsive aggression
- reducing connectivity in prefrontal cortex with the amygdala
- amygdala therefore overreacts to threats
type of aggression determines what brain area is involved
activity in temporal lobe is either enhanced or reduced; enhanced for reactive aggression, reduced for reactive aggression
Cortisol
inhibitory to aggression
- low cortisol has high levels of calculating and unemotional aggression
SSRI’s to treat low serotonin
increase serotonin decreases aggression
- increases connectivity in prefrontal cortex
Heredity of Aggression
50% of aggression is heritable
-several genes that are involved in aggression
MAOA Gene
- enzyme that degrades serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine
- too much of this increases aggression
- deficiencies in MAOA associated with impulsive aggression
?
developmental and functional
communication within the cell
cellular function and maintenance
Environmental Influences
- childhood abuse (physical or sexual)
- family adversity
- low socioeconomic status
- pre-adulthood cannabis consumption or alcohol abuse
- living in a big city
