Emotional Brain- Rage, anger, aggression

Question 1

What are the basic 4 systems?

Answer 1

SEEKING system: pleasure, reward
RAGE system: anger
FEAR system: anxiety
PANIC system: separation, distress

Question 2

What are the 3 types of rage?

Answer 2

• Intrasexual aggression (typically male- male aggression) - in any of sexes
• Fear-induced or aversion-induced aggression - when you’re cornered, flight/fight
• Irritable aggression or frustration- induced aggression- get rat to push button for food, food stops one day, get displacement aggression cause so frustrated

Question 3

Difference between aggression and aggressiveness?

Answer 3

• Aggression = act, action or behaviour • Aggressiveness = (pre-)disposition,
trait, tendency, likelihood, probability

In other words, aggressiveness increases the likelihood of aggression.

Question 4

What are higher areas dependent on? What does this suggest?

Answer 4

• Higher areas (amygdala) are dependent on lower areas (PAG).
• This suggests that the amygdala plays a modulatory role.
• Complex, or social perceptions and motivations leading to frustration, etc.: AMYGDALA
• Simple perceptions and motivations (hunger, sex): PAG

Question 5

How do we know that androgens control sex and aggressiveness?

Answer 5

• Gender data: Males vs. females
• Developmental data: Puberty (aggression rises even in girls)
• Seasonal data: Breeding seasons (seasonal breeders become more agg.)
• Experimental data: Castration studies (if castrate too late in life may have no effect whatsoever

Question 6

How did biting after gonadectomy compare in female and male mice? After testosterone therapy?

Answer 6

Decrease in male, no change in female (stayed low)

-castrated males increased biting with hormone therapy

Question 7

What is testosterone in men related with?

Answer 7

Antisocial behav, hostility, non-aggression correlated with family happiness and low T.

Question 8

What is testosterone in women related with?

Answer 8

Unprovoked violence

Question 9

Which animals show no effect of castration?

Answer 9

Red sided garter snakes, euro stalings, mongoloian gerbils, wood rats
syrian hamsters show now effect of biorhythms

Question 10

What are the two main potential changes in rodents?

Answer 10

Androgen concentrations
Receptor sensitivity (seasonal)

Question 11

Why might not replacement treatments in rodents have effects?

Answer 11

Because of the androgen receptors in the brain not responding to the replacement.

Question 12

What will happen to receptor tissues if not exposed to androgens, and what would this explain?

Answer 12

The tissues will desensitize and this may explain seasonal changes
-could apply to humans(loss of sex interest) and changes in metabolizing enzymes as well

Question 13

What works as a treatment for criminals/sexual offenders with excessive libido?

Answer 13

Both irreversible castrationa nd reversible, cyproterone acetate competes with T for receptor sites

Question 14

In sports/aggressive encounters, what will happen if there are too many defeats outside the home cage?

Answer 14

Will lead to defeats in home cage even if intruder is smaller

Question 15

Why does the home cage advantage disappear?

Answer 15

• Stress response via “fear” conditioning • Persistent response: 33 days • Increase in HPA axis activity*:
• Increase in ACTH, beta-endorphins, corticosteroids
• Decrease in T and PRL • Suppression of the immune system**

Question 16

Correlation between 5-HT and aggression? How to measure?

Answer 16

• Negative correlation between 5-HT and aggression.
• Main measure: The 5-HT metabolite 5- HIAA (5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid) from the CSF.
• Mice with 5-HT receptor genes knocked-out are hyper-aggressive.

Question 17

What are individuals with low 5-HT like?

Answer 17

• Violent individuals with alcohol use (Virkkunen and Linnoila, 1993)
• US marines expelled for excessive violence (Brown et al, 1979)
• Children that torture animals (Kruesi, 1979)
• Children with disruptive behaviour • People that commit suicide

Question 18

What is serenics?

Answer 18

Anti-aggressive agents targeting the serotonergic system.

Question 19

Example of serenics?

Answer 19

Example: Eltoprazine (serotonin receptor agonist). • ≫ 5-HT-1A receptors.
• Decreases aggressive behaviours without sedation. • ≫ Post-synaptic 5-HT receptors.
• Increases friendly and exploratory behaviours. • ≫ Presynaptic inhibition of serotonin cell bodies.

Question 20

What are aggression promotors? List

Answer 20

Substance P, glutamate(high levels correlated with aggression), Acetylcholine

Question 21

What happens when ACh agonists are administered in regions of brain in cats where electrical stimulations induce agg behaviour?

Answer 21

ACh agonists increase hissing in cats

Fear or anger?

Question 22

What is the major issue with glutamate and ACh antagonists as anti-aggressive agents/

Answer 22

They target many other functions so neg side effects are likely

Question 23

Aggression levels associated with each substance:
NE
Gaba
Substance P

Answer 23

NE= high levels increased aggression (beta-NE receptor blocker reduces aggression- Propanolol)
Gaba= high levels decreased aggression (although some like alcohol may increase it)
Substance P=increase aggression

Question 24

How do opiates affect aggression?

Answer 24

Opiates promote well being, withdrawal increases aggressive acts in humans and animals

Question 25

What are the stages of stress?

Answer 25

Initial response, then adaptation stage

-exhaustion stage = prolonged stress reaction

Question 26

Hormonally, how does stress work?

Answer 26

CRH from hypothalamus> CRH releases ACTH, releasing cortisol> GH, epinephrine and norepinephrine released

Question 27

What is stress immunization?

Answer 27

Mild stress early in life makes it easier to handle stress later in life

Question 28

What does Health psychology (or behavioural medicine) study?

Answer 28

psychological influences on health.

Question 29

What does Psychosomatic medicine emphasize?

Answer 29

The role of psychological factors in disease.

Question 30

What does Psychoneuroimmunology study?

Answer 30

interactions of the immune and nervous systems