Emotions Flashcards
James-Lange theory
Emotions = the interpretations of physiological responses triggered by external stimuli
- physical change will be felt first and then the brain ‘understands’ that is a specific feel (eg emotion of fear)
Cannon-Bard theory
argumentative critique to the James-Lange theory
- physiological changes and experience of emotion occur at the same time
What are emotions?
Emotions represent:
- short, transient episodes (phenomena)
- a neurophysiological response to stimuli that evoke a system of components
- pepare the organism to respond
- determine together the organism’s behaviour
Components of emotion: phenomena
Autonomous, visceral phenomena
- governed by the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
-> include changes in cardiovascular activity, muscle tension, sweating, pallor/redness of facial skin
Somatic, skeletal-motor interactions
- expressed through ‘body language’ such as posture and movement (‘fight or flight’) and represent nonverbal communication
Personal experience or subjective feeling
- internal, short-term responses to interoceptive signals, influencing orientation
-> emotions like shame, anger, fear, sadness, jealousy, contempt are often concealed
Limbic system: What parts of the brain?
- cingulate gyrus
- orbital and medial prefrontal cortex (OMPFC)
- mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus
- ventral basal ganglia
- hypothalamus
- amygdala
Feelings (definition)
= raw data
- mental experiences of body states, including physiological reactions like hunger, thirst and pain
Emotions (definition)
= subjective feelings
- are complex psychological states that involve subjective experiences, physiological responses and expressive behaviours
- thoughts, memories and experiences shape them and ten to be longer-lasting than feelings
Fundamental dimensions: arousal and valence (hedonic tone)
Key goal in neuroscience (research on emotion)
Understanding:
- the neurobiological basis of emotion
- contributions of affective neural processing to higher brain functions
- behaviours that reflect vulnerability of emotional neural circuits when exposed to drugs that alter their normally adaptive operations in goal-directed behaviour
Brain regions affected by addiction
Basal ganglia
- reward and motivation
- forming habits and behaviours
Extended Amygdala
- stress and anxiety
- flight or flight response
Prefrontal cortex
- decision-making
- impulse control
What part of the brain is involved in the choice to try a drug?
Prefrontal cortex - intention/decision in the executive portion of the brain
What part of the brain is involved in the consumption of the drug?
Nucelus accumbens in the cerebral cortex
- responds quickly to drugs by releasing a flood of dopamine
What neurotransmitter is involved in drug consumption?
Dopamine
- often called ‘pleasure molecule’ –> BUT more correctly defined as a chemical that underlies motivation
- sensation of pleasure (orchestrated by dopamine) likely arose to encourage repetition of behaviours that support individual and species survival (eg eating, social interaction, sex)
Consequences of drug consumption
- high level of direct stimulation powerfully encourages repetition
- results in a dampened response of the emotional reinforcement circuitry to natural (less potent) rewards
Dopamine
= neuromodulator
- influences the processing of reinforcement signal (cues)
- Nucleus accumbens (Nacc) and VTA are primary sites where drugs interact with the processing of neural signals related to emotional reinforcement
- release of natural dopamine is phasic and subjective to experience-dependent plasticity
- difference between wanting and liking
Wanting vs Liking
Robinson and Berridge
- addicition is driven by an enhanced wanting (craving) rather than liking (pleasure) of the drug itself
- repeated drug use sensities the brain’s reward system –> particularly the dopamine system, making individuals more sensitive to drug-related cues –> incerase in craving and drug-seeking behaviour
- incentive-sensitisation leads to shift in brain where cues associated with the drug become more compelling, contributing to relapse
highlights neural mechnisms underlying craving and urges a focus on targeting the heightened wanting in addiction treatment
Joseph LeDoux’s theory (fast and slow pathways)
Fast: X-system (reflexive)
- ‘low road’
= quick, reflexive response for immediate survival
- stimulus -> sensory thalamus -> amygdala -> emotional response
- purpose: rapid, automatic emotional response to potential threats
- advantage: quick survival mechanism, primes the body for immediate reaction
Slow: C-system (reflective)
- ‘high road’
= a slower, more evaluative response for thoughtful decision-making
- stimuli -> sensory thalamus -> frontal cortex/sensory cortex -> amygdala -> emotional response
- purpose: detailed evaluation of the emotional stimulus
- advantage: enables nuanced and reasoned responses, refines the response to prevent overreaction
Dyregulation can lead to disorders like PTSD (overactive fast pathway) or anxiety disorders
Neurochemical basis of love
Oxytocin
= bonding or love hormone
- promotes trust, empathy and social bonding
- released during physical touch, childbirth, intimate moments
- enhances feelings of attachment and connection, especially in long-term relationships
Dopamine
= brain’s reward system, dopamine fuels feelings of pleasure and motivation
- associated with the euphoria of romantic attraction
- peaks during the early stages of love, creating feelings of excitement and infatuation
Vasopressin
= critical role in long-term pair bonding and monogamy
- linked to loyalty and protective behaviours in relationships
Neural pathways of love
Reward system
- romantic love activates regions involved in reward and pleasure
- Ventral tegmental area (VTA), nucleus accumbens
Amygdala suppression
- love can reduce activity in the amygdala –> damepning fear and anxiety, supports trust and vulnerability
Prefrontal cortex
- usually responsible for rational thinking
- in early romatic love, may be less active –> leads to impulsive decisions and idealised perceptions of a partner
Angular gyrus
- associated with complex language functions and the mirror neuron system
- helps anticipate actions of a loved one
Basal ganglia
- associated with motor control
- also involved in promoting attachment
Psychopathy: Differences between healthy controla and psychopaths
Brain regions (fMRI)
- cingulate cortex
- insula
- frontal cortex
- amygdala
Brain regions (PET)
- Orbital cortex hypofrontality = less activity in the frontal lobe
- emotional responses –> indicated by active frontal lobe
- psychopaths show less activity in the frontal lobe –> hypofrontality
- less activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala
