Emotions And Neuroscience Part2 Flashcards
What is the brain and what does it do? 10
It is social organ
It is an historical organ
Mediates behaviour and mental life
Maintains an internal equilibrium
Supports external adaptation
Optimal functioning supports mental health
It holds memories
It makes us human
Influences and is influenced by emotions
The brain and nervous system are influenced by all behaviour and experience
How is the brain shaped?
Nature and nurture
Through genes (these hold the blueprint of how to build a brain and contain the tools to do so)
Experience (experiences with an environment shape memory and predict outcomes)
Environment relationships and culture impacts have a blueprint is executed
What does experience and emotion do for the nervous system?
It activates it
What is the basis of the nervous system?
Neurons and nerves
Neurons are individual cells in the nervous system that
- Communicate with each other within the system
- Receive, integrate, and transmit information consistently
- Mainly communicate only with other neurons
Nerves are a bundle of neuron fibres (axons)
How many neurons and synapses are in the human brain?
86 billion neurons
100 trillion synapses
What does the nervous system do?
The nervous system (Central and peripheral) orchestrate all human development and functioning
What is the central nervous system comprised of?
The brain and spinal cord
What is the peripheral nervous system comprised of?
Somatic nervous system
Autonomic nervous system
– sympathetic
– parasympathetic
How much does the average human brain way? (Adult and at birth?)
Adult 1300–1400 g
Beth weighs around 350–400 g
What are the functions of the brain? 4
It is a complex organ that allows us to think, move, feel, see, hear, taste and smell
It controls our body, receives information, analyses information, and stores information (memories)
The brain produces electrical signals, which together with chemical reactions, Let’s parts of the body communicate
Nerves send the signals throughout the body
What are the three main parts of the brain?
Forebrain (biggest part)
Midbrain (above brainstem)
Hind brain (little bit at the back)
What does the forebrain include?
Cerebrum
Thalamus
Hypothalamus
Limbic system
What does the hind brain include?
Cerebellum
Medulla
Pons
What does frontal lobe do?
Executive functioning Reasoning Decision-making Focus of motor behaviour Attention process
Includes the pre-frontal cortex (language, personality, planning, interest/enthusiasm)
What does the Parietal lobe do?
Spatial sense
Critical link from five senses to motor abilities
What does the temporal lobe do?
Auditory processing
Memory
What does the occipital load do?
Visual processing
What is the forebrain?
Interconnected structures located within an area of the brain responsible for behavioural and emotional responses
What is the thalamus?
It releases sensory signals to and from the spinal-cord and cerebrum regulating consciousness
What is the limbic system comprised of?
The amygdala and hippocampus
What is the amygdala?
Almond shaped
involved with regulation of emotional responses
hormonal secretions in memory
What is the hippocampus?
Tiny shape
index as memories
sends and receives memories from long-term memory
What is the hypothalamus
The size of a pill Assist with many functioning Waking up Adrenaline release Managing hormones Body temperature And processes linked to heightened emotions
What does the limbic system do? (Includes amygdala and it’s deep in the brain)
Associated with attention and responding to emotional stimulus
Assesses threat am I safe
Organise an input from the brain, the body and outside the world including Pain Emotional Motivation Physiologic regulation Memory
It is reactive
Does not do complex problem solving
Classically associated with fear but not only this emotion
What is the brains information pathway?
Information received by the Sensis goes 1st to the thalamus
Information move simultaneously to
The amygdala
– processes the information quickly
* sends signals to the hypothalamus
* activates the autonomic nervous system
– the pre-frontal cortex of the brain
* processes the information more slowly allowing people to appraise or evaluate the event prior to responding
* under extreme stress the cortex/front lobe turns off and limit system turns on
Left hemisphere does?
Last to develop
Linguistic and verbal processing (reading, writing, language and speech)
Logical reasoning
Literal
Looks inward
Right hemisphere
Develops earlier
Non-verbal processing (visual, special and musical processing)
Analogik
Autobiographical memory
Dominates emotional functioning
Looks outward
What does the brainstem do?
It’s the relay centre for
– brain to body
– body to brain
– brain to brain
Is vital for body functions – heartbeat – breathing – digestion – sleep
With regarding to window of tolerance what are the two aspects outside of it?
Hyper arousal (anxiety)
Hypo arousal (depression)
Define arousal
The state of the nervous system describing how alert one feels
What is optimal arousal?
Optimal arousal is the area you want to be in the window of tolerance
It’s being the arousal level appropriate for the task at hand
In window of tolerance the body can access both reason and emotion and is mentally engaged
How can you get in an out of hyper arousal
Elevating
–Emotionally distressed
-Overactive
-Unclear thoughts
Calming down
– mindfulness
– grounding
– breath work
How do you enter and exit hypo arousal
Shutting down
- depressed
- lethargic
- unmotivated
- numb
Going back to window of tolerance
-Use mindfulness
-breath work
– physical activity
What is the peripheral nervous system?
It is made up of nerves that layout side of the brain and spinal cord
- nerves are bundles of neurofibres (axons) that are rooted together in the peripheral nervous system
This is the part that extends to the periphery or outside of the body
It is divided into the somatic and autonomic nervous system
What is the somatic nervous system
Lets you feel the world and move around in it
Made up of nerves that connect to voluntary skeletal muscles and sensory receptors
Carries information from receptors in the skin, muscles and joints the central nervous system and carry commands from the central nervous system to the muscles
What is the autonomic nervous system
Made up of nerves that connect to the heart, blood vessels, smooth muscles and glands
Controls all automatic functions of the body
Made up of two parts
– Sympathetic nervous system (prepares the body for action and expend energy)
– parasympathetic nervous system (keeps body still and works to keep energy in body)
Which branch of the atonomic nervous system kicks into gear when an emotion evoking event happens?
The sympathetic
When the sympathetic nervous system kicks into gear what happens
Signals are sent to the adrenal gland which secretes hormones adrenaline noradrenaline
Also think things Mitch teaches kids
What does adrenaline and noradrenaline do?
Prepare a person to face challenges of an event
BP, heart rate, respiration rate, and blood sugar levels all increase to prepare for action
People dilate let more lighting for vision
The digestive process slows down to energy can be directed to crisis at hand
What are mirror neurons?
Neurons are activated by performing an action, seeing another person perform that action or hearing someone perform the action (Example yawn)
Play a fundamental role in
– acquisition of new motor
-The imitation of others (which is crucial to human development, understanding of others and empathy)
What is Neuro plasticity?
The ability of the brain to reorganise itself
Ability of the brain to form and recognise synaptic connections especially in response to learning or experience following an injury
The neural wiring of the brain is flexible and constantly evolving
Neural circuits of the brain shows substantial plasticity which helps organisms adapt their environments
Studies-
Aspects of experience – practice can sculpt features of brain structure
Damage to incoming sensory pathways or the destruction of brain tissue can lead to neural reorganisation
Adult brain can generate new neurons which is called neurogenesis
What is attuned communication?
Way one human focuses on the internal experiences of another
Non-verbal: I contact, facials, tone of voice, posture, gestures, timing and intensity of response
Relationship involves communication the sharing of energy information both ways
What is emotional regulation
Requires balance: avoiding chaos and rigidity
What is response flexibility
When you pause before acting on an impulse
Insight
Sitting in the present reflecting on the past. knowing how it affects the present and imagining the future
