Final Flashcards
What does the behavioural systems approach examine?
Networks/combinations of behaviours that work towards a common goal
What fundamental problems do behavioural systems help organisms solve?
- Survival
- Reproduction
- Feeding
- Escape/avoidance
- Attachment
- Dominance
- Learning/memory
How is the brain viewed within the behavioural systems framework?
Designed to support these systems rather than individual components
What is the study of behavioural systems called?
Systems neuroscience
Which fields are associated with systems neuroscience?
- Cognitive/Behavioral Psychiatry
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Rehabilitation medicine
- Cellular neuroscience
- Clinical Systems Neuroscience
- Molecular neuroscience
What role do genes play in behavioural systems?
Provide information for the basic development of these systems
What must systems be able to do in order to survive?
Integrate information from the environment and adapt behaviours to individual contexts
What are some behavioural systems involved in learning and memory?
- Spatial navigation
- Acquisition of motor skills
- Episodic memory
Which behavioural system is considered the best understood?
The fear system
Why is the fear system well understood?
Combination of obvious evolutionary importance and ease of eliciting response in animals
Fill in the blank: The fear system is a combination of obvious evolutionary importance and _______.
ease of eliciting response in animals
What are the needs met by the fear system?
Escape of harmful events and avoidance of similar events in the future
This highlights the survival function of the fear response.
What are some species-specific defensive behaviors of the rat?
- Freezing
- Fleeing
- Fighting
These behaviors are adaptations for survival against predators.
Which defensive behavior is most common in rats?
Freezing
Freezing is often the most effective response against predators.
Why is freezing an effective behavior for rats?
Predators are typically faster and stronger
This makes evasion through freezing a viable survival strategy.
What are innate danger signals activated by?
Innate danger signals
These are biological responses that trigger fear without prior experience.
What kind of arousal is activated by learned danger signals?
Autonomic arousal
This refers to physiological responses learned through experience.
Who developed the concept of species-specific defense responses?
Robert Bolles
Bolles’ work focuses on the unique defensive behaviors of different species.
What is the predatory imminence gradient?
Distance of predator predicts relative success of behavior
This concept was developed by Michael Fanselow.
What behavior does a rat exhibit when a predator is far away?
Freeze
This is a defensive behavior based on the perceived threat level.
What might a rat do if a predator is within striking distance?
Try to flee
The rat assesses the danger and acts accordingly.
If a rat is caught by a predator, what behavior may it exhibit?
Fight (biting, thrashing, scratching)
This is a last resort response when escape is not possible.
What are the responses humans may have to a potentially threatening stimulus according to Blanchard?
- Interruption of activity
- Rapid orientation toward stimulus
- Assessment to identify potential danger
These responses are part of the human fear response system.
What happens when an individual cannot localize or identify a danger?
Freeze, admonishing others to be silent
This behavior is a survival tactic that aims to avoid detection.
What are the possible actions if danger is identified?
- Flee
- Hide
These are common responses to perceived threats.
What is the behavior if a person is caught or cornered?
Fight
This can include aggressive actions as a defensive measure.
What is the role of the autonomic nervous system in fear behaviors?
It controls involuntary responses to danger signals
What are the two branches of the autonomic nervous system?
Parasympathetic and sympathetic
What is the sympathetic nervous system responsible for?
‘Fight or flight’ response activation
What physiological changes occur when the sympathetic nervous system is activated?
- Dilation of pupils
- Constriction of salivary glands
- Acceleration of heart rate
- Dilation of bronchi
- Inhibition of digestion
What does the activation of the sympathetic system stimulate?
Production of norepinephrine and hormone release
Fill in the blank: The sympathetic nervous system _______ the heart rate.
accelerates
What hormone does the adrenal gland release that modulates memory?
Epinephrine (adrenaline)
What effect does epinephrine have on memory?
It produces significant modulation of memory
What was the purpose of the study by Gold and Van Buskirk (1975)?
To assess the effect of epinephrine on avoidance behavior in rats
True or False: Injection of epinephrine more than 30 minutes post-training increases avoidance in rats.
False
What kind of training did rats undergo in the study by Gold and Van Buskirk?
Inhibitory avoidance training with a mild shock
What is the relationship between shock intensity and avoidance behavior?
Greater shock produces greater avoidance
What did Cahill and Alkire (2003) test regarding epinephrine?
The effect of epinephrine on human emotional memory
They used saline and different doses of epinephrine during their study.
What is a major way epinephrine influences memory?
Through action on the vagus nerve
Epinephrine binds to adrenergic receptors on this nerve.
What does the vagus nerve project to in the brain?
The solitary tract nucleus (NTS) of the brain stem
This projection is crucial for the memory influence of epinephrine.
What is the locus coeruleus (LC)?
A small nucleus in the brainstem with less than 2000 neurons
It is stimulated by the NTS and is involved in norepinephrine release.
What does stimulation of the locus coeruleus cause?
Release of norepinephrine across a wide range of brain regions
This includes areas such as the hippocampus and amygdala.
What is the role of norepinephrine in emotional memory?
It is a key endpoint of epinephrine binding to receptors on the vagus nerve
The release of norepinephrine in the BLA is crucial for memory enhancement.
Fill in the blank: Stronger stimulus leads to _______ in BLA.
greater release of norepinephrine
This suggests a relationship between stimulus strength and memory encoding.
What brain regions are influenced by norepinephrine release?
- Hippocampus
- Amygdala
These regions are critical for processing emotional memories.
What are the three primary fear responses?
Flight, Fight, Analgesia
True or False: Some stimuli can produce a fear response without prior exposure.
True
Fill in the blank: The fear system allows us to learn new threats and plan accordingly in response to _______ stimuli.
previously insignificant
What can modify our fear response?
Aversive experience
Fear can develop to both _______ and predictive stimuli.
place/context of aversive experience
Once established, how long do fear memories last?
A long time
What is the adaptive purpose of fear memories?
For survival
What is the role of the basolateral nucleus in the fear system?
Organized to receive sensory information about the environment
Which brain region regulates the expression of fear?
Central nucleus of the amygdala
What does the central nucleus of the amygdala regulate?
The expression of fear
List the components of the fear system that receive sensory information.
- Hippocampus
- Perirhinal cortex
- Basolateral nucleus
- Central nucleus
What type of arousal is associated with fear responses?
Autonomic arousal
Fill in the blank: The _______ regulates freezing behavior.
Midbrain
What is the significance of learned danger signals?
They allow for the anticipation of threats
True or False: The fear system is disorganized and does not efficiently process sensory information.
False
What are the effects of classical conditioning on fear?
Establishes long-lasting fear memories
What is the role of the lateral nucleus in fear behaviors?
Receives sensory info from thalamus, cortex, and hippocampus
The lateral nucleus integrates sensory inputs to process fear stimuli.
What are the two clusters of inhibitory intercalated (ITC) neurons in the amygdala?
ITC-a and ITC-b
These clusters play a crucial role in modulating the activity of the central nucleus.
What does the central amygdala control?
Midbrain structures that support expression of defensive behaviours
The central amygdala acts as a command center for initiating fear-related responses.
Fill in the blank: The central nucleus is modulated by the _______.
Lateral nucleus
The lateral nucleus influences the functioning of the central nucleus in fear responses.
What is the function of ITC-b neurons?
Inhibit central amygdala
ITC-b neurons play a critical role in regulating fear responses by inhibiting central amygdala activity.
How does ITC-a influence ITC-b?
Inhibits ITC-b to allow excitation of central nucleus
This interaction is important for the modulation of fear signals.
What is required for the fear response in the central nucleus?
Depolarization of central nucleus
This process is essential for initiating fear-related behaviors.
What is the relationship between conditioned fear response and fear circuit?
Conditioned fear response is created by re-organization of fear circuit
This re-organization is crucial for learning and expressing fear responses.
What do the prelimbic and infralimbic PFC connections do?
Reciprocal connections with F neurons and inhibit fear signal
These connections help modulate fear responses and facilitate extinction.
True or False: The central nucleus amplifies the fear signal.
True
The central nucleus enhances the fear response through its connections and activity.
What are the key components involved in fear conditioning and synaptic plasticity?
Central nucleus, ITC neurons, sensory input
These components work together to facilitate the learning and expression of fear.
