Final- Love, Neuropeptides, Autism Flashcards
What are the general functions of the subcortical brain areas that are associated with love? What are the general functions of the cortical brain areas that are associated with love?
Subcortical brain areas:
Area is important for rewarding- love feels like a reward, regulating basic emotions and motivation
Cortical brain areas:
Area is significant for higher-level processing
Social cognition, attention, memory, mental associations, and self-representation
Which brain area is active when viewing an image of a person’s father in comparison to other famous faces? Which types of brain areas are active when viewing an image of a person’s mother?
The left caudate is active when viewing an image of a father compared to famous faces
The right superior temporal gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, and inferior frontal gyrus is active when viewing an image of a mother
-Parietal lobe, frontal lobe, insula, and temporal lobe
How are oxytocin and vasopressin classified in terms of chemical structures? Where are they produced when they are released in the bloodstream? Where are they found in the brain?
Oxytocin and vasopressin are neuropeptide hormones that are produced in the hypothalamus and secreted from the pituitary gland
Oxytocin- nerve impulses from smooth muscle contractions (like labor) alert the pituitary gland to secrete oxytocin into the bloodstream
Vasopressin- secretes in response to blood pressure changes (to regulate) and maintain water balance
-Like stress, pain, opiates
What is the relationship between these neurohormones and the dopamine system?
Both utilize and modulate the reward pathway
-Oxytocin & Vasopressin secretion increases dopamine production
What are the main functions of oxytocin? What is the dark side of oxytocin?
Main functions- Oxytocin decreases fear and aggression, promotes trust and generosity, increases mood and feelings of attachment
-Stimulates child birth during contraction
Dark side- Oxytocin promotes bonding between people with shared characteristics and have bias against people not like us
-More aggression toward unfamiliar people
-Less social
What is the social system of the California mouse? What is the general level of aggression in this species? Do males show parental care?
California mouse have a monogamous mating system
Males and females are very aggressive
Males and females provide high level of parental care
How does behavior and vasopressin in the BNST change in the California mouse after cross-fostering to the white-footed mouse?
The California mouse become more like their “foster parents”, the white-footed mouse tends to be less aggressive and polygamous
Cross-fostered California mice have lower levels of vasopressin in the BNST in relation to lower levels of aggression with growing up with “less aggressive” foster parents
Why have oxytocin and vasopressin been hypothesized to be associated with autism? Does evidence support these linkages?
Oxytocin and vasopressin have been associated with autism because
-Oxytocin is related to social recognition and rewarding aspects of social integration
-Vasopressin is associated with pair bonding, social recognition, and aggression
Evidence does not necessarily support these linkages because of inconsistent results
Why is autism less studied in females?
Autism is generally associated with co-occurring conditions in females
Makes autism underdiagnosed/underrecognized
Not a lot of past studies
Be able to design a study to test the effects of a neuropeptide on behavior. Be able to identify the independent variable, the dependent variable, and the control. ***
. . .
go study that
Why are intranasal infusions often used when studying the effects of neuropeptides?
Intranasal infusions are less invasive than other methods when attempting to bypass the BBB (blood brain barrier)
Blood is not used since it can be difficult to measure levels that fluctuate
How does general brain size change in children with autism? How does the size of the caudate nucleus differ between control patients and patients with autism?
Children with autism have larger brain size and larger caudate nucleus (reward center)
How does brain activity differ between control patients and patients with autism during an emotional face perception task?
Brain activity patterns differ in social perception and emotional face recognition
How does connection strength between brain areas differ between control patients and patients with autism?
Some brain areas are stronger and others are weaker in terms of connection
