Lecture 10: Emotional & Motivated Behaviour Flashcards
Define emotion
Subjective feelings interpreted by neural signals in the brain
Define motivation
Actions that are interpreted as purposeful and goal oriented
What are innate releasing mechanisms
A template that is specifically activated under the right environmental stimuli, it is present at birth, and creates adaptive responses that aid in survival
Eg. Kittens recognize aggressive posture and have responsive behaviour without being taught or observing their mother
What is a drive induced behaviour
Model of behaviour that suggests once started it will continue until energy in reservoir for specific behaviour drive is gone (flush model assumes separate stores for different behaviours)
What is learned taste aversion
Developing an aversion to a good by associating its odor/taste to an illness
What are non regulatory behaviours
Ones that don’t necessarily effect the immediate survival of animal. Influenced by environmental stimuli, mostly mediated by forebrain structures, examples: curiosity, sexual reproduction ,
What are regulatory behaviours
That are necessary for immediate survivial, homeostatic systems like temperature, water content dietary nutrients. Takes several different brain regions but is governed by the hypothalamus.
Name two systems hypothalamus influences
Endocrine system and autonomic nervous system
What do hypothalamic neurons produce?
Peptides
List the two ways hormones are synthesized in the hypothalamus and released into the pituitary
- The hypothalamus sends via axons to the posterior pituitary, then into the blood
- Hypothalamus secretes into capillaries which carry hormones to anterior pituitary
What is the name of the tract connecting the lower brainstem to various brain structures, like the forebrain, basal ganglia, limbic system, etc
Medial forebrain tract
What controls the hypothalamus?
- Feedback loops
- Experiential control, sensing changes that hormones have placed on the body
- Neural control, brain regions receiving signals can send signals to hypothalamus
Via what system does the hypothalamus control some behaviours
The limbic system, via neural circuitry
List five components of the limbic system
- Cingulate gyrus
- Hypocampal formation
- Mammillary nucleus
- Amygdala
- Prefrontal cortex
Describe the neurons of the amygdala
They are multimodal, responding to more than one sense. They receive input from many different system, but require complex stimuli to be excited.
What parts of the frontal lobes are most involved with the sensation of reward
Orbitofrontal cortex in the prefrontal cortex. Neurons are multimodal.
From what brain regions does the prefrontal cortex receive info
VTA, thalamus, posterior parietal cortex
What would occur in agenesis of the frontal lobes?
Lack of social,y acceptable behaviour - function on impulse without concept of future plan
Explain the James-Lange theory of emotion
The brain concocts a story to explain bodily reactions. Similar autonomic responses arise because of different emotions, therefore it’s important to be able to distinguish one from the other.
Explain the somatic marker hypothesis
An unconscious process where information collected from physiological responses are market signals, that give rise to cognitive processing and then guide decisions and behaviour
What is Klüver-Boucy syndrome
The removal of the amygdala and anterior temporal cortices. Results in loss of fear, indiscriminate eating, hypersexuality, exploring things with mouth. Similarities in humans who develop brain infections in that region.
What psychological disorders has the amygdala been linked to
Mood disorders and anxiety disorders
How do the amygdala and prefrontal cortex effect eating
Hunger can be stimulated by the thought of food - amygdala and PFC control the cognitive rewarding aspects of eating
While the amygdala and PFC control the pleasure, what controls feeding behaviour
Hypothalamus
List two conditions if hypothalamus is lesioned:
Aphagia: stop eating
Hyperphagia: can’t stop eating
Define two conditions of thirst controlled by hypothalamus
- Osmotic: when eating something too salty
2. Hypovolemic: when loss of fluids in body
Describe the organizing effect of sex hormones
How androgens effect the brain during prenatal development resulting in sexual differentiation
What is androgen insensitivity syndrome
In a male fetus, androgens are produced by the body does not respond; however, it does respond to estrogen. Results in female secondary sexual characteristics. In females, the female fetus is exposed to androgens, and depending on the exposure lies the severity.
What are the activating effects of sex hormones?
In females: ventromedial hypothalamus controls posture and hormone changes during coitus
In males: medial pre optic nerve area controls copulatory behaviour
Describe motivation and copulatory behaviour in terms of brain structures of male rats per B Everitt’s study
Motivation comes from amygdala. Copulatory behaviour comes from the medial pre optic area. Lesions in one area will no longer produce that specific behaviour, while the other matching behaviour remains. Example, lesions in amygdala will still result in copulatory behaviour when receptive female is present, the animal will no longer search out female
What two brain structures are involved with reward?
Lateral hypothalamus
Medial forebrain bundle
What neurotransmitter is important to the reward system
Dopamine
What are chemosignals
A chemical signal - tiny molecule used to mark territory, safety, mating, associates odors, tastes, etc
Describe the olfactory pathway
- Cilia
- Olfactory receptor cells
- Olfactory bulb
- Glomeruli
- Mitral cells
- To pyriform cortex: hypothalamus and amygdala, hippocampus, forebrain areas
What are pheromones
Chemosignals detected by vomernasal organ, play role in sex behaviours
Describe the process of gustation
- Sensation from cranial nerves 7, 9, and 10 to the nucleus of solitary tract
- Solitary tract to posterior medulla
- Posterior medulla to thalamus
- Thalamus to prim. somatosensory cortex & gustatory cortex
- Gustatory cortex to orbital cortex
