Lecture 18 - Brain mechanisms of emotion II

Question 1

(lecture):

Describe some brief characteristics of Huntington’s Disease.

Answer 1

(lecture):

See purple writing on page 1 of G doc notes.

Question 2

(lecture):

Describe the insula.

Answer 2

(lecture):

See purple writing on page 2 of G doc notes.

Question 3

(lecture):

Describe the relationship between Huntington’s disease and the insula.

Answer 3

(lecture):

See purple writing on page 2 of G doc notes.

Question 4

(lecture):

Describe the relationship between disgust and the insula

Answer 4

(lecture):

See blue writing on page 2-4 of G doc notes.

Question 5

(lecture):

The insula is not just important for disgust processing, what else is it important for?

Answer 5

(lecture):

See red writing on page 4 onwards of G doc notes.

Question 6

(lecture):

In Lecture 18, we continue our discussion of the brain basis for emotion processing by looking at evidence supporting the role of the insula in the processing of disgust, but also evidence for the insula playing a wider role beyond disgust. We then turn to anger and find a much more complex neural basis for anger processing, describing evidence for neural substrates in specific regions (e.g. OFC, VS), as well as links to dopaminergic activity and genetic risk factors. We finish with a general discussion about the brain basis for emotion processing, pointing out that certain emotions are underpinned by relatively separable neural systems (e.g. fear and disgust), but that generally there is little evidence to support a one-to- one structure-function relationship and that we must consider whole neural systems/networks, rather than a specific brain region.

Lecture overview:
Emotion processing in the brain (Part II)
Huntington’s disease and disgust
Disgust and the role of the insula
Types of disgust and communicative value
The insula beyond disgust
Neural substrates for anger
Emotion processing in the brain

Lecture summary:
Huntington’s disease and disgust
> atrophy of insula
Disgust and the role of the insula
> experience and recognition of disgust
Types of disgust and communicative value
> canonical disgust, distaste, moral disgust
The insula beyond disgust
> wider role in interoceptive processing, pain, etc
Neural substrates for anger
> OFC, VS, dopamine, MAOA
Emotion processing in the brain
> Single structure/function relationships to distributed networks

Answer 6

(lecture):