Limbic System

Question 1

Contrast emotional state vs. feelings

Answer 1

EMOTIONAL STATES
Characteristic physiological responses (peripheral, autonomic, endocrine and musculoskeletal)
Subcortical structures; amygdale, hypothalamus, basal ganglia

FEELINGS
Conscious experience
Cortical structures; amygdala, cingulate gyrus, frontal lobes

Question 2

Role of the Limbic system (MMOVES)

Answer 2

Memory
Motivation
Olfaction
Visceral function
Emotion
Social Brain

Question 3

What is involved in explicit learning?

Answer 3

the hippocampus

Question 4

what is implicit memory

Answer 4

emotional learning that iscarried out by the amygdala; there is no need of conscious recall

Question 5

which matures before the other?

Answer 5

the amygdala is mature first. The hippocampus isnt mature until after age 3

Question 6

What affects behaviors, perceptions and processing?

Answer 6

an individuals early experiences

Question 7

What components are involved in the Behavior adaptation system of Motivation

Answer 7

involves the frontal lobe and 2 primary specific circuits within the limbic system

Question 8

what are the 2 primary specific circuits of BAS

Answer 8

reward and punishment

Question 9

what is involved in the reward circuit

Answer 9

involves dopamine and has connections to the basal ganglia that leads to seeking gratifying actions

Question 10

what is involved in the punishment circuit

Answer 10

involves Ach to provoke the fight or flight response (SNS) and enables us to cope with unpleasant situations
able to inhibit the reward circuit

Question 11

What is the Behavioral Inhibition System

Answer 11

o Over activation of the parasympathetic system
o Activated when neither fight nor flight seem possible
 Opossum playing “dead

Question 12

What is the only sensory system that does NOT go through thalamus before going to sensory cortex

Answer 12

Olfactory
it can regenerate neurons
smell is a very powerful trigger esp with memories

Question 13

Role of visceral function

Answer 13

• Regulation of thirst, hunger, sex drive, temperature, endocrine function
• Helps maintain homeostasis when there are changing external factors

Question 14

describe the variety of patterns of ANS activation

Answer 14

o PNS and SNS are tonically active and active in varying degrees

Question 15

What are the ANS inputs

Answer 15

 Sensory drive from internal organs
• Provides info for making changes based on changing conditions of the organs
 Many parts of the brain

Question 16

what carries info from the ANS to its outputs

Answer 16

the hypothalamus

makes up 1% of brain tissue volume but regulates vital functions, controls pituitary gland, plays role in emotions

Question 17

what are the hypothalamus outputs

Answer 17

pituitary
amygdala
HTRS pathway –> spinal cord
dorsal motor nucleus of X

Question 18

what are emotions a combination of?

Answer 18

emotional states and feelings

Question 19

what are the common characteristics of emotion

Answer 19

o All expressed through physiological changes which are different for each emotion
o All expressed with stereotypical motor responses (especially facial muscles)
o All have subjective experience that requires cortical connections
o Expression of emotions is closely tied to the ANS for hormonal changes, HR, BP, sweating, muscle activation, etc.

Question 20

What do coordinated emotional behaviors not depend on?

Answer 20

do NOT depend on the cortex

Question 21

where are emotional behaviors directed towards?

Answer 21

self- preservaton

Question 22

what is the current theory of emotions?

Answer 22

that emotions are the result of dynamic interaction of body responses and cognitive processes that are integrated in the amygdala

Question 23

What occurs at the cortex in relation to emotions?

Answer 23

this is where conscious experience of the emotional feelings occur

Question 24

Role of the amygdala

Answer 24

o Mediates both the “inborn” and acquired emotional responses
o Provides emotional significance to internal and external stimuli
o Initiates appropriate autonomic and motor responses
 Cortex gives “meaning” to our experiences
o Plays role in the learning of emotional responses
o Plays important role in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder

Question 25

Connections of the amygdala

Answer 25

• Has connections from the thalamus and primary sensory and unimodal and multimodal association areas

Question 26

Where does the amygdala project?

Answer 26

• Has connections from the thalamus and primary sensory and unimodal and multimodal association areas

Question 27

What is important about the social brain

Answer 27

where we develop a sense of others before we get a sense of ourselves (attunement with others); involves the prefrontal cortex

Question 28

function and importance of mirror neurons

Answer 28

Specialized neurons that become activated when a motor act is executed as well as when it is observed by another performing the motor act.
Ex: when a monkey eats a peanut is the same as when he watches another monkey eating the peanut

Question 29

Mirror properties

Answer 29

o Way in which our social brain can perceive the intentional, goal-directed actions of others and link this to the priming of the motor systems to engage in that same action
 Ex: babies imitating facial expressions

*Mirror properties only become active when the observed motion is “goal-directed”

Question 30

What happens when there is damage to the limbic system?

Answer 30

behavioral and emotional problems
difficulty with memory, learning and motivation
Fear
Frustration
Anger 
Rage
Violenece