Neurophysiology of emotion

Question 1

limbic system- controls?

Answer 1

• emotional behavior

- motivational drives

Question 2

limbic system anatomy

Answer 2

• hypothalamus
• olfactory areas
• thalamus
• basal ganglia
• hippocampus
• amygdala
• cingulate cortex

Question 3

hypothalamus

Answer 3

• emotional experience

- physiological responses (connection to ANS)

Question 4

olfactory areas

Answer 4

-olfaction and emotion are strongly linked

Question 5

thalamus

Answer 5

• ant nucleus part of Papez Circuit

- other regions involved in both input and output of limbic system

Question 6

basal ganglia

Answer 6

-nucleus accumbens

Question 7

hippocampus

Answer 7

• part of Papez circuit
• learning/memory
• memory and emotion are strongly linked

Question 8

amygdala

Answer 8

• fear

- learning and memory

Question 9

cingulate cortex

Answer 9

• mostly paleocortex (3 cell layers)
• some parts have full 6 layers
• important feature- many of these neurons show after-discharge

Question 10

neural circuits for recognizing emotion in others

Answer 10

-also involved in producing that emotion in ourselves

Question 11

mirror neuron system

Answer 11

-these neurons fire both when you do something and when you see someone else do that same action

Question 12

basic emotions that are common across cultures/species

Answer 12

• fear
• pleasure
• sadness
• avoidance
• disgust
• anger

Question 13

2 kinds of fear

Answer 13

• Innate (unconditioned)

- Learned (conditioned)

Question 14

Fear- neuroanatomical basis

Answer 14

Amygdala

• processing and recognition of social cues related to fear
• emotional conditioning in response to fear
• memory

Question 15

emotional conditioning in response to fear- 2 pathways

Answer 15

• direct thalamo-amygdaloid pathway (early response)

- indirect thalamo-cortical-amygdaloid pathway (late response

Question 16

emotional conditioning in response to fear

Answer 16

• inputs (thalamic and cortex) arrive at lateral nucleus of amygdala- integrates the inputs (ex- pairing of sound an electrical shock)
• info is sent to basal and intercalated nuclei
• info from lateral, basal, intercalated nuclei is sent to the central nucleus of amygdala- decides what responses are required and relays info appropriately
• hypothalamus- generates physiologic responses

Question 17

damage to amygdala

Answer 17

-fear is not perceived- so conditioning related to fear does no occur

Question 18

Sadness- anatomical basis

Answer 18

-lower sector of anterior cingulate cortex

Question 19

punishment/avoidance- anatomical basis

Answer 19

• lateral post hypothalamus
• dorsal midbrain
• entorhinal cortex
• designed to oppose the occurrence of a behavior

Question 20

disgust- anatomical basis

Answer 20

Insular cortex/putamen

• processing/recognizing of social cues related to disgust
• damage (Huntington’s dz) abolishes

Question 21

anger/rage- anatomical basis

Answer 21

• amygdala

- requires dopaminergic input acting at D2 R’s

Question 22

inhibition of anger/rage requires?

Answer 22

• neocortex
• ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei
• septal nuclei

Question 23

Integrating the inputs- Step 1

Answer 23

Anterior Cingulate Cortex

• ventral- affective
• dorsal- cognitive

Question 24

Anterior Cingulate Cortex- role in emotion

Answer 24

• integration of visceral, attentional, and emotional input
• Regulation of Affect!!- top-down control (controlling our emotions)
• monitors conflict b/w our functional state (right now) and new info that has potential or motivational consequences
• relays info to the pre-frontal cortex

Question 25

Integrating the inputs- step 2

Answer 25

Pre-frontal cortex

-ventromedial- input from amygdala, hippocampus, temporal visual association area, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

Question 26

Pre-frontal cortex

Answer 26

• reward processing- link new stimulus to a primary reward
• integration of body signals- gut feeling
• top down regulation- esp twds delayed gratification