physiology of emotion Flashcards
Understand the Anatomy of Broca’s “Great Limbic Lobe”
Located on medial surface of brain, right under the cortex. Contains several gray matter nuclei and is nonisocortical (possess less than 6 layers). Emphasized connections of olfactory apparatus with limbic lobe
What is the rhinencephalon
combined olfactory and limbic lobes.
what are the structures of Papez’s circuit and what did he propose they do
Papex argued that emotion was a function of a circuit involving the hypothalamus with its mamillary bodies, the anterior thalamic nucleus, the cingulate gyrus and the hippocampus. He believed that the cingulate gyrus was primary and all other structures listed here were secondary. He proposed the hypothalamus governed expression of emotion (heart rate, sweating, etc)
Recognize that “Papez’s circuit” and hypotheses about a “Limbic System” involve some structures that are, and some that are not involved in the physiology of emotion
While the cingulate gyrus, hypothalamus and anterior thalamic nuclei play a role in emotion and motivation, the hippocampus is not involved in emotion, but rather plays a role in memory.
What structures were not included in Papez’s circuit that also play a role in emotion?
Ventral-medial frontal lobe (orbitofrontal cortex), the amygdala, ventral striatum (nucleus accumbens), and several brainstem structures, notably the dopaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area (just medial to the substantia nigra pars compacta).
define emotion
complex psychophysiological experience of an individual’s state of mind as interacting with biochemical and environmental influences. fundamentally involves “physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience”.
define mood
Affective state. mood involves a tone and intensity and a structured set of predictions about future experience of reward or punishment. It is a hypothetical construct depicting an individuals emotional state
compare emotion and mood
both are affective states. However, an emotion tends to have a clear focus (i.e. its cause is self-evident), while a mood tends to be more unfocused and diffuse. Emotions are instant and can change with expectations of future pleasure. Mood is harder to cope with and can last for days to years.
define cognition
refers to a faculty for the processing of information, applying knowledge, and changing preferences. includes such processes as memory, attention, language, problem solving, and planning.
define affect
refers to the experience of feeling or emotion. external and dynamic manifestations of a person’s internal emotional state
Define personality
Characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviors that a person exhibits fairly consistently throughout life
Is emotion a bottom-up or top-down process
both! Bottom up occurs when emotions are elicited in an automatic fashion, largely as a reflex reaction to certain perceptions, and top- down occurs when emotions may be generated by reflection about the likelihood of favorable or adverse consequences of a situation
Function of amygdala
formation and storage of memories associated with emotional events
How does the amygdala aid in formation/storage of memories
Sensory stimuli reach the basolateral complexes of the amygdalae, particularly the lateral nuclei, where they form associations with memories of the stimuli. The association between stimuli and the aversive events they predict are mediated by long-term potentiation (LTP).
How do memories elicit fear
Memories of emotional experiences in the lateral nuclei elicit fear behavior through connections with the central nucleus of the amygdala and related bed nuclei of stria terminalis.
