Piasecki: EMOTIONS Flashcards

1
Q

What are emotions good for?

A

evolved to help us respond to important situations and to convey our intentions to others

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2
Q

T/F: Voluntary and involuntary emotions are generated by different parts of the brain.

A

True

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3
Q

Primary emotion experienced by all social animals; has a visceral and somatic motor response

A

fear

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4
Q

The brain has shortcuts for emotions. Give an example.

A

See a snake and flinch before you can interpret the situation as “Oh, that’s a snake.”

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5
Q

How are responses to fear adaptive?

A

pale skin: diversion of blood flow
dry mouth: no need to salivate
heart pounding: move more quickly
etc etc

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6
Q

Name 5 structures that mediate emotion.

A
hypothalamus
limbic system
brainstem
nucleus accumbens
prefrontal cortex
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7
Q

Functions of hypothalamus

A

light dark cycle
temp regulation
neuroendocrine (pituitary)
integral in emotions/sexual behaviors

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8
Q

What happens to cats when you remove their cerebral hemispheres? What happens when you remove hemispheres + hypothalamus?

A

rage; no rage

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9
Q

Link between higher cortical activity and the “lower” systems that control emotional behavior

A

limbic system

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10
Q

What comprises the limbic system?

A
limbic lobe
amygdala
hippocampus
mammillary bodies
orbital and medial prefrontal cortex
nucleus of thalamus
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11
Q

What gryi are incorporated in the limbic lobe?

A

cingulate gyrus

parahippocampal gyrus

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12
Q

What do the Kluver and Bucy studies show about the limbic system (removal of anterior temporal lobe)?

A

raging monkey became docile, orally fixated, and just a weirdo *make love, not war

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13
Q

Things that occur w severe temporal lobe damage (Kluver Bucy Syndrome). What can cause it?

A
visual agnosia
apathy
disturbance in sexual function
dementia, aphasia, amnesia
**make love, not war - not aggressive, hypersexual;
tumors, trauma, herpes, surgery
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14
Q

What is the amygdala and where is it?

A

nuclear mass in the white matter of temporal lobe in front of hippocampus

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15
Q

What does the amygdala connect to?

A

olfactory bulb
cerebral cortex
brainstem & hypothal

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16
Q

The amygdala allows for (blank) learning

A

emotional

17
Q

What happens if you sever the connection bw amygdala and medial geniculate nucleus (auditory nucleus) before teaching a learned response to a tone?

A

there will not be an emotional response to the auditory stimulus; you need the auditory pathway to project to the amygdala

18
Q

What is released around the nucleus accumbens during a drug high? What is elevated when you receive natural rewards like food or sex?

A

dopamine; dopamine

*DRUGS (amphetamine)>sex>food

19
Q

T/F: The amygdala is also activated in memories and cravings

A

True
*Cocaine abusers who watch a commercial about white powder will have areas of their cortex illuminated that correspond to the areas that are illuminated during drug use

20
Q

The amygdala also plays a role in what emotion?

A

empathy

*psychopaths w deformation of amygdala have less empathy

21
Q

Rare genetic disease
Bilateral calcification and atrophy of anterior temporal lobes
Unable to identify fear from photos

A

Urbach-Wiethe

22
Q

What is the right hemisphere more important for?

A

expressing/understanding emotional content

*causes the L ear to be better at picking up emotional nuances, L face better at emotional expression

23
Q

What might a lesion to the right hemisphere cause?

A

deficits in ability to uncode emotional expression and speech *speech sounds like email - no emotion

24
Q

What is the left hemisphere more important for?

A

comprehension of words

25
Q

What would a left cerebral hemisphere lesion cause?

A

poor comprehension of words

*still understand emotional content

26
Q

Left hemisphere is associated w (blank) emotions and L sided brain lesions lead to increased risk of (blank). The right hemisphere is associated w (blank) emotions and lesions lead to (blank) mood

A

positive; depression; negative; elevated

27
Q

A stroke causing left anterior damage causes (blank), while a stroke causing right anterior damage leads to (blank)

A

depression; euphoria

28
Q

How do you define depression?

A
5 or more of these symptoms for 2+ weeks:
decreased mood, energy
sleep & appetite changes
thoughts of death & suicide
guilt
decreased interest
tearfulness
29
Q

People w more active LEFT prefrontal cortex are more like (blank); people w less active LEFT prefrontal cortex are more like (blank)

A

tigger :) :)

eyore :( :(

30
Q

What can happen to the hippocampus in depression?

A

it shrinks!
**Atrophy of neurons with chronic exposure to stress and cortisol
Death of neurons with severe and prolonged stress

31
Q

The orbitofrontal lobe (posterior frontal lobe) is important for what?

A

mediates aggressiveness and emotional responsiveness

32
Q

In depressed pts, increased blood flow to the (blank) amygdala correlates w severity of depression

A

right

33
Q

What structure in the brain moderates negative emotional output of the amygdala?

A

prefrontal cortex

34
Q

If there is a “power failure” of the LEFT prefrontal cortex, what results?

A

depression

35
Q

The ventral anterior cingulate gyrus (part of prefrontal cortex) is actually (blank) in volume in depressed patients and has less blood flow

A

smaller

36
Q

What can happen to hippocampal cortisol receptors following significant adverse childhood events?

A

dysregulation of these cortisol receptors can lead to long term excess cortisol exposure

37
Q

Stress decreases (blank) in the hippocampus, which could contribute to atrophy and decreased functioning of neurons

A

BDNF