Psychobiology of emotion Flashcards
What are emotions?
Transient events
Produced in response to internal or external events
Characterised by attention to the evoking stimulus and changes in physiological arousal, motor behaviour and feels and engender a biasing of behaviour
How are emotions linked to psychiatric disorders?
Almost all psychiatric disorders involve emotional disturbance
How do emotions link to hospitals?
Fear Sadness Anger Surprise Disgust Happy
How do emotions influence treatment options?
Fear: delay presentation/treatment compliance
Disgust: disease avoidance and stigma
Anger: Engagement with the clinical team
Sadness: Poorer outcomes
How many emotions are there according to Plutchik?
8 basic emotions arranged in pairs of opposites
What is panic disorder?
Bodily sensations are wrongly appraised as evidence of impending catastrophic illness
These interpretations induce anxiety, which exacerbates the physiological effects - positive feedback
How is panic disorder treated?
Treatment with cognitive behavioural therapy
What are the components of the limbic system?
Hippocampus Cingulate gyrus Hypothalamus Anterior thalamus Mammillary bodies Prefrontal cortex Paralimbic cortices Ventral striatum
Describe the limbic system
Direct association with neuroendocrine autonomic system
Internal and external states of the organism converges
Affect and motivation
What is the hippocampus used for?
Memory
Spatial processing and navigation
What is the role of the amygdala?
Involvement in emotional processing including recognition of emotions in others and emotional learning
Emotional memory
What occurs within yourself when you see fear on another person?
Activates similar brain regions involved in feeling fear in yourself
How are benzodiazepines used in treatment in anxiety?
High density or benzodiazepine binding sites in amygdala
Reduces anxiety
What is the cingulate cortex?
Involved in pain/contextual arousal
Rest/ relaxation/ depression
What is the purpose of the orbito-frontal cortex?
Anatomic connectivity - close to amygdala
Functional consequences - impulsivity and acquired sociopathy, impaired senses and important in flexible relearning
