T3 L2 Psychobiology of emotion

Question 1

What are emotions?

Answer 1

Transient events produced in response to internal or external events of significance to the individual, characterised by attention to evoking stimulus & changes in physiological arousal, motor behaviour & fears

Question 2

What is the emotion triad?

Answer 2

Physiological response
Readiness to act in specific way
Feelings

Question 3

What are the 8 basic emotions according to Plutchik?

Answer 3

Joy-sadness
Trust-disgust
Fear-anger
Surprise-anticipation

Question 4

Describe Paul Ekman’s work

Answer 4

Located at facial expression to see if he could identify basic emotions
Expressed facially in same way & recognised by diversity of cultures suggesting that they are innate

Question 5

What is the FACS system?

Answer 5

Decoding & defining emotional expressions
43 facial muscles in human
Communicatory role for functioning in large & complex social groups

Question 6

Describe Frijda’s work

Answer 6

Classification of emotions based on predisposition to specific actions

Question 7

What is the James-Lange theory?

Answer 7

Bodily changes directly follow the perception of the exciting fact & that our feeling of the same changes as they occur is the emotion
If there is no physiological response you don’t experience the emotional response

Question 8

What is the Cannon-Bard theory?

Answer 8

Believe we feel at the same time as we perceive the experience

Question 9

Describe Schachter & Singer study

Answer 9

184 students were told they would be given injection of Suproxin when they were really given adrenaline or saline.
Given different information about side effects: informed, misinformed, ignorant
Then exposed to either a euphoria or anger situation

Question 10

What was the results of the euphoric situation in S&S study?

Answer 10

Misinformed participants were the happiest as they had no explanation of why their bodies felt the way they did
Informed group were least happy as they understood why they felt why they did

Question 11

What was the results of the anger situation in S&S study?

Answer 11

Ignorant group felt the angriest
Informed group was the least angry

Had no explanation of why their body felt the way it did

Question 12

What is a panic disorder?

Answer 12

Bodily sensations are wrongly appraised as evidence of a catastrophic illness

Question 13

What is the most powerful way to treat panic disorder?

Answer 13

CBT

If people can reappraise their physiological response it can reduce anxiety symptoms

Question 14

What was the limbic system according to Broca?

Answer 14

Cortical structures surrounding diencephalon (thalamus)

Question 15

What was the limbic system according to Papez?

Answer 15

Hippocampus
Cingulate gyrus
Hypothalamus
Anterior thalamus
Mammillary bodies

Question 16

What was the original limbic system?

Answer 16

Ring of midline-ish structures
Cingulate
Hippocampus
Amygdala
Septal region

Question 17

What was the updated limbic system?

Answer 17

Also includes
Prefrontal cortex - dense interconnections
Hypothalamus - peripheral interface, homeostasis
Paralimbic cortices e.g. insula
Ventral striatum / nucleus accumbent & mesa-limbic dopaminergic system - reward, addiction, motivation

Question 18

What structures are part of the memory circuit?

Answer 18

Hippocampus
Anterior thalamus
Mammillary bodies
Fornix

Question 19

What is the amygdala?

Answer 19

Complex collection of nuclei located in medial temporal lobe divided into corticomedial & basolateral.

Question 20

Describe the corticomedial part of the amygdala

Answer 20

Evolutionary old

Nuclei project directly to hypothalamus

Question 21

Describe the basolateral part of the amygdala

Answer 21

Evolutionary new

Nuclei have more extensive & diffuse sets of projections including frontal cortex

Question 22

What is the function of the amygdala?

Answer 22

Emotional processing including recognition of emotions in others & emotional learning
Fear

Question 23

Describe the dorsal anterior cingulate

Answer 23

Perception of pain
Lots of opiate receptors
Arousal

Question 24

Describe the dorsal posterior cingulate

Answer 24

Rest
Relaxation
Implicated in depression

Question 25

What happens to the subgenual when relaxing?

Answer 25

Overactive

It remains overactive all the time in those with depression

Question 26

What are the consequences of damage to the orbits-frontal cortex area?

Answer 26

More impulsive. Generate acquired sociopathy
Impaired smell, taste, flavour, reward, satiety
Impairment of flexible learning

Question 27

What are some common deficits with those with early PFC damage?

Answer 27

Severely impaired social behaviour
Insensitive to future consequences of actions
Impaired autonomic response to punishment
Normal basic cognitive functions

Question 28

Describe the insula

Answer 28

Deep
Representation of internal bodily state & integration of bodily feedback into awareness
Involved in normal response to aversive stimuli, especially disgust

Question 29

What areas are abundant with dopamine?

Answer 29

Nucleus accumbens
VTA
Prefrontal cortex
Striatum (caudate / putamen)