Wk3 - Disgust Recognition

Question 1

What structures are involved in disgust recognition?

Answer 1

Insula

Basal ganglia

Question 2

What 2 conditions affect the striatum of the basal ganglia?

Answer 2

Huntington’s Disease

OCD

Question 3

What does the striatum comprise of?

Answer 3

Caudate + putamen

Question 4

What do OCD and HD patients struggle with?

Answer 4

Recognising disgust

Question 5

What 2 brain regions do OCD patients have abnormalities in?

Answer 5

Striatum

Insula

Question 6

What are the neural correlates for perception of facial disgust?

Answer 6

Basal ganglia

Insula

Question 7

What type of study provides support for the role of the insula in disgust?

Answer 7

Electrical stimulation of the insula

Question 8

What happens if the insula is electrically stimulated?

Answer 8

Disgust is induced. Feelings of nausea/unpleasant taste.

Question 9

Outline how rats can be conditioned to dislike a particular taste which they originally liked?

Answer 9

Electrically stimulate lesions of the insula

Question 10

Why might disgust be related to the basal ganglia and the insula, referring to the idea of evolution?

Answer 10

The basal ganglia and the insula are earlier evolutionary regions of the brain than the higher cortical regions.

Disgust has likely evolved from a primitive system involving distate.

Disgust is linked with the urge to expel. Necessary for evolution/survival.

Question 11

What is damage to the basal ganglia or the insula associated with?

Answer 11

Deficits in disgust recognition

Question 12

What research findings support the notion that emotions can be described as distinct categories?

Answer 12

There is a double dissociation seen with fear and disgust.

If the amygdala is damaged, there are deficits in fear recognition.

If the basal ganglia or insula are damaged, there are deficits in disgust recognition.

If there weren’t distinct categories of emotion, then this double dissociation shouldn’t be possible

Question 13

What is damage to the amygdala associated with?

Answer 13

Deficits in fear recognition

Question 14

What would happen if amygdala damage was involved with all emotion?

Answer 14

Amygdala damage would also stop patients from being able to recognise disgust. But this isn’t the case. Thus amygdala damage is specific to fear recognition.

Question 15

What is compelling evidence for the categorisation of emotion rather than dimensional view of emotions?

Answer 15

There is double dissociation between areas of the brain and fear and disgust.

Fear and disgust are both negative emotions, but different regions are responsible for these two emotions.

Thus, there is not just a single system for negative affect.

Question 16

What does double dissociation mean?

Answer 16

Double dissociation is a research process demonstrating the action of two separable psychological or biological systems, such as differentiating between the function of brain areas.

One brain region is found to affect one of the systems, whereas a second brain region affects the other.

These regions are responsible for separate processes.