LEC 14: Emotions

Question 1

emotions involves

Answer 1

perception
expression
subjective feeling
associated actions
physiological changes
cognitive changes

Question 2

what are 2 generic specializations for emotional brain regions

Answer 2

1. some specialized for specific emotions (fear/pleasure)
2. some specialized for specific processes (recognizing facial expressions, etc)

Question 3

why does emotion have value

Answer 3

fear allows us to deal w danger and social communication

Question 4

cold cognition

Answer 4

emotion absent from cognitive processing

Question 5

hot cognition

Answer 5

the mental processes that are influenced by desires and feelings

Question 6

two approaches to emotion

Answer 6

emotions as distinct states emotion as a motivation state (moving toaward or away from stimulus at diff intensities)

Question 7

what subcritical regions are active in the subconscious aspects of emotion?

Answer 7

• automatic nervous system
• hypothalamus (HPA axis - cortisol)
• limbic system
• amygdala (especially)

Question 8

cortical regions involvement in emotion

Answer 8

slower
elaborative
conscious assessment

Question 9

2 subsystems of automatic nervous system

Answer 9

sympathetic and parasympathetic

Question 10

sympathetic nervous system

Answer 10

fight or flight

Question 11

parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 11

rest and digest

Question 12

the automatic nervous system is associated w this brain structure

Answer 12

hypothalamus

Question 13

functions of the hypothalamus

Answer 13

• governs level of activity in autonomic ns
• controls release of stress hormones via HPA axis
• receives input from amygdala

Question 14

the HPA (hypothalamus pituitary adrenal) axis

Answer 14

1. hypothalamus stimulates the pituitary glands
2. pituitary gland secretes ACTH
3. bloodstream carries ACTH to adrenal glands which produce cortisol

Question 15

cortisol

Answer 15

stress hormone released by adrenal cortex

Question 16

IAPS

Answer 16

• international affective pic system
• pleasant, unpleasant, neutral ex’s

Question 17

cortisol study

Answer 17

• gave one group cortisol and another group a placebo and then showed both groups IAPS
• returned 1 wk later and were asked abt pics seen in free recall or cued recall
• saw effect of cortisol on cued recall (increased) due to high arousal (attention)

Question 18

Amygdala

Answer 18

• fear and emotional learning (closely associated w hippocampus - little almonds attached to seahorses)

Question 19

Kulver-Bucy Syndrome

Answer 19

• 1937
• lack of fear response in animals after amygdala damage (unable to acquire fear conditioning)

Question 20

Kulver-Bucy Syndrome in humans

Answer 20

• (reward seeking behavior)
• hyperorality
• hypersexuality
• dietary changes (overeating)
• visual agnosia

Question 21

what can cause kluver bucy syndrome in humans

Answer 21

viral infections that damage and calcium build up in tissue in and around amygdala

Question 22

rating faces w amygdala damage

Answer 22

those w amygdala damage BILATERALLY rated faces as approachable in contrast to controls, normal, left or right damage who said they were not approachable

Question 23

data suggest what abt amygdala’s

Answer 23

• plays causal role in emotional evaluation
• performs quick analysus of visual stimuli to determine saftey
  plays role in fear learning

THUS
- early detection of emotional info
- rapid response to info
- learning emotional significance of info

Question 24

Dual pathways to and from amygdala

Answer 24

1. low road (anterior thalamus to amygdala) first alert
2. high road (sensory cortex to amygdala) more context

Question 25

nucleus accumbens associated with

Answer 25

reward-related behavior

Question 26

Rate Lever Study

Answer 26

• animals press levers to receive brain stimulation in nucleus accumbens region
• closely connected to motor regions that can support reward-seeking behavior

Question 27

sub regions of nucleus accumbens

Answer 27

sub regions associated w (wanting) motivation vs liking (pleasure)

Question 28

function of amygdala in emotion

Answer 28

control of bodily states of emotion and representations of bodily states (interception)

Question 29

posterior insula

Answer 29

represented primary sensory info such as taste

Question 30

anterior portion dorsal

Answer 30

integrates sensory representations w awareness

Question 31

ventral anterior insulation

Answer 31

connected to portions of anterior cingulate

Question 32

insula is also associated w these emotions

Answer 32

disgust and guilt

Question 33

insula may have originally developed to support…

Answer 33

taste sensation but has since adapted to interception of other bodily sensations

Question 34

anterior cingulate in emotion

Answer 34

• evaluating actions that have emotional significance integrating motivational aspects of behavior
  (selecting motor actions and cognitive control)

Question 35

orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)

Answer 35

• Phineas Gage example