Podcast
Questions and Answers
What does the cooperative eye hypothesis suggest about emotional expressions?
What does the cooperative eye hypothesis suggest about emotional expressions?
A specific brain area can be linked to experiencing specific emotions.
A specific brain area can be linked to experiencing specific emotions.
False
What is the name of the gene that has been linked to aggression?
What is the name of the gene that has been linked to aggression?
MAOA
Oxytocin enhances ______________________ and facilitates helping behaviour.
Oxytocin enhances ______________________ and facilitates helping behaviour.
Signup and view all the answers
Match the following brain regions with their functions:
Match the following brain regions with their functions:
Signup and view all the answers
What happens to the activity in the amygdala after the first resident-intruder encounter in the resident -- intruder test?
What happens to the activity in the amygdala after the first resident-intruder encounter in the resident -- intruder test?
Signup and view all the answers
Testosterone levels have no effect on aggressive behaviour in males.
Testosterone levels have no effect on aggressive behaviour in males.
Signup and view all the answers
What is the result of early intervention in a high-risk group on aggression and testosterone response in adulthood?
What is the result of early intervention in a high-risk group on aggression and testosterone response in adulthood?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the initial effect of drugs of abuse on dopamine neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens?
What is the initial effect of drugs of abuse on dopamine neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens?
Signup and view all the answers
Anhedonia is a less reliable symptom of depression than increased sadness.
Anhedonia is a less reliable symptom of depression than increased sadness.
Signup and view all the answers
What is the name of the polymorphism associated with depression?
What is the name of the polymorphism associated with depression?
Signup and view all the answers
The first antidepressants were discovered in the _______s.
The first antidepressants were discovered in the _______s.
Signup and view all the answers
Match the following antidepressants with their mechanisms of action:
Match the following antidepressants with their mechanisms of action:
Signup and view all the answers
People with depression have lower levels of 5-HT.
People with depression have lower levels of 5-HT.
Signup and view all the answers
What is the result of aberrant plasticity in the brain after prolonged drug use?
What is the result of aberrant plasticity in the brain after prolonged drug use?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the effect of the s variant on emotional responsiveness?
What is the effect of the s variant on emotional responsiveness?
Signup and view all the answers
Which hormone facilitates aggression?
Which hormone facilitates aggression?
Signup and view all the answers
Anxiety disorders are the least frequently seen mental disorders in primary care.
Anxiety disorders are the least frequently seen mental disorders in primary care.
Signup and view all the answers
What is the percentage of concordance rate in MZ twins for panic disorder?
What is the percentage of concordance rate in MZ twins for panic disorder?
Signup and view all the answers
Benzodiazepines bind to the __________ receptor.
Benzodiazepines bind to the __________ receptor.
Signup and view all the answers
Match the following anxiety disorders with their descriptions:
Match the following anxiety disorders with their descriptions:
Signup and view all the answers
Autonomic arousal is necessary for emotional experience.
Autonomic arousal is necessary for emotional experience.
Signup and view all the answers
What is the effect of serotonin on impulsive behaviour?
What is the effect of serotonin on impulsive behaviour?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the primary function of the sympathetic nervous system?
What is the primary function of the sympathetic nervous system?
Signup and view all the answers
The amygdala responds more strongly to pleasant stimuli than fear-inducing stimuli.
The amygdala responds more strongly to pleasant stimuli than fear-inducing stimuli.
Signup and view all the answers
What is the name of the syndrome caused by a damaged amygdala, studied in monkeys?
What is the name of the syndrome caused by a damaged amygdala, studied in monkeys?
Signup and view all the answers
Patient S.M., also known as the "Woman with no _______________, was studied for her rare condition.
Patient S.M., also known as the "Woman with no _______________, was studied for her rare condition.
Signup and view all the answers
Match the following brain systems with their functions:
Match the following brain systems with their functions:
Signup and view all the answers
What is the name of the parasite that damages the amygdala in rats and mice?
What is the name of the parasite that damages the amygdala in rats and mice?
Signup and view all the answers
The amygdala reacts more strongly to stimuli that are easy to interpret.
The amygdala reacts more strongly to stimuli that are easy to interpret.
Signup and view all the answers
What is the name of the theory that suggests that physiological arousal is necessary for emotional feelings?
What is the name of the theory that suggests that physiological arousal is necessary for emotional feelings?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the role of the hippocampus in memory?
What is the role of the hippocampus in memory?
Signup and view all the answers
Lesions in the striatum do not impair probabilistic learning.
Lesions in the striatum do not impair probabilistic learning.
Signup and view all the answers
What is the result of a bilateral medial temporal lobectomy?
What is the result of a bilateral medial temporal lobectomy?
Signup and view all the answers
The ______________________ system plays a crucial role in the relationship between the environment and emotions.
The ______________________ system plays a crucial role in the relationship between the environment and emotions.
Signup and view all the answers
What is the role of orexin and GABA in panic disorder?
What is the role of orexin and GABA in panic disorder?
Signup and view all the answers
People with hippocampal damage cannot acquire probabilistic learning after many attempts.
People with hippocampal damage cannot acquire probabilistic learning after many attempts.
Signup and view all the answers
Match the following brain regions with their functions:
Match the following brain regions with their functions:
Signup and view all the answers
What is the evolutionary advantage of having episodic memories?
What is the evolutionary advantage of having episodic memories?
Signup and view all the answers
Study Notes
Sex vs Gender
- No notes provided for this topic
Amygdala & Emotions
- The amygdala responds to the ambiguity of stimuli
- The amygdala reacts to pleasant stimuli, but not very strongly
- Strong amygdala activation by fear-inducing stimuli
- The amygdala's response is very fast
- The amygdala reacts more strongly when a stimulus is more difficult to interpret
Dysfunctional Amygdala
- Patient S.M: a woman with no fear
- Studies of monkeys (Klüver-Bucy Syndrome): no fear response
- Toxoplasma gondii: a parasite that damages the amygdala in rats/mice
- The amygdala and attention: the amygdala responds to the ambiguity of stimuli
Emotions and Autonomic Arousal
- Sympathetic nervous system: Fight or Flight (stimulates organs important for vigorous activities and inhibits vegetative activities)
- Parasympathetic nervous system: Rest and Digest (increases digestion and other processes that save energy)
- A danger doesn't always elicit sympathetic activity
- James-Lange theory: physiological arousal is necessary for emotional feelings
- Examining the James-Lange theory: autonomic responses are not always necessary for subjective experiences
The Limbic System & Basic Emotions
- The limbic system has been regarded as the key brain system involved in emotions
- A certain group of neurons seem to be specific for perceiving a particular emotion in others
- No specific brain area can be linked to experiencing specific emotions
- Understanding emotions as a continuum rather than categories
The Functions of Emotions
- Emotional expressions help us communicate our needs to others and understand other people's needs
- Being able to communicate emotions effectively might have given our ancestors a clear advantage over other primates (the cooperative eye hypothesis)
The Ventromedial PFC & Moral Decision making
- In the Dictator game, one player is given a sum of money to divide with another player
- People in general share evenly
- People with damaged ventromedial PFC keep about 90%
- PFC damage in general leads to impulsive decision-making without consideration for others or consequences
Oxytocin & Emotional Contagion
- Oxytocin enhances emotional contagion and facilitates helping behavior
Attack Behaviours
- In the resident--intruder test, the resident's probability of attacking the intruder increases if another intruder is introduced within a short time
- The activity in the amygdala builds up after the first resident-intruder encounter
Genes * Environment on Aggression Behaviour
- There are no known genes that strongly influence aggression
- MAOA gene---low activity form shows a link to aggression
- The effect of the polymorphism is moderated by environmental factors
Hormonal Effects
- Aggressive behaviour in males heavily depends on testosterone
- Testosterone facilitates aggression
- Serotonin inhibits impulsive behaviour
- Cortisol inhibits aggression
The Effect of Behavioural Intervention on Testosterone
- It seems that it is the rapid increase in testosterone level rather than the baseline level which is linked with aggressive behaviours
- Early intervention in a high-risk group moderates the level of aggression as well as testosterone response in adulthood
Anxiety Disorders
- Anxiety disorders are the most frequently seen mental disorders in primary care
- General Anxiety Disorder: excessive anxiety and worries
- The constant worrying causes clinically significant distress or impairment in daily life
Animal Models of Generalised Anxiety Disorder
- After a cued fear conditioning, an animal develops fear response not only for the cue but also the context
- The animal also often displays more anxiety-like behaviour in a novel environment as well
- Depending on the situation, generalised anxiety effectively prepares an individual to deal with dangers
Panic Disorder
- Affects about 2-3% of the population each year in NZ
- Risk factors: Stress, Genetics (40% concordance rate in MZ), other psychiatric disorders
- The neurobiological mechanisms
How Does Benzodiazepine Work?
- Benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax) bind to the GABA receptor
- GABA molecules cause hyperpolarization of neurons (Inhibitory)
- Benzodiazepines do not open the chloride channels directly, but it changes the receptor structure in such a way that GABA molecules bind more easily to the receptors
Hippocampus, Striatum, and Memory
- Bilateral Medial Temporal Lobectomy: remove hippocampus on both sides
- H.M Case: anterograde amnesia, retrograde amnesia, severe impairment in episodic memory, short-term/working memory intact, intact procedural memory, better implicit than explicit memory, able to form new weak semantic memories
What Would it Feel Like Having an Amnesia Like Henry Molaison?
- Every book, TV shows remain novel -- always
- You meet new people every day
- It feels like people include strange words that you can't understand
- You can't imagine any future event -- consider the evolutionary advantage of having episodic memories
Modelling Episodic Memory in Animals
- The animal needs to remember the when and what to choose a correct answer
- Lesions in the hippocampus impair the performance drastically
- Hippocampus' role as the coordinator of memory for context
The Striatum
- Involved in the gradual, probabilistic learning process
- Damages in the striatum (e.g., Parkinson's disease) impairs probabilistic learning
- People with hippocampal damage can acquire probabilistic learning after many attempts
Depression
- The severity of anhedonia is a more reliable symptom than increased sadness
- More common in women
- Ethnic inequality in diagnosis (Lee et al, 2017)
- Largely two groups of patients (early onset vs. late onset)
- Many patients do not get relief from current therapeutic options
The Genetic Risks of Depression
- A moderate degree of heritability
- SERT polymorphism and environment interaction
- Why the vulnerable genotype survived:
- Adaptability: s variant has been associated with a heightened sensitivity to both positive and negative environmental influences
- Increased emotional responsiveness
Different Types of Antidepressants
- Discovery of the first antidepressants in the 1950s
- Unexpected antidepressant effect from the drugs originally used to treat tuberculosis and psychosis
- MAOI (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor): inhibit the breakdown of monoamines
- TCAs (Tricyclic Antidepressants): block reuptake of norepinephrine
- SNRIs (Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Blocker)
- SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake inhibitors): block reuptake of serotonin only
The Serotonin Paradox
- Normal 5-HT level in people with depression
- People with s/s SERT genotype have a higher level of 5-HT!
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Description
This quiz covers the role of the amygdala in emotional responses, including fear and ambiguity, and explores cases of dysfunctional amygdala.
