Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the role of the temporoparietal junction in relation to out-of-body experiences?
What is the role of the temporoparietal junction in relation to out-of-body experiences?
What sensations were reported by individuals upon electrical stimulation of the angular gyrus?
What sensations were reported by individuals upon electrical stimulation of the angular gyrus?
Which cortex is associated with autoscopic hallucinations?
Which cortex is associated with autoscopic hallucinations?
At what age do infants start showing imitative facial expressions?
At what age do infants start showing imitative facial expressions?
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Empathic accuracy varies with relationship closeness; what is the accuracy percentage for total strangers?
Empathic accuracy varies with relationship closeness; what is the accuracy percentage for total strangers?
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Which two types of sensory information may conflict leading to autoscopic hallucinations?
Which two types of sensory information may conflict leading to autoscopic hallucinations?
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What percentage of accuracy can spouses typically achieve in empathic accuracy?
What percentage of accuracy can spouses typically achieve in empathic accuracy?
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What increase in brain activity is observed in infants at 4 months when processing facial expressions?
What increase in brain activity is observed in infants at 4 months when processing facial expressions?
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What is the role of the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) in processing social interactions?
What is the role of the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) in processing social interactions?
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How does receiving social support affect cortisol levels?
How does receiving social support affect cortisol levels?
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Which of the following brain areas is associated with emotional regulation and is affected in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?
Which of the following brain areas is associated with emotional regulation and is affected in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?
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What physiological effects are associated with providing social support?
What physiological effects are associated with providing social support?
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The Default Mode Network (DMN) in individuals with ASD shows which of the following characteristics?
The Default Mode Network (DMN) in individuals with ASD shows which of the following characteristics?
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What aspect of brain development is often observed in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder?
What aspect of brain development is often observed in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder?
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Which brain region is primarily associated with decision-making and is affected in repetitive behaviors in Autism?
Which brain region is primarily associated with decision-making and is affected in repetitive behaviors in Autism?
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Which of the following statements about social support is true?
Which of the following statements about social support is true?
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What is one effect of opioids released during supportive social interactions?
What is one effect of opioids released during supportive social interactions?
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Which of the following characteristics is NOT typically associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder?
Which of the following characteristics is NOT typically associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder?
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What is the primary function of the noradrenergic system in attachment learning?
What is the primary function of the noradrenergic system in attachment learning?
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Which part of the brain is associated with the perception of self?
Which part of the brain is associated with the perception of self?
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What response is triggered by the activation of mirror neuron networks?
What response is triggered by the activation of mirror neuron networks?
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How does disgust impact the brain regions involved in empathy?
How does disgust impact the brain regions involved in empathy?
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What role does the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) play in social situations?
What role does the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) play in social situations?
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What physiological process is triggered when observing pain in a romantic partner?
What physiological process is triggered when observing pain in a romantic partner?
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In the context of moral decision making, what does the insula primarily represent?
In the context of moral decision making, what does the insula primarily represent?
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How does brain damage to the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) affect social behavior?
How does brain damage to the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) affect social behavior?
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What brain region is activated during self-reflection?
What brain region is activated during self-reflection?
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Which part of the brain increases activation for perceptions of others perceived as dissimilar?
Which part of the brain increases activation for perceptions of others perceived as dissimilar?
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What type of behavior is indicated by higher activation in the ventral striatum during observing a rival team’s loss?
What type of behavior is indicated by higher activation in the ventral striatum during observing a rival team’s loss?
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What is a common result when judging social situations that involve impropriety in FTLD patients?
What is a common result when judging social situations that involve impropriety in FTLD patients?
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What effect does electrical stimulation of the insula have?
What effect does electrical stimulation of the insula have?
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What is the significance of the amygdala in processing moral decisions?
What is the significance of the amygdala in processing moral decisions?
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Study Notes
Embodiment and Out-of-Body Experiences
- Embodiment is the spatial unity between the self and body.
- The temporal parietal junction (TPJ) and angular gyrus mediate this sense of unity.
- Electrical stimulation of the angular gyrus can induce sensations like sinking into a bed, falling from a height, or an out-of-body experience, where the person sees their body in the bed.
- The temporoparietal junction (near the angular gyrus) is active when imagining a perspective other than one's own.
- TPJ activity increases when people report transitioning from an egocentric to an observer's perspective.
- TPJ is also engaged when imagining an out-of-body experience.
- Autoscopic hallucinations (seeing a double of oneself) stem from activity in the right temporo-occipital cortex, potentially due to a failure to synergize proprioceptive and tactile information or conflicting vestibular and visual information.
Understanding the Mental State of Others
- Understanding others is crucial for social cooperation.
- Most conversations involve discussing ourselves and others.
- Empathic accuracy (inferring others' thoughts and feelings) varies with relationship closeness: total strangers (20%), close friends (30%), and spouses (30-35%).
- This ability starts developing in infancy, evidenced by imitative facial expressions observed as early as 42 minutes after birth.
- Occipital cortex activity increases in the gamma range, as well as prefrontal cortex activity, in response to eye contact, during processing of facial expressions.
Why Develop Empathy Early?
- Attachment learning is critical for survival.
- The noradrenergic system facilitates rapid olfactory learning (knowing what Mom smells like).
- Amygdala responses are dampened during early attachment so pups don't learn to associate pain with the mother.
- Attachment is hardwired, regardless of care quality.
Neural Correlates of Sharing Experiences
- Medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) activation is associated with perceiving self and others.
- Ventral MPFC activity increases during self-perception and when perceiving similar others or romantic partners.
- Dorsal MPFC activity is associated with perceiving dissimilar others.
Empathy
- Empathy involves the activation of the same affective state in the observer as in the observed; it's like a peripheral experience.
- This "embodied simulation" triggers somatic and autonomic responses and involves a connection between mirror neuron networks (MPFC, ventrolateral PFC, and anterior cingulate gyrus) and the amygdala via the insula.
- Disgust is a reliably induced and recognizable human emotion used to study empathy, activating the anterior insula.
- Anterior insula activation correlates with the intensity of disgust.
- This same area is activated by disgusting smells, and electrical stimulation elicits nausea. Damage to this area diminishes the ability to detect disgust in others.
Empathy & Pain
- Insula activation occurs during physical pain and when observing others in pain.
- Observing a romantic partner in pain increases insula and anterior cingulate activity.
- Anterior cingulate cortex is also activated during physical pain and observing others in pain.
- Anterior insula and anterior cingulate cortex encode unpleasantness.
Processing Information About Self and Other
- The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex is active during self-specific processing, not other-related processing.
- This area is involved in goal-directed activity, self-reflection, and action monitoring.
- Right medial prefrontal cortex is active during self-reflection.
- Left medial prefrontal cortex activity is linked to thoughts about others.
Forming Impressions of Others
- Dorsal medial prefrontal cortex activity is linked to evaluating a person's actions.
- This region is activated when listening to stories of other people's behaviors, like "dancing on a table at a party."
Empathy & Fairness
- Insula and anterior cingulate cortex activity increase when a fair person experiences pain.
- However, males showed increased ventral striatum/nucleus accumbens activity when observing a cheater experience pain (suggesting enjoyment).
Empathy & Group Membership
- Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activity increases with the success of a rival team.
- ACC activation is linked to psychological pain associated with game outcomes.
- Ventral striatal activity increases when a disliked team loses (schadenfreude).
Using Social Knowledge to Make Decisions
- Social decision-making involves using rules (e.g., hugging vs. shaking hands) and occurs continually.
- Damage to the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) impairs social decision-making; people may have trouble evaluating options and their reward value.
- Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) patients display socially inappropriate behaviors and make inappropriate comments.
- FTLD patients judged negative social situations as more acceptable than healthy individuals, correlated with decreased vmPFC activity.
Neural Correlates of Morality
- The brain may have a "moral organ" that assesses the value of actions and outcomes.
- Insula represents the subjective value and aversiveness of moral transgressions.
- Amygdala differentiates between intentional and accidental harm within 200 milliseconds.
- Temporoparietal junction (TPJ) is most sensitive to attempted harm, encoding information about perpetrators' intentions.
- Stimulation of TPJ leads to a "no harm, no foul" response, suppressing amygdala's response to unintentional transgressions.
- Moral dilemmas (e.g., trolley problem) activate different brain regions: dorsolateral PFC (for utilitarian judgments), and medial PFC, TPJ, and parietal cortex for personal distress.
Social Support and Mental Health
- Social cues act as buffers against social stressors. Perception of social support is key.
- Social support reduces cortisol levels, decreases hypothalamic activity associated with threats, and is part of a "safety signal circuit."
- Ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) activity increases with social support.
- vmPFC inhibits amygdala, insula, and anterior cingulate cortex activity to reduce threat response.
Providing Social Support
- Providing support generates physiological responses, reducing depression symptoms, lowering blood pressure and heart rate, and predicting lower mortality in 5 years.
- Supporting others reduces amygdala activity and activates reward regions (septum and VTA).
- Opioids are released in response to social support, reducing pain and threat response, HPA and SNS activity, and likely contributing to parental behavior.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- ASD was first observed by psychiatrist Leo Kanner in 1943, who coined the term "early infantile autism".
- Key characteristics include impaired social interactions, communication, interests, and adherence to routines, accompanied by early presentation (before age 3) and higher prevalence in males.
Autism & the Default Mode Network (DMN)
- DMN is associated with social, emotional, and introspective processing.
- Neurotypical individuals show decreased medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) activity during non-self-referential thinking, but not ASD individuals.
- fMRI studies suggest that the DMN is relatively inactive in ASD.
Neuropathology of Autism
- ASD is associated with delayed brain development.
- Macrocephaly (larger head size) is present in about 20% of cases, often a temporary condition between ages 2-4.
- Neurons in the hippocampus and cortex display "immature spines", suggesting developmental delay or imbalances due to spine overproduction or insufficient pruning.
Brain Regions Affected in Autism
- Social development: Orbital frontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex (empathy), and posterior parietal cortex (attention, self-referential processing).
- Communication: Broca's area, supplementary motor area, and basal ganglia (voluntary movement).
- Repetitive behavior: Orbital frontal cortex (decision-making), anterior cingulate cortex (emotional regulation), basal ganglia (habit learning), and thalamus (sensory processing).
Studying That Suits You
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Description
Test your understanding of embodiment and out-of-body experiences with this informative quiz. Explore the roles of the temporoparietal junction and angular gyrus in mediating spatial unity and the sensations induced by electrical stimulation. Enhance your knowledge about autoscopic hallucinations and their neural underpinnings.
