3.8 - emotions

non-volitional emotional response

nvoluntary skeletal motor activities and autonomic reactions mediated by the limbic system in response to external stimuli that provoke emotion

• ex. heart rate, BP, breathing rate

volitional emotion response

voluntary skeletal motor activities mediated by the cortical system in response to external stimuli that provoke emotion

schachter’s 2 factor theory

• affective state

body’s physical response (relfex)

schachter’s 2 factor theory

• cognitive label

emotion + behavior

how does the limbic system mediate emotions

limbic system → brain stem + sc → muscles → non-volitional

• interprets + expresses conditioned emotion (fear of snake)

how does the cortex mediate emotions

cortex → brain stem + sc → muscles → volitional

• modulates emotion based on learning/ social behavior (not afraid of harmless snakes)

what are the major components of the limbic system

1. limbic cortex

2. amygdala

3. hippocampus

4. hypothalamus

limbic cortex

regions of frontal, parietal + temporal cortices

subcortical limbic system

amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus

amygdala’s role

perciever

• stores memory for emotions → learning fear

• highly active during fear, anxiety + aggression

• lesion of amygdalade → tameness

hippocampus’s role

LTM

• works w/ amygdala

hypothalamus’s role

organizes neural + hormone responses to maintain homeostasis

PAG’s role

defense behavior

• autonomic + stomatic motor changes

• active + passive

• dorsal = aggressive; ventral = freezing