Emotion (Fear and Sadness)

A collection of vocabulary flashcards based on the lecture notes about emotions, specifically focusing on fear and sadness, along with related disorders and treatments.

Emotion

An emotional state characterized by three aspects: cognition (detection of stimulus), readiness for action (physiological response), and feeling (conscious perception).

James-Lange Theory

A theory suggesting that autonomic arousal and skeletal action occur before the conscious experience of emotion.

Limbic System

A brain system traditionally regarded as critical for emotion, including forebrain areas surrounding the thalamus.

Amygdala

A brain region involved in processing fear responses and emotional stimuli.

PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, often associated with alterations in brain structure, specifically the hippocampus.

Subgenual Cingulate Cortex (SCC)

A region of the cingulate cortex linked to sadness, activated during the experience of sadness.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

A clinical condition requiring five or more specific symptoms, including depressed mood or loss of interest, lasting at least two weeks.

SSRIs

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, drugs that block serotonin reuptake, increasing serotonin availability in the synapse.

Serotonin Hypothesis of Depression

Proposes that an imbalance in serotonin contributes to the development and maintenance of Major Depressive Disorder.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

A treatment approach focusing on teaching coping skills and countering negative thoughts.

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOI)

A drug that inhibits the enzyme monoamine oxidase, which metabolizes serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, thereby increasing their levels.

Chronic Inflammation

A potential contributor to Major Depressive Disorder involving inflammatory processes in the brain.

Fear Responses

Behavioral and physiological reactions triggered by sensory stimuli processed in the lateral amygdala.

Cortisol

A stress hormone that, in excess, can damage neurons in brain regions responsible for stress response.