nsci exam 4

what neurotransmitter is associated with mother/infant bonding and positive social interactions?

oxytocin

Where is oxytocin produced?

The paraventricular nucleus / hypothalamus

What hormone is oxytocin associated with?

vasopressin

Where does oxytocin get released to?

the pituitary gland and the target areas of the body

what is oxytocin released during?

orgasms, breastfeeding, intimate touch, eye contact, and prolonged interaction (also labor)

Does oxytocin have an impact on child survival and success?

YES; influences quality of care and bonding of parent and child

Does oxytocin cause maternal behaviors?

YES; virgin rats do not perform maternal behavior because they do not have the oxytocin release

What area of the brain is associated with the expression of maternal behaviors?

The medial preoptic area (a part of the hypothalamus)

How do we know the medial preoptic area is associated with maternal behaviors?

When receptors in this area are blocked, maternal behavior is halted

How can oxytocin be measured in people?

Through saliva levels

What are pair bonds?

Pair bonds are monogamous relationships between two people involving cohabitation and reproduction

What types of pair bonds are there?

Sexual and social

What is a social pair bond?

where partners engage in sexual behavior outside of the pair bond

What is a sexual pair bond?

sexual behavior is confined to the pair bond monogamously

What parts of the area are affiliated with pair bonding?

The nucleus accumbens and the prelimbic cortex

What is social stress?

stress that comes from a person’s relationships in their environment

What types of social stress are there?

Chronic social defeat stress and submaximal social defeat stress

What is chronic social defeat stress?

persistent social stress over ten days (both physical and emotional)

What is submaximal social defeat stress?

Short term physical stress over the course of one day

What is a resilient animal characterized by?

behavior like interacting with the aggressor, and an SI ratio less than 100

What is a susceptible animal characterized by?

behavior like avoiding the aggressor, and an SI ratio greater than 100

What is the central dogma of genetic biology?

DNA is transcribed into RNA which is translated into protein to determine the function of the cell

What is a transcriptome?

all of the mRNA expressed from the genes of an organism

How do you study the transcriptome of a cell?

isolate the mRNA

What did Nicole Quintus’ research show?

That one gene difference does not create notable differences in behavior

What is the sense of smell called?

olfaction

How do human brains compare to animal brains? (sense of smell)

humans have much smaller olfactory bulbs than animals

What causes the smell that we sense?

Odorants binding to smell receptors

Where are smell receptors located?

On olfactory neurons in the olfactory epithelium

Why does the nasal cavity have hair?

To trap particles that enter the cavity

Where does olfactory reception go to in the brain?

orbitofrontal cortex, thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus

What does smell information do in the amygdala?

create an emotional association with smells

What does smell information do in the hippocampus?

creates memories associated with smells

What does the cortex do with smell information?

perceives and creates visceral responses to smells

Do olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) die?

Yes and they are replaced every one to two months to bind to the same cells as the old ORNsH

How many ORNs are people thought to have?

around 400

What is the term for loss of smell?

Anosmia

Do people lose sense of smell as they age?

yes

What are pheromones?

Substances secreted by one person and taken in by another person to create a certain reaction; chemical communication between members of a species

What was the first pheromone discovered?

Bombykol in silk moths

What is the lee-boot effect?

Females who are housed without a male have long/irregular cycles from female pheromones

What is the Whitten effect?

When a male is present, the cycles of women shorten and become synchronized by male pheromones

Are the Lee-Boot and Whitten effect also seen in human women?

Yes

What is androst?

A steroid pheromone in armpit secretions; men produce more than women

Who does androst have an effect on?

Those that are attracted to menW

What brain area responds to pheromone attraction?

hypothalamus

What is the Proust phenomenon?

the idea that smells can trigger intense, emotional memories using the amygdala and hippocampus

What does the orbitofrontal cortex do with smell information?

Integrates it with taste information

What does the thalamus do with smell information?

Relay it through the rest of the brain

What brain area identifies smells?

the piriform cortex

How many smells are we likely to be able to perceive?

around one trillion

Where are the taste receptors located?

Within the taste budsW

Where are the taste buds located?

Within the papillae of the tongue

What are the five main tastes?

salty, sweet, sour, bitter, umami

What are the particles called that bind with microvilli on taste receptors?

tastants

What are the four kinds of papillae?

Circumvallate

Foliate

Filiform

Fungiform

Which kind of papillae does not contain taste buds?

Filiform; more important for texture

What cranial nerves innervate the tongue?

Facial nerve (cranial nerve seven) and the glossopharyngeal nerve (cranial nerve nine)

Where does taste information get sent in the brain?

The thalamus, medulla oblongata, and gustatory cortex

Are taste and flavor different?

yes

What is taste?

the sensory response to receptor activation on the tongue

What is flavor?

The sensory experience of food; including taste, aroma, and texture

What is CTA?

conditioned taste aversion; created through a learned avoidance of a particular taste

Does humor require laughter?

no

What is humor impairment a symptom of?

Major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, and social anxiety

What is a duchenne smile?

A genuine smile in response to humorous stimuli; involving the entire face

What is a non-duchenne smile?

A ‘polite’, non-genuine smile where only the mouth corners are raised

What is laugher important for?

diffusion of tension, creating relaxing environment; intake of oxygen and release of endorphins

What are the two types of laugher?

Duchenne laughter (response to stimulus), and conversational laughter (lacking emotion)

Stimulation of what area of the brain induces laughter?

Nucleus accumbens

What is the term for muscle weakness with conscious awareness that is triggered by emotions?

Cataplexy

Lesions to what area prevent CTA in rats?

the basolateral amygdala

What brain area is associated with emotional response and appreciation of humor?

insular cortex

What are the two components of humor?

Humor detection and humor appreciation

do virgin female rats show the same maternal behaviors around pups as those that have given birth?

no; virgin maternal rats only show maternal behaviors when injected with oxytocin

what happens to rats when they are given oxytocin antagonists (blockers) after giving birth?

the mothers show a decreased expression of maternal behaviors like arched-back nursing and pup licking

what happens to maternal rats when the oxytocin receptors in their medial preoptic area are blocked?

they exhibit decreased arched-back nursing and pup licking ALONG with general time spent on her pups

how do oxytocin levels change in mothers and fathers afer engaging with their child?

mothers oxytocin levels increase with affectionate contact, and fathers oxytocin levels increase for stimulatory contact; low engagement in general did not increase oxytocin levels for either

do prairie voles show signs of pair bonding?

yes; when given the choice, a female prairie vole will choose her prior partner over a new stranger

what happens to pair bonding in prairie voles when oxytocin receptors are blocked?

they do not form pair bonds

how does oxytocin affect male perception of attraction?

males given oxytocin intranasally rate women as generally more attractive than those without oxytocin

can oxytocin predict how long a couple will be together?

yes, couples with more higher oxytocin levels were less likely to break up after 6 months

do single people and people in relationships have different levels of oxytocin?

yes; couples have higher overall oxytocin levels than single people

how does oxytocin affect couples’ interactions?

couples that are given oxytocin and go through a difficult conversation are more likely to exhibit positive behaviors toward each other than those without oxytocin

what brain area becomes active when men look at their partner?

the nucleus accumbens activates to a greater degree when men are shown their partner; especially with the addition of oxytocin

how does oxytocin change a committed male’s preference of proximity to a random woman?

oxytocin caused men to prefer a greater distance from the woman, regardless of eye contact

how does oxytocin affect those with ASD?

when people with ASD are given oxytocin, their social salience is improved and their nucleus accumbens is more active towards social stimuli rather than non-social stimuli

how does oxytocin affect those with social anxiety?

those with social anxiety that are given oxytocin are more likely to rate themselves with a higher performance and appearance after giving an embarrassing speech; they also have decreased amygdala activity when given oxytocin

how do menstrual cycles change in an all female environment?

this causes cycle length to be longer and more likely to start at the same time as other females in the environment

what signal causes cycles to become synchronized?

the secretions of pre-ovulatory women shorten other’s cycles, while the secretions of post-ovulatory women lengthen other’s cycles

how do male pheromones change women’s attraction?

women exposed to male pheromones rated men as more attractive than controls

how does exposure to androst change GSR in males and females?

female skin temperature decreased while mens increased; female skin conductance increased and did not change for mens

what brain area changes activity when exposed to adrost?

those attracted to men showed increased activity of the hypothalamus when exposed to androst

how does odor affect social behavior?

those that were unconsciously exposed to unpleasant smells rated people as having less likability than pleasant or neutral smells

is there evidence of the proust phenomenon?

yes; when women are exposed to smells linked to memories, they have stronger activation of the left amygdala compared to control smells

do infants react hedonically to tastes?

yes; when given a sweet solution, babies exhibit hedonic reactions, while babies given bitter or citric solutions exhibit aversive reactions

does taste affect social behavior?

yes; people are more likely to help someone after being given a sweet solution

does taste affect moral judgment?

yes; those that are given bitter solutions rate moral situations as more severe than other groups

does moral judgment affect taste?

yes; those that are told a virtuous moral story rate the drink as better tasting than those that are given an aggressive moral story

how do people react to genuine laughter?

people rate those with genuine laugher as friendlier, more interesting, more sexy and more positiv