Exam 4 Neuroscience

Components of an emotional response (behavioral)

any physical movement associated with an emotion (facial expression)

Components of an emotional response (autonomic)

facilitate behaviors, ready to carry out an emotion (increased bp)

Components of an emotional response (hormonal)

produced by endocrine glands, help reinforce autonomic responses

How is the ventromedial prefrontal cortex related to moral judgements?

integrates social emotion and empathy into decision making; when damaged people show less emotional conflict in moral dilemma

Amygdala (lateral nucleus)

bringing info from the thalamus and hippocampus

Amygdala (basal nucleus)

Where info travels next, sends info to CN

Amygdala (central nucleus)

most important for emotional response, communicates w rest of brain

Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex (vmPFC)

helps with inibition to emotional responses. damage = impairs extinction learning

vmPFC Moral judgements

idk

Periaqueductal Gray Matter (Dorsal)

Defensive behaviors

Periaqueductal Gray Matter (Ventral)

Predation behaviors

Serotonin’s relationship with aggression

The more serotonin present, the less aggressive and risky behaviors

Androgens and their relation to agression

Testosterone made rats more aggressive

Alcohol and aggression

Alcohol made monkeys more aggressive if they were dominant

Development of the prefrontal cortex and relation to emotion

develops later, behind amygdala, finishes developing in late 20s

Development of the amygdala and relation to emotion

Amygdala develops first, pretty well developed as a child

Serotonin in the Prefrontal cortex

Activates prefrontal cortex, low levels = more active amygdala

Facial expressions of emotion

these expressions are recognized across cultures; amygdala recognizes fear and the right hemisphere of brain is more active in processing facial emotions

Affective blindsight

Damage to the visual cortex, cannot consciously recognize objects

Volitional facial paresis

voluntary muscle movement is difficult

Emotional facial paresis

involuntary muscle movement in the face (authentic) is difficult

Lamina Terminalis and drinking

contains the ovlt and sfo, outside blood brain barrier

ovlt

contains most osmoreceptors for osmometric thirst

Osmoreceptors

neurons whose firing rate is affected by their level of hydration, if interstitial fluid surrounding them becomes concentrated, they shrink

Angiotensin

Produced by kidneys in response to a decrease in blood flow. Initiates drinking, makes kidneys conserve water and salt.

Anterior Cingulate Cortex and drinking

When thirsty, after drinking water, it returned to baseline values. Reflects thirst

Osmometric thirst

When the solute concentration of interstitial fluid increases

Volumetric thirst

when the volume of the blood plasma (intravascular) decreases, most commonly blood loss

How does insulin impact the short term resevoir

it tells glucose to turn into glycogen to be stored

What is stored in the long term reservoirs

adipose (fat) tissue, triglycerides, glycerol, and fatty acids

Where can the long term reservoirs be found?

Under the skin and in the abdominal cavity

How can fatty acids be used in the long term reservoirs

Convert triglycerides into energy for our body to use

Insulin in the brain

The brain needs glucose, not glycogen. Has no insulin receptors

Insulin in the body

Everywhere but the brain

Glucose and insulin during fasting

Fall in blood glucose = pancreas stop producing insulin and instead make glucagon

Glucose and insulin during the absorptive phase

Glucose rises, stop secreting glucagon, make insulin

Lateral nuclei of the hypothalamus

Produces eating behavior

Ventromedial nuclei of the hypothalamus

stop eating center

Perceptual learning

learning something youve seen and its function (objects youve seen before)

Relational learning

learning connections between objects/organisms (thinking a goat is the same thing as a dog)

Motor learning

learning a novel sequence of behaviors (movement)

Mesolimbic system and reinforcement

produces dopamine and sends to limbic system, activated when we do anything we like

Ventral tegmental area and reinforcement

Starts mesolimbic pathway

Medial forebrain bundle and reinforcement

connects ventral tegmentum to nucleus accumbens, unexpected reinforcers have the highest dopamine release

How lack of o2 to the brain impacts the memory

Cant form new memories when there is no o2 to the brain

Entorhinal cortex

widespread network hub for memory, navigation, and the perception of time

Associative Long term potentiation

in pyramidal cells action potentials can happen in dendrites if axon of the cell is depolarized. Strengthens weaker synapses bc it can flush calcium into cells

NMDA receptor characteristics

need depolarization of membrane AND glutamate to work

AMPA receptor and long term potentiation

needs glutamate to work

Hippocampal neurogenesis

Relational learning relies on hippocampus, amplified neurogenisis when in a relational task