Psyc4130 1nd Edition Lecture 23 Outline of Last Lecture I The Emotional Brain a Morality b Generalities c Right Hemisphere d The Right Brain Sees Big Picture e Result of Right Hemi Damage Outline of Current Lecture II Corpus Callosum III Brain Imaging IV Insular Cortex V Cortical Structures VI Amygdala VII Amygdaloid Complex VIII Amygdala as Fear Factor IX Cracking the Nut X Central Nucleus Current Lecture Corpus Callosum Right and left hemi always in contact with each other Video split brain with one half atheist and one half theist Brain Imaging What can brain imaging technologies e g fMRI tell us about a person s thoughts and emotions o MRI structural pic differentiates between grey matter and white matter o F functional ability to tell which brain areas are becoming more or less active due to a stimulus thought idea drug Nomathetic research means loose site of important outliers of brain structure and function Limbic structures are consistently activated but regional activity is greatly variable according to the specific emotion These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Consistent metabolic increases are observed in PFC cingulate gyrus and deep temporal lobe structures amygdala and hippocampus Insular Cortex The clearest picture of emotion in the brain Insular cortex contains the primary gustatory cortex but also responds to frightful images so it is not specific to disgust Sense of taste disgusting nauseous response something is distasteful Cortical Structures Consistently Implicated in Emotional Processing Amygdala Hippocampus Anterior Cingulate Prefrontal Cortex Amygdala Paleo cortex been around for long time compared to neo Deep area of temporal lobe Almond Amygdaloid Complex Gateway to the Emotions o Activates hypothalamus controls hormonal responses o Periaqueductal grey fight flight sex Active in both innate e g loud noise and learned fear responses e g conditioned emotional responses o Associative learning types of scenarios Primarily but certainly not exclusively coordinates responses to aversive stimuli o Bias towards the aversive Electrical stimulation attack or panic related freezing depending on region stimulated Amygdala as Fear Factor Earliest evidence was from electrical stimulation of brain regions in patients undergoing surgery for seizure disorders Autonomic RESPONSES consistent with fearful states could be elicited by zapping a variety of brain regions e g hypothalamus but Patients only reported FEELING afraid in horror actually whne the amygdala was stimulated More generally the amygdala organizes behavioral reactions to objects that have Cracking the Nut The amygdala is subdivided into about 12 functionally distinct regions in most mammals But there are just three general regions The Lateral Nucleus LA o Inputs especially from the vmPFC and the hippocampus The Basal Nucleus B o Assists LA in sending output to the vmPFC and Central Nucleus of the Amygdala CE The Central Nucleus o Output signals to the hypothalamus and brainstem Central Nucleus The CN of the amygdala is the single most important part of the brain for the expression of emotional responses provoked by stimuli After the CE has been destroyed animals no longer show signs of fear when confronted with stimuli that have been paired with events
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