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Stress & Emotion June 24, 2014

Stress & Emotion June 24, 2014. Emotion. What is Emotion?. As component of personality, decision making Not simple states of mind Ex. What does it mean to be “happy”? Biopsychologists look at emotion in context - component behaviors in particular situations. Evolution of Emotion.

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Stress & Emotion June 24, 2014

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  1. Stress & EmotionJune 24, 2014

  2. Emotion

  3. What is Emotion? • As component of personality, decision making • Not simple states of mind • Ex. What does it mean to be “happy”? Biopsychologists look at emotion in context - component behaviors in particular situations

  4. Evolution of Emotion Why would emotion have evolved? • Conserved across species • Communication w/in and between species • Expressions/displays assoc. w/ emotional states • Dominance, submission

  5. Basic Human Emotions • Identifying/assoc. facial expressions w/ emotions • Can fluctuate (ex. threat in pregnancy) • 6 “primary” emotions based on typical expressions • Happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, fear, surprise • Others are “combinations” • Facial patterns not learned • Smile/frown universal

  6. Biological Basis of Emotion

  7. Autonomic System • Sympathetic arousal, response to threat How does a “lie detector” work? • Measure “emotional state” in response to cues/info • Heart rate, skin response, respiration

  8. Limbic System • Emotional context • Connection w/ memory • Interaction w/ hypothalamus (autonomic control, motivation), frontal cortex (decision making, perception of emotional state)

  9. Amygdala • Limbic nuclei – memory, emotional processing • Removal - Kluver-Bucy syndrome • Increased, undirected consumption • Inappropriately directed sexual behavior • Perseveration • Oral investigation of objects • Lack of fear

  10. Frontal Cortex • Emotional context • Situation, likely consequences • Decision making • Prefrontal – emotional reactions, social rejection • Mood, personality, experience of “feeling” state – what we describe as emotion • Affect: the experience or feeling of emotion

  11. Human Affect We tend to see emotion as something special – but it is a behavior like any other, a result of the brain’s interpretation of the situation

  12. Human Affect • No “site” of emotion • Complex interaction of brainstem, limbic responses w/ diffuse areas throughout cortex • Modulated by 5-HT, DA • Extensive networks • Experiencing/imagining – role in empathy

  13. Human Affect • Right hemisphere dominance - production, recognition of facial expressions • Much is still unknown • How to define emotion • Experiences across species

  14. Theories of Emotion

  15. Previous Theories James-Lange: sensory stimulus triggers appropriate autonomic response, interpreted as particular emotion Dependent on autonomic feedback Cannon-Bard: stimuli excites both feeling of emotion and expression of emotion (in parallel) Independent of autonomic system

  16. Modern Theories • Something in between • Autonomic not necessary (ex. spinal cord injury) • Autonomic response caninfluence emotional experience • Facial expression can influence mood • Complex interaction - perception, feeling, physiological reaction

  17. Models of Fear and Aggression

  18. Fear Emotional response to perceived threat Motivates defensive behaviors (protection/avoidance of harm)

  19. Fear Postures against aggression Defensive attack Freezing/fleeing Maternal defense Risk assessment (scanning the environment) Defensive burying

  20. Fear • Hippocampus – associate stimuli w/ environment • Amygdala - fear conditioning (assoc. w/ previously neutral situations), emotional significance • Perception of fear?

  21. Aggression • Intent to threaten or harm • Motivates aggressive behaviors • Stalk/kill prey • Social dominance (against intruders) • Role of testosterone

  22. Aggression • W/out influence of cortex – abnormal aggressive response (“sham rage”) • Inappropriately severe, non-directed • Aggressive displays What does this suggest? • Hypothalamus – aggressive behavior patterns • Cortex - directs at appropriate target

  23. Stress

  24. What is Stress? Stressor: experience or event that signals threat or harm, causes stress to an organism • Physiological or psychological • What were common stressors, evolutionarily? • What have we adapted to deal with?

  25. What is Stress? • Societal demands • Noxious stimuli • Life changes • Lack of food • Physical activity • Predation • Etc…

  26. Biological Mechanisms of Stress Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis • Hypothalamic control of anterior pituitary • Release of adrenocorticotropic hormone from pituitary • Activation of adrenal cortex • Release of glucocorticoids from adrenal cortex

  27. Biological Mechanisms of Stress • Glucocorticoids - receptors on body cells • Metabolism, immune function • Measure of stress • Sympathetic activation - release of epinephrine/NE from adrenal medulla

  28. Biological Mechanisms of Stress • Stress increases cytokines – hormone which influences immune system What might contribute to variability in response to stress amongst individuals? • Timing of exposure • Mood, reactive state (coping)

  29. Stress and Health • Short term stress is adaptive – tend to stressor, mobilization of resources • Cytokines incr. immune function/combat infection • Long term stress is maladaptive • Immune function, inflammation

  30. Stress and Immune Function • Immune cells respond to glucocorticoids • Susceptibility to disease? • Chronic stress – body tissue, mental health

  31. Early Stress • Influence stress response across lifetime • Maternal stress during pregnancy • Oxytocin during childbirth - adaptive mechanisms • Hippocampus, neurogenesis • Glucocorticoid receptors

  32. Behavioral & Psychiatric Disorders

  33. Mental Health

  34. What is a Psychiatric “Disorder”? Disruption in psychological function req. treatment, considered “abnormal” Many different behaviors: • Mood, threat perception, reward mechanisms, motivation, decision making, perception, sensorimotor function…

  35. What is a Psychiatric “Disorder”? • Affective disorders, anxiety, perception of reality • Variation/distortion of normal behaviors • Extremes (normal distribution) • “Abnormal” is subjective • Interfere w/ “normal” function

  36. History of Mental Illness • “Madness” - spiritual possession • Exorcism • Mental asylums for the “insane” • Inconsistent definitions of sanity • Sterilization, heavy medication

  37. History of Mental Illness • Lobotomies, electroshock • Misdiagnosis of other conditions? • Toxins • Epilepsy • Developmental disorders

  38. Modern Therapies Less controversial approaches… • Psychiatric, behavioral therapy • Psychopharmacological • Modern psychiatric hospitals

  39. Modern Therapies • Improvement in diagnosis, classification of disorders • Symptom variability • Definitions can change • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) 5

  40. Modern Therapies • Self report • Same diagnosis, vastly different symptoms • Same symptoms, different diagnoses • Drugs – tool for understanding biological basis of disease • Outcome of drug therapy • Assumptions about drug pathway

  41. Mood Disorders

  42. Depression Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) - affect (mood) Distortion of normal response to loss, grief Reactive (specific event) or endogenous (no specific cause)

  43. Depression • ~10% of population • Common symptoms: • Anhedonia • Sadness • Problems w/ daily functions • Lack of hygiene • Sleeping/eating disturbances

  44. Depression • Diagnosis - 2 weeks of continuous symptoms (clinical depression) • Risk of suicide • Genetic and environmental factors • Ex. stress

  45. Biology of Depression • Cell loss - prefrontal cortex, limbic structures • Physiological markers often unreliable • Inconsistency in diagnosis • Reduced 5-HT & NE receptor binding - likely due to reduced monoamine release • Treatment through monoamine agonists

  46. Treatment for Depression • MAO inhibitor (reduce breakdown of 5-HT) • Monoamine reuptake inhibitor (SSRIs) • Tricyclics (reduce reuptake of 5-HT, NE)

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