Premium Essay

Amygdala

Submitted By
Words 1441
Pages 6
This study hypothesized that the hippocampus, amygdala, and dorsal striatum were involved in different types of memory. The authors stated previous evidence to support their hypothesis, such as previous studies showing memory deficits from posttraining stimulations of the hippocampus, amygdala and dorsal striatum. They hypothesized that the hippocampus is involved in the acquisition of information involving relationships among stimuli and would aid in the processes of memory and identification of multiple spatial locations. The amygdala was hypothesized to be involved in memories formed from Pavlovian conditioning, which involves association of a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus and gives the same unconditioned response. Lastly …show more content…
Injections were infused using a Harvard minipump for 8 minutes and a 30-gauge cannula. 0.9% saline solution was used for the sham lesion and rats were tested one week after surgery. The lateral amygdala and dorsal striatum were lesioned using injections of N-methyl-D-asparate (NMDA). The NMDA was injected into one site on the lateral amygdala on each side. The dorsal striatum was injected bilaterally with NMDA. Injections of a phosphate buffer were used to create sham lesions. The rats were tested one week after surgery. The rats that were injected with neurotoxins were watched for seizures and were given Valium if they had a seizure. 30 %Chloral hydrate, 0.9% saline, and 10% formol-saline solution were used to deeply anesthetize the rats after completions of the testing. The brains were removed, frozen, and …show more content…
For 2 consecutive days the rats were habituated to the food pellets and the radial maze for 5 minutes each day. Next was the acquisition trials, this involved the rat being placed in the center platform of the radial arm maze and four of the eight arms were lit and no adjacent arms were lit. At the end of each lit arm was food and if the rat ate the pellet from the arm the arm was rebaited only one time. After the rat ate the second pellet in the arm, the light was turned off and there was no more food in that arm. The trial would only last for 10 minutes or until 8 pellets were collected. They recorded errors, which were entries into unlit arms, choice accuracy, and the arms the rat chose to enter. In the group with the lesion to the fornix, the rats were the lesion more quickly learned the win-stay task than the sham and control groups, which showed a significant main effect of trial and of trial with regards to choice accuracy. All groups eventually acquired the same level of performance. The group with lesions to the lateral amygdala showed no effect on learning the win-stay task and had a significant effect of trial block in regards to choice accuracy. Dorsal striatum lesion group showed impairment on acquisition of the win-stay task and a

Similar Documents

Free Essay

The Impact of Divorce on Children

...grows from 75 percent to 90 percent of adult weight, with increases particularly in the areas that allow advanced language and social understanding (Berger, 2011, p.212).” Parents should continue to watch their children closely during these developmental stages. They should listen to what their child is telling them and continue to assist them in their daily activities. The activities that a child does during this development are slower than a teenager because the information is processed slower. Expressions and the regulation of emotions are found in the limbic system of the brain. Emotions are registered in the amygdala part of the brain. These emotions can be positive or negative. Fear is especially found in this part of the brain. The amygdala is the size and has the shape of an almond. It can be found deep in the brain. A child’s imagination is found in the amygdala (Berger, 2011). This child may was afraid of the other child due to the playground scuffle that they had on the previous day. During this stage in a child’s life, they are paying close attention to their parent’s emotions. If at any time, a child feels as if their parents are afraid of something than that child would be afraid as well. Children should feel as if they are protected at all times. This 6 year old boy’s imagination could have taken over him when this shooting occurred. He could’ve imagined that he was playing his video games and he was trying to...

Words: 728 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

PTSD And Its Effects On The Amygdala

...The amygdala receives the information and quickly scans it to determine if it is a threat and starts action to protect you. In the PTSD injured brain, the amygdala, the brain’s sentinel, has a privileged position in the perception due to its unique ability to see everything coming into the brain (Goleman, 2007). The amygdala is the alarm portion of the brain and will detect features from current circumstances to determine if they are close enough to past emotionally significant events to warrant an emotional alarm. It knows nothing about reasoning or cognitive functions; it deals with feelings and emotions. The amygdala is a hair-trigger that makes rapid judgements about a situation and has a powerful effect on our emotions and behavior, linked with our survival needs. This survival mechanism, the fight or flight response, lets us react to our...

Words: 464 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Amygdala Research Paper

...The source of energy that keeps everything going is called ATP. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the biochemical way to store and use energy. Exercise: body creates more ATP, needs more oxygen increases breathing, heart start pumping more blood to your mussels What happen when you become fearful? Fear you expectation something threatening is going to happen After hearing or seeing something that scares you that data is relayed to the THALAMUS the thalamus then sends that message to your AMYGDALA through the long way. The amygdala is important for fear because it release key neural transmitter through your body. Neural transmitter are chemicals in the body that the nerve cells in the brain called neurons us to communicate with each other in the nervous system. The most important neural transmitter in the fear response in called...

Words: 1294 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

The Amygdala Made Me Do It

...Atlas, James. (2012). The Amygdala Made Me do It. New York Times.SR4. The article I chose to read is The Amygdala Made Me do It. The amygdala is a group of neurons located deep within the temporal lobe of the brain. The amygdala have proven in research to play a primary role in things like decision making, memory, and emotional responses. This article describes different responses or habits and discusses why most of them are involuntary. I found this article very informative, though not incredibly interesting. The article was full the names of other articles or books that contain information about the part of the brain that controls reflex and logic. The fact listed in the article that I found most interesting, comes from research completed by Professor Daniel Kahneman. The research shows that the way human beings process information is broken into two distinct systems. System 1 consists of intuitive thinking or thinking quickly with no effort. System 2 is made up of logical thinking. This system is the one we use when decisions must be made. Another point that was made in the article that I found interesting was that involuntary acts such as biting one’s nails or even alcoholism are classified as autonomous. I never considered them to be reflexes as much as just habits. There is also speculation that habits or behaviors like this can be stopped completely by “training one’s brain” to not do them anymore. I feel that this is a great start to finding a cure for serious habits...

Words: 340 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

The Mediating Affect of Crf Within the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala in Rats

...The Mediating Affect of CRF Within the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala in Rats 1.Summarize the background of the article, and how does it relate to the general article. Alcohol consumption is characterized by excessive consumption which leads to feelings of increased anxiety and other negative emotional states.Consequently, these emotions lead to further consumption.Similar to human alcoholics, ethanol- dependent animals show signs of anxiety like behaviors and self administrate ethanol during periods of withdrawal. CRF, also known as corticotropin releasing factor helps mediate the increased anxiety during withdrawal.Additionally,regions of the amygdala are comprised of the CRF system, although unknown where the specific sites are responsible for the CRF component of excessive drinking. Also, numerous studies have shown that the amygdala is involved in “mediating the behavioral and physiological responses associated with anxiety.” This relates to the general article which focuses on the consumption of drug and alcohol, triggering feelings of anxiety which can be quieted by consuming more of it.Specifically, the amygdala is the part of the brain where the feelings of anxiety are triggered. Moreover, new research is showing alcohol's involvement in the transformation of the chemical architecture of the brain, allowing the brain's stress response to contribute to its dependency.  CRF, also known as the corticotrophin releasing factor, is a chemical that is involved in the brain's...

Words: 847 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Emotions, Serotonin and the Limbic System

...Running head: EMOTION: SEROTONIN, AND LIMBIC SYSTEM 1 Emotions: The roles of serotonin, and limbic system Melissa University EMOTION: SEROTONIN, AND LIMBIC SYSTEM 2 Abstract This report will review how emotions control our behavior; focusing on serotonin physiology, and the role of the Limbic System. I will report the role of serotonin and physiological changes in the body affecting the emotions of an individual, as well as other symptoms that will be dully noted in the report such as depression. The Limbic System controls the physiological changes which affect impulse control, anger and aggression, among other emotions and behaviors—I will summarize the relation between activity and several disorders. Studies have been done to understand serotonin and physiology in humans, and medications that can increase serotonin activity to offset negative affects (Hariri and Brown, 2006, p. 12). This report will summarize the details of how serotonin, and how the Limbic System affects human behaviors. EMOTION: SEROTONIN, AND LIMBIC SYSTEM 3 Emotions: The roles of serotonin, and limbic system Emotions are generally defined as a state of mind that may reflect joy or fear, although, emotions also consist of patterns of physiological responses that lead to specific behaviors, which is what this paper will reflect. Specifically, the...

Words: 2599 - Pages: 11

Free Essay

Facial Expression of Emotions

...Running Head: Facial Expression of Emotions FACIAL EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONS Pysc 380 – Physiological Psychology Abstract Emotions are shown in many different ways. One way in which are emotions are show in is our facial expressions. Facial expressions are responses that are innate, unlearned, automatic behavior. What causes these innate responses and what do they mean? There have been many articles and studies done on trying to understand all possible aspects of human and animal facial expressions. The emotional aspects of these facial expressions are vastly different. The goal of this paper is to better understand, both psychologically and physiologically, the nature of communication of emotions through facial expressions. Facial Expression of Emotions The warmth of a smile or a face contorted in anger, facial expressions tell the world our emotional state. Facial expressions relay information faster than words can be spoken. Ralph Adolphs wrote an article entitled “Perception and Emotion, How we recognize Facial Expressions.” In this article the author states on how some emotional responses through facial expressions are so fast that it is not possible for someone to be aware of the stimulus (Adolphs, 2006.) There have been many studies of how facial expressions can create activity almost immediately in a person’s brain. These studies are of importance because it helps the theory that cognitive judgment...

Words: 1781 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Nt1310 Unit 1 Assignment

...Assignment 1 Hypothalamus, hippocampus occipital, medulla, and amygdala, will be my superheros. The hypothalamus will be used to regulate sleep cycles and behavior (Nevid. J.S, 2015, p.56). This will allow a person to have a manageable sleep schedule while also making sure they are able to behave accordingly in stressful situations. Constantly working without appropriate rest can cause drainage in a person. The hypothalamus will alert a person when they need to rest, and have a sleep schedule that is normal for their body. The hippocampus will form new memories (Nevid. J.S, 2015, p.56). This will allow a person to remember important dates and events that are coming up soon It allows them to remember homework that is due. When they have a quiz coming up or if they do not have school the next day. The occipital lobe will process visual information (Nevid. J.S, 2015, p.57). This will help people become familiar with text information, faces, and objects. The occipital can help a person that is new to a school. It allows them to become with the way the halls may look, the buildings, without exactly knowing where they are. The medulla will control breathing, and heart rate (Nevid....

Words: 624 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Aaaaa

...basic way we regulate emotion is by approaching what appeals to us and distancing from what frightens us. When boarding a plane, that basic system is lost. We need to rely on more sophisticated systems if we are to regulate our feelings. Start with the amygdala, a cluster of brain cells similar in size and shape to an almond. (Amygdala is the Greek word for almond.) The amygdala's job is to monitor what goes on around you. If everything is routine, it does nothing. If anything happens that is unexpected or non-routine, the amygdala calls it to your attention by triggering a release of stress hormones. The stress hormones activate the systems that regulate us emotionally and physically. The Mobilization System (MS) revs up the body in case it turns out you need to run or fight. The MS also produces an urge to escape. But a more sophisticated system, Executive Function (EF), overrides the urge to escape, and starts a three-step process: a. Assess the situation. Is this irrelevant, an opportunity, or a threat? b. Build a plan. If something needs to be done, what am I going to do? c. Commit to the plan. Take the action needed to carry the plan out. If EF assesses the unexpected situation as irrelevant, it signals the amygdala to stop the stress hormone release. If EF assesses the situation as an opportunity, the stress hormones cause feelings of excitement. But what EF assesses that there is danger? The stress hormones cause feelings of fear. If EF can come up with a plan that...

Words: 797 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Anatomy of Anxiety

...TRIGGERS IT... When the senses pick up a threat--a loud noise, a scary sight, a creepy feeling--the information takes two different routes through the brain A THE SHORTCUT When startled, the brain automatically engages an emergency hot line to its fear center, the amygdala. Once activated, the amygdala sends the equivalent of an all-points bulletin that alerts other brain structures. The result is the classic fear response: sweaty palms, rapid heartbeat, increased blood pressure and a burst of adrenaline. All this happens before the mind is conscious of having smelled or touched anything. Before you know why you're afraid, you are B THE HIGH ROAD Only after the fear response is activated does the conscious mind kick into gear. Some sensory information, rather than traveling directly to the amygdala, takes a more circuitous route, stopping first at the thalamus--the processing hub for sensory cues--and then the cortex--the outer layer of brain cells. The cortex analyzes the raw data streaming in through the senses and decides whether they require a fear response. If they do, the cortex signals the amygdala, and the body stays on alert ...AND HOW THE BODY RESPONDS By putting the brain on alert, the amygdala triggers a series of changes in brain chemicals and hormones that puts the entire body in anxiety mode STRESS-HORMONE BOOST Responding to signals from the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, the adrenal glands pump out high levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Too...

Words: 399 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Discuss Neural Mechanisms Involved in the Control of Eating Behavior. (8marks+16marks)

...Discuss neural mechanisms involved in the control of eating behavior. (8marks+16marks) The first idea of neural mechanisms controlling eating behavior is Homestasis. Homestasis is the tendency of an organism to maintain an internal equilibrium by adjusting physiological process e.g. hungry or thirst balance. The body has evolved two homeostatic mechanisms to regulate food intake, both dependent on glucose levels. When the levels of glucose drop will activates Lateral Hypothalamus(LH), which then leads to feeling of hunger. As a result to individuals consume food. Once the food is eaten the level of glucose will increase again this leads to the activation of Ventromedial Hypothalamus(VMH). This will then leads to satiety, which will make us stop eating. Another idea is Hypothalamus control our eating. There are 2 parts of hypothalamus in our brains control our eating behavior. When VMH is stimulating it will inhibit us from eating but when it is damaged it will cause us to over eat. Another part is LH when it is stimulated it will leads us to eat but when it is damaged it will prevent us to eat. In LH part there is neurotransmitter called Neuropeptide Y(NPY) this increases our appetites. OB Gene & Leptin is also leads us to decrease appetite. Gherlin hormone is also related to our eating as when we are stressed Gherlin hormone will increase to reduce our stresses but the hormone will also increase our appetite. Miller carried out the study by using a rat. The rat has...

Words: 687 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Food Labels Paper

...Sarah Parker Healthy or tasty: let your brain decide Marymount University Healthy or tasty: let your brain decide In a study recently published by NeuroImage, Dr. Grahenhorst and colleagues reported that humans are more likely to choose foods based on the healthiness of the food rather than taste. Obesity rates have continued to climb in the United States for many years. The Center of Disease Control has recently labeled obesity as a rising epidemic that needs to be stopped. This disease can negatively impact a person’s health in a variety of fashions including, but not limited to, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Another important factor to take into account is the rising health costs a person may incur due to being obese. Human beings food choices are different than those of their other primates because they do not choose their foods based solely on availability and survival. Humans have the luxury to choose what they eat by deciding what they are craving, availability, and information they receive through various language mechanisms. Marketers use food labels with key words to direct consumers to specific brands and types of foods (Grabenhorst, Schulte, Maderwald & Brand, 2013). The United States has recently enacted a strategy to counter the rising obesity rates by creating a law that requires companies to label food by the amount of calories it contains. By enacting this law, many psychologists believe that food labels will effect a consumer’s...

Words: 922 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Psy345-Wk5-Chemicalsensespaper

...Chemical Senses Eric Gunderson PSY/345 - Sensation and Perception June 27, 2016 Matthew Will Chemical Senses The five senses of human experience are well known to most everyone: we can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. However, the science behind them is not as well known. The first three (sight, audibility, and touch) are senses in which external stimuli are perceived by a person through the by-product (i.e. reflection of light, pressure changes in air, pressure/stretching/vibration) of an environmental object. The latter two, taste and smell, are senses in which external stimuli have to physically enter into a person in order for him or her to experience the sensation. The sensations themselves are activated by chemical reactions from the external stimuli as opposed to light and pressure changes that the other senses employ. The chemical sensations smell and taste are interactively working together. The purpose of this paper is to describe in detail just this. The first thing that will be discussed is how smell and taste affect each other and which one of the two one would change to make a meal taste better, followed by a description of the sensory elements that must be present to emphasize the connection between the chemical senses, emotional memories, and the brain in order to make the most memorable meal of one’s life, and concluded by a description of the connection created between the chemical senses, emotional memories, and the brain. How Smell and Taste...

Words: 1478 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Ptsd

...Introduction The human body has been designed a mechanism to deal with pain and damage. The human immune system deals with all kinds of injures. The human immune system helps regulate bodily functions. When the body is exposed to a certain amount of pain the body goes into shock. This can be a life threatening situation or it can be the bodies’ response to the life threatening situation allowing a solders to keep fighting and things of that nature. If the damage the body may go into what is called a "comatose" condition. Where all nonessential function shuts down for repairs. This is due to the trauma that was experienced. Many of these actions are automated. This is because God has a system in the body to regulate the body. With that in mind PTSD is put into two different categories. They would be direct exposure and indirect exposure to an event. Direct events would be first hand experiences but the person. A point in time that the person felt significant risk of life and limb. An indirect traumatic event would be if an individual would witness a traumatic event. The mind has the same kind of defense mechanism. This is used to cope with severe mental trauma or mental stress. When a person goes through extremely powerful mental trauma that the mind cannot deal with the pain many things happen. One of those things is PTSD or post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This report will look at this disorder from a biblical point of view using the lives of many people. Dreams The...

Words: 4114 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Brain Structures and Functions

...brain areas. The basal ganglia are associated with a variety of Corpus collosum functions, including voluntary motorof nerve fibers that divides the cerebrumroutine behaviors or "habits" The corpus callosum is a thick band control, procedural learning relating to into left and right such as bruxism, eye movements, and cognitive,of the brainfunctions. for communication between both hemispheres. It connects the left and right sides emotional allowing 3. hemispheres. The corpus callosum transfers motor, sensory, and cognitive information between the brain Temporal lobe hemispheres. lobes are one of the four main lobes or regions of the cerebral cortex. Structures of the The temporal limbic system, including the olfactory cortex, amygdala, and the hippocampus are located within the 4. temporal lobes. The temporal lobes play an important role in organizing sensory input, auditory Occipital lobe perception, language and speech production, asperception system. They are not particularly vulnerable to The occipital lobes are the center of our visual well as memory association and formation. injury because of their location at the back of the brain, although any significant trauma to the brain could 5. produce subtle changes to our visual-perceptual system, such as visual field defects and scotomas. Frontal lobe The frontal lobes are considered our emotional control center...

Words: 1009 - Pages: 5