Normal aggressive behaviour involves an interaction of a system of structures, as opposed to being dependent on separate brain structures. One part of this system is the Amygdala. This is a structure inside the temporal lobe which, plays an important role in the mediation of affective activities and on the expression of mood; mainly fear, rage and aggression. The amygdala is connected to many structures in the brain including the hippocampus, thalamus and pre frontal cortex. It is fundamental for self-preservation as it enables the identification of danger; therefore exhibiting clear links to aggression.
Atropine acts as an antagonist within the central nervous system, which means it acts as a blocker of specific cellular functions. What part of the autonomic nervous system does atropine block to produce its effect on Dr. Westwood? Atropine was administered in response to the bradycardia; after it was administered it brought up his blood pressure as well has his heart rate. Within the parasympathetic nervous system, Atropine blocks the muscarinic receptor which then blocks acetylcholine (Ach). Because of the blockage of Ach the muscarinic receptor antagonist can block the vagal nerve from affecting the heart, and can then increase the heart
When looking at coping with change it is not possible to ignore some of the events which change our development, life events which cause significant change are called transitions (Jeffery, J in Aldridge, S & Rigby, S 2004). If these transitions are not prepared for, they can cause emotional difficulties or even physical illness. Counselling skills can be very effective at this stage as the helper needs to work out how to make the adjustment to these changes more satisfactory for the client, to lower the emotional distress. The counsellor has to first establish what kind of transition the client may be going through; Scholssberg (1989) in Aldridge, S & Rigby, S (2004) identified 4 different kinds of transitions: Anticipated, Unanticipated, Non-event transitions and chronic hassle transitions. Unanticipated transitions are unplanned and can be projected as a crisis; this was personally experienced when my parents got divorced.
Another assumption is that certain regions of the brain determine certain behaviors. The cerebral cortex has been found to affect our thinking and the prefrontal cortex is associated with mood and emotions. It has been supported by PET scans and MRI scans which have been used to objectively measure the changes in neuronal activity of the brain before and after psychosurgery. 1b) Describe Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (8 marks) Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) explains the body’s ability to cope with a particular stressor. ‘Stress’ refers to the psychological and physiological responses which occur when we perceive a threat and don’t have the resources to cope with it.
In terms of biochemistry, chemical imbalances in the brain may be involved in certain mental illnesses. Neurotransmitters, for example, play a very important part in behaviour – one theory links depression to low levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin and noradrenaline. However, the relationship between neurotransmitters and depression is very complex and therefore, more research is needed to discover the exact link between this and the disorder. People suffering from depression, also often have high levels of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is sometimes referred to as a ‘stress hormone’ because it is produced in times of stress.
c) How does one nerve cell communicate with another? - Nerve cells communicate with one another through neurotransmitters. 2. a) Explain what neurotransmitters are? - Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing where that neuron will generate a neural impulse.
But they have discovered that there are various ways for memories to be formed. The brain itself shapes how we form memories. Memories dealing with fear, love , etc…are called emotional memories. The brain has pathways for processing information that allow us to have emotional reactions before we know to what we are reacting. Emotional feelings reveals when we become consciously alert that an emotion system of the brain is active.
Outline the body’s response to stress (6 marks) There are two types of stress: acute and chronic stress. Acute stress (short-term stress) causes the body to respond through a process called the sympthomedullary pathways. This immediate response is achieved because of the hypothalamus’s direct link to the nervous system which causes the activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). This is a branch from the autonomic nervous system. The SNS also regulates the sympathetic adrenal medullary system (SAM).
The main question is why do the more emotionally arousing events in our life become so buried deep in our memories. The researchers studied the participants physiologically and found that the arousing stimuli triggered the release of stress hormones. This would then cause the neurotransmitters to increase the activation of the amygdale, which helps encode the emotional aspects of experiences to long term memory. (McGaugh & Roozendaal, 2002) This shows that extreme emotional memories are stored in a different way to other memories. James, 1890 once claimed that ‘an impression maybe so exciting (or
To begin, simply stating that person perception is more complex than object perception solely based on the inclusion of emotional factors does not do the thought justice. It is vital to comprehend just what factors of emotion and behavior are present in order to understand to what extent they influence the perception. For instance, Kenny discusses the importance of stability in the distinction between object and person perception. Simply stated, "an individual's behavior changes when he or she is with different interaction partners," (18). In essence this means that a person's perception of another person tends to be more stable and involved based on our instinctual analysis of a person's behavior.