THOUGHTS AND COMMENTARY
Commentaries and essays on a variety of topics including parenting, the capacity for love, emotions, mindfulness and social issues.
A Book Excerpt From
The Road to Neuroplasticity and Change to Heal Trauma, Improve Cognitive Capacity and Maximize Performance
ABOUT THE BOOK
See Also:
Thoughts and Awareness of Self
Anatomy Of the Self: Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Glossary
Your Memory Holds the Secrets
The Power of Positive Thought - Neuroplasticity
Practice Positive Self Affirmations Thoughts, Perceptions and Delusions Complexity of Human Emotion
Thoughts and Awareness of Self
Anatomy Of the Self: Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Glossary
Your Memory Holds the Secrets
The Power of Positive Thought - Neuroplasticity
Practice Positive Self Affirmations Thoughts, Perceptions and Delusions Complexity of Human Emotion
And More On the Brain
Intro to the Brain and the Power of the Mind
Intro to the Brain and the Power of the Mind
- Structure and Composition of Your Brain
- Strange & Interesting Facts on the Brain
- Hormones and Neurotransmitters
- The Role of Dopamine
- Neuroscience Glossary
LIMBIC SYSTEM: is the major primordial brain network governing mood. It’s a major network of regions working together to process information. The limbic system is considered to be the “emotional brain” because it shows high levels of neural activity during emotional experiences. The neural mapping of the limbic system defines human emotion as a pleasant or unpleasant mental state.
The limbic system is under the cerebrum (the largest part of the brain) and is composed of parts like the hypothalamus (regulates hormones), hippocampus (determines action to align) and the amygdala (influences emotional significance). The limbic system also regulates biological functions (for example an accelerated heart rate and sweating triggered by feeling anxious).
NEUROTRANSMITTERS are chemical messengers. Neurotransmitters are used as messengers that send signals across the network. The brain regions receive these signals. They process recognition of objects and situations and then assign an emotional response. That response triggers behavior. Dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin either increase or decrease the brain's activity level with the results visible in body movements, gestures and postures.
BASIC EMOTION TRIGGERS - NETWORKS
Two newer networks, the autobiographic memory network and cognitive control network also play a role. The autobiographic memory network processes information related to ourselves like personal memories and self-reflection. Key hubs in this network include brain areas in the prefrontal cortex (sits at the front of the brain); the hippocampus; the posterior cingulate cortex, (sits at the upper part of the limbic lobe); and parietal regions (sit behind the frontal lobe and aid in mental imagery.)
The cognitive control network links regions that coordinate attention and concentration. It utilizes a circuit of the front part of the cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (responsible for cold, unemotional, rational thought).
These two networks don’t work well together. The autobiographic memory network turns on when you are thinking about yourself. This turns off the cognitive control network for action. This switch interrupts what we are doing. The autobiographic memory network is suppressed when the cognitive control network is focusing attention. When the two networks are not functioning optimally then the result is a psychiatric mood disorder (bipolar, depression, etc).
EMOTIONAL AREAS OF THE BRAIN
Happiness is triggered by several areas of the brain (right frontal cortex, the precuneus, the left amygdala, and the left insula). This activity involves connections between awareness (frontal cortex and insula) and the “feeling center” (amygdala) of the brain.
Fear activates the bilateral amygdala, the hypothalamus and areas of the left frontal cortex. The process involves thinking ( occurs in the frontal cortex), a “gut” feeling (occurs in the amygdala), and a sense of urgency that is associated with survival (occurs in the hypothalamus.)
Sadness is associated with increased activity of the right occipital lobe, the left insula, the left thalamus the amygdala and the hippocampus. The hippocampus is strongly linked with memory, and it makes sense that awareness of certain memories is associated with feeling sad.
Disgust is an emotion associated with avoidance. This emotion is associated with and connects the left amygdala, the left inferior frontal cortex, and the insular cortex.
Anger is activated by the right hippocampus, the amygdala, both sides of the prefrontal cortex and the insular cortex.
Surprise activates the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus and the bilateral hippocampus. The hippocampus is associated with memory, and surprise triggers memory of something that you do not remember or do not expect.
The limbic system is under the cerebrum (the largest part of the brain) and is composed of parts like the hypothalamus (regulates hormones), hippocampus (determines action to align) and the amygdala (influences emotional significance). The limbic system also regulates biological functions (for example an accelerated heart rate and sweating triggered by feeling anxious).
- The amygdala is the representative of the affective system which controls judgment (determining good and bad, safety and threats, and friend or enemy).
- The hypothalamus feeds information into the amygdala. It acts as a regulator of emotion and controls levels of sexual desire, pleasure, aggression and anger.
- The hippocampus interacts with the amygdala when a person has memories with emotional ties. This area of the brain triggers strong emotions when processing traumatic memories.
- The prefrontal cortex, located near the front of the head, is involved in decision making in response to emotions. It controls the decisions a person makes when faced with an emotional reaction and also regulates anxiety.
- THE CINGULATE GYRUS: acts as a pathway between the thalamus and the hippocampus, and is instrumental for retaining memories of emotionally charged events. The cingulate gyrus focuses attention on the event which alerts the rest of the brain that the event is emotionally significant.
- THE VENTRAL TEGMENTAL: the area that perceives pleasure. Dopamine pathways are located in this part and when triggered they release dopamine (neurotransmitter responsible for mood and increased levels contribute to higher levels of pleasure).
NEUROTRANSMITTERS are chemical messengers. Neurotransmitters are used as messengers that send signals across the network. The brain regions receive these signals. They process recognition of objects and situations and then assign an emotional response. That response triggers behavior. Dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin either increase or decrease the brain's activity level with the results visible in body movements, gestures and postures.
BASIC EMOTION TRIGGERS - NETWORKS
Two newer networks, the autobiographic memory network and cognitive control network also play a role. The autobiographic memory network processes information related to ourselves like personal memories and self-reflection. Key hubs in this network include brain areas in the prefrontal cortex (sits at the front of the brain); the hippocampus; the posterior cingulate cortex, (sits at the upper part of the limbic lobe); and parietal regions (sit behind the frontal lobe and aid in mental imagery.)
The cognitive control network links regions that coordinate attention and concentration. It utilizes a circuit of the front part of the cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (responsible for cold, unemotional, rational thought).
These two networks don’t work well together. The autobiographic memory network turns on when you are thinking about yourself. This turns off the cognitive control network for action. This switch interrupts what we are doing. The autobiographic memory network is suppressed when the cognitive control network is focusing attention. When the two networks are not functioning optimally then the result is a psychiatric mood disorder (bipolar, depression, etc).
EMOTIONAL AREAS OF THE BRAIN
Happiness is triggered by several areas of the brain (right frontal cortex, the precuneus, the left amygdala, and the left insula). This activity involves connections between awareness (frontal cortex and insula) and the “feeling center” (amygdala) of the brain.
Fear activates the bilateral amygdala, the hypothalamus and areas of the left frontal cortex. The process involves thinking ( occurs in the frontal cortex), a “gut” feeling (occurs in the amygdala), and a sense of urgency that is associated with survival (occurs in the hypothalamus.)
Sadness is associated with increased activity of the right occipital lobe, the left insula, the left thalamus the amygdala and the hippocampus. The hippocampus is strongly linked with memory, and it makes sense that awareness of certain memories is associated with feeling sad.
Disgust is an emotion associated with avoidance. This emotion is associated with and connects the left amygdala, the left inferior frontal cortex, and the insular cortex.
Anger is activated by the right hippocampus, the amygdala, both sides of the prefrontal cortex and the insular cortex.
Surprise activates the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus and the bilateral hippocampus. The hippocampus is associated with memory, and surprise triggers memory of something that you do not remember or do not expect.
THE NEUROSCIENCE OF EMOTION
STARLIGHT POETRY BY KAI
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© 2019-2020 Copyright Starlight Poetry
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View Me on Twitter @kairosoflife
See Creativity Chaos - a Creativity Blog by Kai
About | Reprints & Copyrights | Home
© 2019-2020 Copyright Starlight Poetry
VIEW FULL SITE DIRECTORY