Lab 7 : Emotions
Prepare
Please make sure you read chapter 8 before attempting this assignment. This assignment focuses on the emotions.
Step 1
Please review each of the following articles then please respond to the questions below.
Autonomic Systems, Mirror Neurons, and Emotions
As discussed in the chapter, the limbic system is responsible for mediating emotional processing and behaviors. Brain changes in this system connect to the autonomic system for coordinating appropriate responses to specific situations. These papers examine the role of the brain areas and the sympathetic nervous system in assisting with emotional processing.
Chauhan, B., Mathias, C. J., & Critchley, H. D. (2008). Autonomic contributions to empathy: Evidence from patients with primary autonomic failure. Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical, 140(1), 96-100.
The researchers tested 15 patients suffering from a disease that rendered the autonomic system non-functional, and found that the patients were not able to empathize emotionally with other people.
Brang, D., & Ramachandran, V.S. (2010). Olfactory bulb dysgenesis, mirror neuron system dysfunction, and autonomic dysregulation as the neural basis for autism. Medical Hypotheses, 74, 919-921.
The idea that the lack of empathy and introspection seen in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders is due to the loss of mirror neurons is discussed in this review article, that summarizes the findings of the last 15 years on this hypothesis.
Questions
What is wrong with someone with primary autonomic failure?
How does not having a sympathetic nervous system reaction affect emotional processing?
What do mirror neurons do in the body?
What are some reasons why the mechanism might be the absence of the olfactory bulbs in ASD individuals? Be sure to connect the hormones discussed in the chapter with these reasons.
