PSYCH 454 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Lateral Geniculate Nucleus, Visual Cortex, Prefrontal Cortex
24 May 2018
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Lecture 23: Emotion part 3
Ventromedial PreFrontal Cortex (VMPFC)
●VMPFC cells→ respond selectively
to particular emotional stimuli-aversive, negative
emotional stimuli
○Predominance of cells responding to aversive
stimuli → important for survival
purposes
○Some neurons showed other responses (positive or neutral); has access to all
types of stimuli
●VMPFC → role in decision-making guided by emotion
○Value processing for reward based decisions
●VMPFC damage → can give rise to:
○Social conduct deficits
○Perturbed emotional processing
○Personality changes
○Poor judgement
○Impulsive decisions...
Amygdala (well connected with VMPFC and OFC)
●Amygdala: involved in conscious and non-conscious perception of emotional stimuli
○Receives visual info from cortical pathway + subcortical pathway (via pulvinar)
■Cortical pathway: retina → lateral geniculate nucleus → primary visual
cortex → temporal lobe → amygdala
●conscious perception
■Subcortical pathway: retina to superior colliculus to pulvinar in thalamus
→ amygdala
●Fast emotional stimuli perception, aka non-conscious
○Processing of dangerous situations (fear stimuluated situation)
○Positive emotional stimuli→ also activate the amygdala, (i.e, more ventrally)
than fearful stimuli
●Amygdala divided into 3 groups of nuclei
○Basolateral nuclei→ receive visual, auditory, tactile and gustatory input (every
other sense); connected with ventral prefrontal cortex (VMPFC)
○Corticomedial nuclei→ receive olfactory input→ SMELL
○Central nucleus→ major output from amygdala, modulating autonomic and
motor responses
Hypothalamus:
●Hypothalamus has 3 functional zones:
Document Summary
Vmpfc cells respond selectively to particular emotional stimuli- aversive , negative. Predominance of cells responding to aversive stimuli important for survival. Some neurons showed other responses (positive or neutral); has access to all purposes types of stimuli. Vmpfc role in decision-making guided by emotion. Vmpfc damage can give rise to: Amygdala : involved in conscious and non-conscious perception of emotional stimuli. Receives visual info from cortical pathway + subcortical pathway (via pulvinar ) Cortical pathway: retina lateral geniculate nucleus primary visual cortex temporal lobe amygdala. Subcortical pathway: retina to superior colliculus to pulvinar in thalamus. Processing of dangerous situations (fear stimuluated situation) Positive emotional stimuli also activate the amygdala, (i. e, more ventrally) than fearful stimuli. Amygdala divided into 3 groups of nuclei other sense); connected with ventral prefrontal cortex (vmpfc) Basolateral nuclei receive visual, auditory, tactile and gustatory input (every. Central nucleus major output from amygdala, modulating autonomic and motor responses. Performs array of functions to control homeostasis (stable)
