Chapter 3

The Motivated and Emotional Brain

THE MOTIVATED AND EMOTIONAL BRAIN

Why is the Brain Important?

Thinking BrainCognitive and Intellectual Functions

“What task it is doing”

Motivated Brain“Whether you want to do it”

Emotional Brain“What your mood is while doing it”

Brain

Three Principles

The Motivated And Emotional Brain

Figure 3.2

The Motivated Brain

Food Deprivation Activates the Ghrelin Release that Stimulates the Hypothalamus to Create Hunger

The Emotional BrainGood Event Activates The Dopamine Release That Stimulates Positive Affect

Look Inside The Brain

Figure 3.5 Cross Section of the Brain Showing the Anatomic Position of the Key Brain Structures Involved in Motivation and Emotion

Two Ways of Looking inside the Brain

• Surgeon’s View

• Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Brain Structure Associated Motivational or Emotional Experience

HypothalamusPleasurable feelings associated with feeding, drinking, mating

Medial forebrain bundle Pleasure, reinforcement

Orbitofrontal cortex Learning the incentive value of events, making choices

Septal area Pleasure center associated with sociability, sexuality

Nucleus accumbens Pleasurable experience of reward, hotspot for liking

Anterior cingulate cortex Mood, volition, making choices

Cerebral cortex (Frontal lobes) Making plans, setting goals, formulating intentions

Left prefrontal cerebral cortex Approach motivational and emotional tendencies

Medial prefrontal cerebral cortex

Learning response-outcome contingencies that underlie perceived control beliefs and mastery motivation

Motivational and Emotional States Associated with

Approach-Oriented Brain Structure

Hypothalamus Comprises less than 1% of the total volume of

the brain “motivational giant” Stimulation generates wants for, and the

pleasures associated with, water, food, and sexual partners

Regulates the endocrine and automatic nervous system

Therefore it is able to regulate the body’s internal environment so to adapt optimally to the external environmentEx. Internal (heart rate, hormone secretion) to

cope with an External stressor

Medial Forebrain Bundle

“Pleasure Center” Stimulation creates pleasure and

leads animals to act as if they have just received (+) reinforcement

In humans, stimulation produces general positive feelings

Orbitofrontal Cortex

Processes incentive-related information

Helps people make choices between options

For example- which product to buy or what to drink

Septo-Hippocampal Circuit Forecasts the emotion associated

with upcoming events in terms of both anticipated pleasure and anticipated anxiety

Nucleus Accumbens- plays a critical role in the experience of pleasure form naturally occurring reinforces (good food, social acceptance)

Includes Hippocampus (Avoidance-oriented)

Anterior Cingulate Cortex Involved in the control of day-to-day

mood, volition, and choices Decreased activity is associated with

sadness and depression Important to the mental activity

underlying the act of “making a choice”

Medial Prefrontal Cortex

Central role in the learning of response-outcome contingencies

“When I study, I make good grades” Important to goal-directed, outcome

seeking action

Left Prefrontal Cortex

Prefrontal Cortex houses a person’s concious goals

Goals routinely compete against one another (goal to eat vs. goal to lose weight)

Positive approach oriented feelings Personality differences (more

sensitive left vs. right prefrontal lobe)

Brain Structure Associated Motivational or Emotional Experience

Right prefrontal cerebral cortex

Withdraw motivational and emotional tendencies

AmygdalaDetecting and responding to threat and danger(e.g., via fear, anger, and anxiety)

Hippocampus Behavior inhibition system during unexpected events

Motivational and Emotional States Associated with

Avoidance-Oriented Brain Structure

Table 3.1 Motivational and Emotional States Associated with Specific Brain Structure

Right Prefrontal Cortex

Negative and avoidance oriented feelings

Negative emotionality Related to a personality oriented

toward anxiety and avoidance orientations

Amygdala

Detects and responds to threatening and emotionally significant events

Regulates the emotions involved in self- preservation (fear, anger, anxiety)

Each nuclei serves a different functionEmotional angerFear and defensive behavior

Hippocampus

Operates as a “comparator” that instantly compares incoming sensory information with expected events (from memory)

If events do not unfold as expected the hippocampus acts in “not okay” modeActivates septo-hippocampal circuitGenerates an anxiety-ridden

motivational state that takes control over behavior

Brain Structure Associated Motivational or Emotional ExperienceReticular formation Arousal

Motivational and Emotional States Associated with Arousal-Oriented Brain Structure

Figure 3.6 Anatomy (a) and Function (b) of the Reticular Formation

Arousal

Alert/aroused cortex processes information, makes a decision, and responds appropriately

NEUROTRANSMITTER PATHWAYS IN THE BRAIN

Neurotransmitter Pathway : A cluster of neurons that communicate with other neurons by using one particular neurotransmitter

Four Motivationally Relevant Neurotransmitter Pathways 1. Dopamine

2. Serotonin

3. Norepinephrine

4. Endorphin

Dopamine

Dopamine

Hormones In The Body

Essential Hormones underlying Motivation, Emotion, and Behavior

The World In Which Brain Lives