Autonomic Nervous System

Neuropsychology of emotion:

From Behavior to Biology (reductionism) From Normal to Abnormal (psychiatry) From Conscious to Unconscious (measures) From Animal to Human (manipulations)

The working of the mind Western culture has pivoted around the arts. Film

directors are cool… Culture of Science has traditionally accepted the smartest

students … Neuroscientists are cool… Recently a third culture emerged, call it Nerd culture of

technology, and Nerds became cool…

Artists would contemplate about the mind… Scientists would measure and test the mind… Nerds would settle the ‘how the brain works’ by

manufacturing a working mind.

(Kevin Kellay, Essays in Science and Society. Science, 1998).

Emotion: Art & Science

From artist’s (Marquez) understanding of love….

To psychologist understanding of aging.

Lancet 1997, v. 350: 1169-72.

Venus of Milo was admired by art lovers.

More than 250 scientific papers discussed the statue (scoliosis ??).

Emotion: Art & Science

Emotion & Nerds

Happy memories wrapped in a silicon chip.

Anatomy as a starting point of Nerds’ adventure

Ghez & Tach, 2000

Cerebellar anatomy

Cerebellar simulation (Working environment IQR421)

Sensors/Preprocessing

Behavior

Output

Emotions

Memory/Learning

Output

Simulation of anatomy to revealbrain functions

Rodney A. Brooks- MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory

Emotional companions

Communication of emotion

Communication of emotion has survival value for the species (Darwin).

Mechanistic approach to emotional brain

ComputationInputs: Genetically defined US’s Experience defined CS’s Thoughts & Memories

Outputs: Feelings Autonomic Facial Actions Cognitive

Emotion as an integrative response

Psychological perspective:

Subjective feelings (introspection). Internal body responses (sensations-

emotions) including autonomic. Cognitive associations (causality+simulation). Facial expressions (genetic). Action tendencies.

Functions of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) (Squire et al., 2003)

Controls online the homeostasis of body’s physiology: blood chemistry, respiration, circulation, digestion, immune…

Innervates smooth muscles & many tissues. Cannon (1939) referred to the “Wisdom of the body”. Autonomic: automatic, involuntary, visceral. Sympathetic: sympathy, coordination between organs.

: subserves the “sympathies”, or emotions. Parasympathetic: only recently discovered. Example: Postural hypothension in dysautonomia.

ANS & consciousness

No conscious experience of autonomic reflexes.

Imagine the confusion if cognitive system would be in charge (Thomas, 1974).

No experience of deficit as ANS responses are: initiated rapidly. initiated in anticipation. coordinated with somatic nervous system.

Para/pre-vertebral ganglia

Spine Preganglionic Postganglionic Target

SNS

1- preganglionic neuron2- spinal nerve4- symp. ganglia6- autonomic n.7- 8- prevertebral ganglia9- terminal ganglia

Brainstem Preganglionic (III, VII, IX, X-vagal) Spine Near the target

PSNS

SNS & PSNS pre- and postganglionic levels

Compared with skeletal motor system, the extra synapse at peripheral ganglia allows:

More divergence: from single spinal segment to several ganglia; from single ganglia to organs; SNS > PSNS).

Local integration: Sup. Cervical ganglion innervates eyes, salivary & lacrimal glands, blood vessels; ganglia receives sensory afferents form the target organ; PSNS>SNS.

Autonomic reflex arc at the

spinal level

SNS - thoracolumbar

Functions during inactivity:

tonic homeostatic balance. Functions during Fight-or-Flight:

optimal tuning of peripheral organs.

synergy of adjustments.

fast response.

Arousal and Homeostasis

Homeostasis:

Maintaining a single level of adaptive arousal

Arousal and Allostasis

Allostasis rather than homeostasis:

Stable level of arousal is not adaptive

Allostasis and Performance

Allostasis: maintaining stability of performance through change of arousal, as a fundamental process by which organisms actively adjust to both predictable and unpredictable events.

i.e., stay maximally adaptive by changing the arousal

Allostatic overload being a state in which serious pathophysiology can occur.

Allostasis and Poor Performance

Allostasis:

Catastrophic conditions are possible

PSNS

Rest & digest vs. f & f.

Anabolic vs. catabolic.

End of autonomous system