PSYC18H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Autonomic Nervous System, Sympathetic Nervous System, Vagus Nerve
Document Summary
Theory of emotion: a) exciting event, b) bodily responses to the events, c) perception of these bodily responses as the experience of emotion. Every emotion involves a distinct bodily reverberation in the glands that make up the neuroendocrine system in the autonomic nervous system, and in muscles by which action is produced. Neural signals from the cortex communicate with the limbic system and the hypothalamus which send signals to clusters of neurons of the autonomic nervous system and target organs, glands, muscles and blood vessels. These structures in turn send signals back via the autonomic nervous system to the hypothalamus, limbic system, and cortex. Parasympathetic branch: helps with restorative processes, reducing heart rate and blood pressure and directing inner resources to digestive processes. Sympathetic branch: increases heart rate, blood pressure, and cardiac output and shuts down digestive processes to help the individual to engage in physically demanding actions. Vagus nerve arises near the top of the cord.
