10.6: Discussion Questions and Resources

Discussion Questions

The neural circuits of “liking” are different from the circuits of “wanting.” How might this relate to the problems people encounter when they diet, fight addictions, or try to change other habits?
The structures and neurotransmitters that produce pleasure during social contact also produce panic and grief when organisms are deprived of social contact. How does this contribute to an understanding of love?
Research shows that stressful environments increase the area of the nucleus accumbens that is sensitive to fear, whereas preferred environments increase the area that is sensitive to rewards. How might these changes be adaptive?

Outside Resources

Video: A 1-hour interview with Jaak Panksepp, the father of affective neuroscience

Video: A 15-minute interview with Kent Berridge on pleasure in the brain

Video: A 5-minute interview with Joseph LeDoux on the amygdala and fear

Web: Brain anatomy interactive 3D model