1. One second before

Whole brain model, Three metaphorical layers.

  graph TD
  subgraph L3["layer 3 - cortex"]
    FC["Frontal lobe"]
    PL["Parietal lobe"]
    TL["Temporal lobe"]
    OL["Occipital lobe"]
  end
  subgraph L2["layer 2 - limbic system"]
    A["Amygdala
    Hippocampus
    Thalamus
    Basal ganglia
    Cingulate gyrus"]
    HYP["Hypothalamus"]
  end
  subgraph L1["layer 1 - autonomic nervous system"]
    SNS["SNS sympathetic nervous system
    - four Fs : fear, fight, flight, sex"]
    SNS --> norepinephrine & epinephrine
    PNS["PNS parasympathetic nervous system
    - calm vegetative states"]
    PNS --> acetylcholine
  end
  L3 <--quasi member--> L2
  HYP --influence--> L1

Amygdala (杏仁核): lecture, wikipedia.

  • function : (1) fear and anxiety -> generating aggression; (2) implicit distrust and vigilance -> social emotional decision making; etc.
  • parts : (1) central amygdala : innate fears. (2) basolateral amygdala : learned fears. (frontal cortex helps stop false fear)
  graph LR
  SI["Sensors"] --> CR["Cortical regions"]
  CR --> A["Amygdala"]
  SI ==stronger but less accurate==> A
  PAG["Periaqueductal gray
  (ancient region helps
  process pyhsical pain)"] --"unpredictable context
  dependent pain"--> A
  A --> PAG
  IC["Insular cortex"] --"physics and moral
  disgust"--> A
  A --> IC
  FC["Frontal cortex"] <--> A
  H["Hippocampus"] <--fear learning--> A
  A --> M["Motor"]
  A --alarms--> BB["Brain and Body"]
  A --> LC["Locus coeruleus"]

Frontal Cortex: “do the harder thing when it’s the right thing to do.”

  • dlPFC & vmPFC. dlPFC and vmPFC can be inversely correlated, but mostly intertwined in a collaborative relationship.
  • FPC is effected by limbic system (emotions), but thought could regulate emotion as well.
    • Antecedent strategies work better than response-focused strategies.
  • “RIGHT” is used in neurobiological and instrumental sense, rather than a moral one.

Dopamine System - happiness of pursuit of reward:

  • Mesolimbic dopamine pathway: the tegmentum sends projections to the accumbens and other limbic areas.
    • sex, pleasurable aesthetics.
  • Mesocortical dopamine pathway: the tegmentum projects to PFC.
  • Social interactions.
  • Habituation, the first time is the best.
  • Anticipation - Learning.
    • Anticipation driven by (delayed) reward.
    • Anticipation driven by uncertainty (in mesocortical pathway).

decrease Serotonin signaling increases behavioral and cognitive implusivity.

2. Seconds to Minutes Before

social & physics environments. signals from body, physics state, words.

3. Hours to Days Before

Endocrinology - hormones,

  • can affect cells in the whole body.
  • effects merge over hours to days and can persist forever.

Testosterone

  • Aggression is typically more about social learning than about testosterone. and differing levels of testosterone generally cannot explain aggressive individuals.
  • exaggerate preexisting pattern of aggression. at the time of challenges.