Biomedical subjects

Jaak Panksepp

Publications and source records attributed to Jaak Panksepp.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Can anthropomorphic analyses of separation cries in other animals inform us about the emotional nature of social loss in humans? Comment on Blumberg and Sokoloff (2001).

M. S. Blumberg and G. Sokoloff's (2001) critical analysis has raised doubt whether emotional feelings can be studied in nonhuman animals, and they have reaffirmed the inappropriateness of anthropomorphic reasoning in animal research. They argue that the ultrasonic distress calls of infant rats may be little more than acoustic by-products of bodily adjustments to physiological stressors. This author argues that comparable vocalizations in other species do index separation distress. Considering that there may be deep homologies in the neural systems that govern such emotional processes in many mammalian species, anthropomorphic-zoomorphic reasoning may be a viable cross-species research strategy as long as it is limited to neuroscientific contexts that lead to testable predictions in humans and other animals.

Affect↗

PubMed2002

Expression of c-fos gene activation during rough and tumble play in juvenile rats.

Rough and tumble (R&T) play is an intrinsic behavior in most mammals. However, unlike sex and aggression, play has not been well characterized in terms of neuronal circuitry. We employed in situ hybridization to explore the differences of c-fos mRNA activation in juvenile rats that had been allowed R&T play for a total of 30 min before sacrifice contrasted to animals with comparable histories that had received no play. Densitometric estimates of c-fos gene activation revealed that the deep and dorsolateral tectum, inferior colliculus, dorsal periaquaductal gray, ventromedial hypothalamus, dorsal and ventral striatum, and somatosensory cortex were significantly more activated in animals that had played than those that had not. Prior play dominance and amount of social experience had no clear effects on the levels of c-fos gene expression. This provides a variety of new hypotheses concerning the role of various brain areas in the elaboration of R&T play behavior, but the important role of other types of motor arousal in the differential effects were not evaluated in this study.

Aging↗

PubMed2002

Chronic intermittent amphetamine pretreatment enhances future appetitive behavior for drug- and natural-reward: interaction with environmental variables.

Appetitive behavior for drug and sexual reward is enhanced in animals with a history of amphetamine-experience. The present experiment investigated whether prior exposure to a sensitizing regimen of amphetamine treatment would 'globally' enhance future appetitive behaviors of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, and whether the drug preexposure-environment or intermittency of administration would affect this development. Reward appetite was compared in drug-experienced versus drug-naive rats using amphetamine place-preference conditioning (CPP) and a natural-incentive sensitization task, which measured appetitive approach for food and sexual reward. Experiment I found that 10 daily exposures to 1 mg/kg amphetamine did not alter future psychostimulant CPP, regardless of abstinence schedule. Although daily exposure to a higher amphetamine dose also did not alter appetitive behavior when measured after 2-weeks drug abstinence in Experiment II, alternate-day amphetamine experience (5.0 mg/kg, twice-a-day) in an initially unfamiliar environment persistently enhanced future amphetamine CPP and appetitive behavior for natural reward. Identical treatment administered in the homecage did not. Furthermore, sensitized reward-seeking behaviors were not globally evident. Animals that showed sensitized amphetamine CPP did not show sensitized food-seeking behavior and vice versa. Thus, the environment surrounding chronic psychostimulant drug experience can greatly affect subsequent reward appetite, but the sensitized expression may be individually determined.

Amphetamine↗

PubMed2002

Emotional sounds and the brain: the neuro-affective foundations of musical appreciation.

This article summarizes the potential role of evolved brain emotional systems in the mediation of music appreciation. A variety of examples of how music may promote behavioral change are summarized, including effects on memory, mood, brain activity as well as autonomic responses such as the experience of 'chills'. Studies on animals (e.g. young chicks) indicate that musical stimulation have measurable effects on their behaviors and brain chemistries, especially increased brain norepinephrine (NE) turnover. The evolutionary sources of musical sensitivity are discussed, as well as the potential medical-therapeutic implications of this knowledge.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2002

Ultrasonic vocalizations as indices of affective states in rats.

Adult rats spontaneously vocalize in ultrasonic frequencies. Although these ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) have been described as by-products of locomotor activity or social signals, accumulating evidence suggests that they may also index anticipatory affective states. Converging ethological, pharmacological, and brain stimulation research indicates that whereas long low-frequency (> 0.3-s, approximately 22-kHz) USVs occur during anticipation of punishment or avoidance behavior, short, high-frequency (< 0.3-s, approximately 50-kHz) USVs typically occur during anticipation of reward or approach behavior. Thus, long 22-kHz USVs may index a state of negative activation, whereas short, 50-kHz USVs may instead index a state of positive activation. This hypothesis has theoretical implications for understanding the brain circuitry underlying mammalian affective states and clinical applicability for modeling hedonic properties of different psychotropic compounds.

Affect↗

PubMed2002

The role of brain emotional systems in addictions: a neuro-evolutionary perspective and new 'self-report' animal model.

The evolutionary significance of neurochemical events in the brain has received minimal attention in the field of addiction research. Likewise, the general failure of neuroscientists to postulate how basic brain circuits might mediate emotional urges has retarded the development of scientific perspectives that could inform new inquiries into the underlying dynamics and treatment of addictions. In this paper, we revisit the argument that prototypically abused substances activate or alter specific emotional brain systems that were evolutionarily designed to signal potential increments or decrements in fitness. We then discuss two distinct emotional systems (reward seeking and separation distress) which may track different types of potential changes in fitness. Based on this evolutionarily inspired approach, we illustrate how a mammalian model of emotion (i.e. rodent ultrasonic vocalizations) may enable scientists to predict drug-related phenomena such as abuse potential, anatomical location of mediating neural substrates, and the psychological impact of withdrawal. We conclude by discussing some therapeutic and social implications of examining drug addiction processes with multiple emotional brain systems in mind.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Comparative approaches in evolutionary psychology: molecular neuroscience meets the mind.

Evolutionary psychologists often overlook a wealth of information existing between the proximate genotypic level and the ultimate phenotypic level. This commonly ignored level of biological organization is the ongoing activity of neurobiological systems. In this paper, we extend our previous arguments concerning strategic weaknesses of evolutionary psychology by advocating a foundational view that focuses on similarities in brain, behavior, and various basic psychological features across mammalian species. Such an approach offers the potential to link the emerging discipline of evolutionary psychology to its parent scientific disciplines such as biochemistry, physiology, molecular genetics, developmental biology and the neuroscientific analysis of animal behavior. We detail an example of this through our impending work using gene microarray technology to characterize gene expression patterns in rats during aggressive and playful social interactions. Through a focus on functional homologies and the experimental analysis of conserved, subcortical emotional and motivational brain systems, neuroevolutionary psychobiology can reveal ancient features of the human mind that are still shared with other animals. Claims regarding evolved, uniquely human, psychological constructs should be constrained by the rigorous evidentiary standards that are routine in other sciences.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1992

A critical role for "affective neuroscience" in resolving what is basic about basic emotions.

Ortony and Turner (1990) asked "What's Basic About Basic Emotions," and they concluded "very little." They proceeded to advocate a "componential" or "mosaic" view of how emotional systems should be analyzed. Their thesis was flawed by their failure to consider the available neurobehavioral data. Genetically dictated brain systems that mediate affective-emotional processes do exist, even though there are bound to be semantic ambiguities in how we speak about these systems. This commentary summarizes key lines of evidence for coherently operating emotional systems in the brain and advocates the position that the issue of basic emotions can no longer be credibly discussed without adequate consideration of the relevant brain research in the area. The type of conceptual, logical analysis pursued by Ortony and Turner, in the absence of a thorough analysis of the available neurological data, is not an adequate basis for resolving what is basic about basic emotions.

Affect↗