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Hypothalamus: Pleasure&Reward, Aversion

The hypothalamus is located below the thalamus and is involved in regulating many physiological processes. It plays a key role in controlling emotions and behaviors related to pleasure, reward, and aversion. The lateral hypothalamus is associated with pleasure and reward behaviors through connections with the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens. Electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus is highly rewarding. In contrast, the medial hypothalamus is involved in defensive and aversive behaviors, and its stimulation can lead to a state of motionlessness or inactivity.

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131 views18 pages

Hypothalamus: Pleasure&Reward, Aversion

The hypothalamus is located below the thalamus and is involved in regulating many physiological processes. It plays a key role in controlling emotions and behaviors related to pleasure, reward, and aversion. The lateral hypothalamus is associated with pleasure and reward behaviors through connections with the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens. Electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus is highly rewarding. In contrast, the medial hypothalamus is involved in defensive and aversive behaviors, and its stimulation can lead to a state of motionlessness or inactivity.

Uploaded by

Jayalakshmi K
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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HYPOTHALAMUS:

PLEASURE&REWARD,
AVERSION
HYPOTHALAMUS

• THE HYPOTHALAMUS IS AN AREA IN THE DIENCEPHALON, LOCATED INFERIOR TO


THE THALAMUS
• THE CLASSIC GREEK WORD: HYPO MEANS “UNDER”. THE WORD THALAMUS IS
ALSO ORIGINATED FROM GREEK, AND INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, IT LITERALLY
MEANS “BRIDAL COUCH”, “NUPTIAL CHAMBER” OR “INNERMOST ROOM”.
• THE HYPOTHALAMUS IS AN EXCEEDINGLY ANCIENT STRUCTURE. UNLIKE MOST
OTHER BRAIN REGIONS, IT HAS REMAINED SOMEWHAT SIMILAR IN STRUCTURE
THROUGHOUT PHYLOGENY AND APPARENTLY OVER THE COURSE OF
EVOLUTION.
• LOCATED IN THE MOST MEDIAL ASPECT OF THE BRAIN, ALONG THE WALLS AND
FLOOR OF THE THIRD VENTRICLE
HYPOTHALAMUS

• THE HYPOTHALAMUS IS AT THE CENTER OF A PLETHORA OF PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES


INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THERMOREGULATION, OSMOREGULATION AND
HORMONAL REGULATION.
• IT IS A SMALL CONE-SHAPED STRUCTURE THAT PROJECTS DOWNWARD FROM THE BRAIN,
ENDING IN THE PITUITARY STALK, A TUBULAR CONNECTION TO THE PITUITARY GLAND.
• IT IS FULLY FUNCTIONAL AT BIRTH AND IS THE CENTRAL CORE FROM WHICH ALL
EMOTIONS DERIVE THEIR MOTIVE FORCE.
• THE HYPOTHALAMUS IS HIGHLY INVOLVED IN ALL ASPECTS OF ENDOCRINE, HORMONAL,
VISCERAL, AND AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS.
• EXERTS CONTROLLING INFLUENCE ON EATING, DRINKING, THE EXPERIENCE OF
PLEASURE, RAGE, AND AVERSION
HYPOTHALAMUS

• NEURAL SYSTEMS OF THE HYPOTHALAMUS INFLUENCE MANY TYPES OF BEHAVIOR,


BUT THE MOST FREQUENTLY STUDIED BEHAVIORS ARE THOSE CLOSELY RELATED TO
PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS, SUCH AS FOOD WATER INGESTION AND SEXUAL
BEHAVIOR.
• IT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THERMAL, OSMOTIC, AND NUTRITIONAL BALANCE OF THE
BODY.
• THE LATERAL AND VENTROMEDIAL AREA OF HYPOTHALAMUS PLAYS A HUGE ROLE
IN EXERTING:
- PLEASURE,& REWARD
- AVERSION
- EATING AND DRINKING
PLEASURE AND REWARD

• LATERAL PARTS OF THE HYPOTHALAMUS ARE INVOLVED IN EMOTIONS SUCH AS PLEASURE AND
REWARD.
• IN 1953 OLDS AND MILNER BEGAN RESEARCH IN REWARDING EFFECT USING ELECTRICAL
STIMULATION OF BRAIN.
• OLDS AND MILNER WERE ATTEMPTING TO DETERMINE THE BEHAVIORAL EFFECTS OF ELECTRICAL
STIMULATION OF "AROUSAL SYSTEMS.“
• WHILE TESTING ON ANIMALS, THEY NOTICED THAT WHILE STIMULATING PARTICULAR AREA IN
BRAIN, THE ANIMAL TURNED TO BE AROUSED.
• THE ABOVE RESULT LEAD THEM TO CREATE AN OPERANT CHAMBER WERE THE ANIMAL COULD
PULL THE LEVER THEMSELVES.
• PRESSING THE LEVER ACTIVATED CONTROL DEVICES THAT SENT SMALL AMOUNTS OF ELECTRICAL
CURRENT BETWEEN THE ELECTRODES IMPLANTED DEEP IN THE ANIMAL'S BRAINS, EXCITING
NEARBY TISSUES.
PLEASURE AND REWARD

• OLDS AND MILNER’S STUDY TURNING POINT IN THE THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF


BRAIN-BEHAVIOR RELATIONSHIPS.
• OLDS AND MILNER EXPERIMENT INVOLVED IN STIMULATING SEPTAL AREA.
• FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS SOON FOUND SITES IN MANY AREAS OF THE BRAIN
THAT PRODUCED POSITIVELY REWARDING EFFECTS WHEN ELECTRICALLY
STIMULATED,
• THESE AREAS WERE MOSTLY FOUND IN SOME AREAS OF LIMBIC SYSTEM AND
SOME OF THE SURROUNDING TRANSITIONAL CORTICAL AREAS.
• THE MOST "REWARDING" REGIONS OF THE BRAIN ARE FOUND ALONG THE BASE
OF THE BRAIN IN THE GENERAL REGION OF THE LATERAL HYPOTHALAMUS.
PLEASURE AND REWARD

• PLEASURE CENTER
• RESEARCHERS HAVE FOUND THAT THE MAIN CENTERS OF THE BRAIN’S REWARD
CIRCUIT ARE LOCATED ALONG THE MEDIAL FOREBRAIN BUNDLE (MFB).
• THE VENTRAL TEGMENTAL AREA (VTA) AND THE NUCLEUS ACCUMBENS ARE THE
TWO MAJOR CENTERS IN THIS CIRCUIT.
• IT ALSO INCLUDES OTHER AREAS:
-SEPTUM
-AMYGDALA
-PREFRONTAL CORTEX
-HYPOTHALAMUS
PLEASURE AND REWARD

• REWARD CIRCUIT
• THERE ARE SEVERAL AREAS OF THE BRAIN WHOSE ACTIVATION CAN HAVE GRATIFYING
EFFECTS, BUT IT IS THE STIMULATION OF ONE PARTICULAR PATHWAY THAT PRODUCES THE
MOST INTENSE PLEASURE. THIS IS THE MEDIAL FOREBRAIN BUNDLE (MFB), WHICH RUNS
BETWEEN THE VENTRAL TEGMENTAL AREA (VTA) AND THE LATERAL HYPOTHALAMUS.
• THE REWARD CIRCUIT IS A SUB-STRUCTURE OF THE MFB, COMPOSED OF THE AXONS OF THE
DOPAMINERGIC NEURONS THAT PROJECT FROM THE VTA TO THE NUCLEUS ACCUMBENS.
• OLDS (1956) FOUND THAT THE MEDIAL FOREBRAIN BUNDLE (MFB) WAS A MAJOR PATHWAY
THAT SUPPORTED THIS ACTIVITY. ALTHOUGH THE MFB INTERCONNECTS THE HIPPOCAMPUS,
HYPOTHALAMUS, SEPTUM, AMYGDALA, ORBITAL FRONTAL LOBES . OLDS DISCOVERED THAT
IN ITS COURSE UP TO THE LATERAL HYPOTHALAMUS, REWARD SITES BECOME MORE
DENSELY PACKED.
• THE GREATEST AREA OF CONCENTRATION AND THE HIGHEST RATES OF SELF- STIMULATORY
ACTIVITY WERE FOUND TO OCCUR NOT IN THE MFB BUT IN THE LATERAL HYPOTHALAMUS
PLEASURE AND REWARD

• ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF SINGLE LATERAL


HYPOTHALAMIC NEURONS INDICATE THAT THESE CELLS
BECOME HIGHLY ACTIVE IN RESPONSE TO REWARDING
FOOD ITEMS.
• IF THE LATERAL REGION IS DESTROYED, THE EXPERIENCE
OF PLEASURE AND EMOTIONAL RESPONSIVENESS IS
ALMOST COMPLETELY ATTENUATED.
PLEASURE AND REWARD

• VENTRAL TEGMENTAL AREA (VTA) AND


THE MEDIAL FOREBRAIN BUNDLE (MFB).
VENTRAL TEGMENTAL AREA (VTA), WHICH
IS THE REGION RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT
FIRST RELEASE OF DOPAMINE INTO THE
BRAIN.
THE VTA THEN ACTIVATES DOPAMINE
NEURONS IN THE MEDIAL FOREBRAIN
BUNDLE (MFB), A THICK BUNDLE OF
NEURONS THAT TRAVEL FROM THE VTA TO
THE LATERAL HYPOTHALAMUS
PLEASURE AND REWARD

• THE DOPAMINE THE VTA SENDS OUT TRAVELS THROUGH TWO DIFFERENT PATHWAYS.
1. MESOLIMBIC PATHWAY
2. MESOCORTICAL PATHWAY

• THE MESOLIMBIC PATHWAY IS THE IMPORTANT PART OF DOPAMINE REWARD CIRCUIT.


• THIS PATHWAY IS HIGHLY INVOLVED IN DOPAMINE’S MOST COMMONLY THOUGHT OF FUNCTION:
PLEASURE AND REWARD.
• THIS PATHWAY BEGINS AT THE VENTRAL TEGMENTAL AREA (VTA).
• THE VTA IS A DOPAMINE-RICH NUCLEUS THAT COVERS PART OF THE MIDBRAIN AND PROJECTS
DOPAMINERGIC ACTION POTENTIALS TO ANOTHER AREA OF THE BRAIN CALLED THE NUCLEUS
ACCUMBENS
REWARD AND PLEASURE

• THE NA WHERE DOPAMINE PRIMARILY MEDIATES FEELINGS OF


PLEASURE AND REWARD. THUS, WHENEVER A PERSON
ENCOUNTERS REWARDING OR PLEASURABLE STIMULI DOPAMINE
IS RELEASED AND SENDS SIGNALS FROM THE VTA TO THE NAC,
WHICH CREATES POSITIVE FEELINGS THAT REINFORCE THE
BEHAVIOR.
• STIMULATION OF THE NAC IS IMPORTANT FOR MAINTAINING OUR
DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITY. HOWEVER, OVER-STIMULATION CAN LEAD
TO CRAVINGS FOR THE ITEM THAT STIMULATED THE NAC.
PLEASURE AND REWARD

MESOCORTICAL DOPAMINE PATHWAYS


• LIKE IN THE MESOLIMBIC PATHWAY, DOPAMINERGIC
PROJECTIONS WITHIN THE MESOCORTICAL PATHWAY
ORIGINATE IN THE VTA.
• FROM THE VTA, ACTION POTENTIALS TRAVEL TO AREAS IN
THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX (PFC).
• THE PFC IS HIGHLY INVOLVED IN COGNITION, WORKING
MEMORY, AND DECISION MAKING
AVERSION

• THE MEDIAL ZONE OF HYPOTHALAMUS IS PART OF A CIRCUITRY THAT


CONTROLS MOTIVATED BEHAVIORS, LIKE DEFENSIVE BEHAVIORS.
• STIMULATION OF MEDIAL HYPOTHALAMUS UNLIKE LATERAL
HYPOTHALAMUS CAN LEAD TO AVERSION
• ELECTRICAL STIMULATION OF THE MEDIAL REGION LEADS TO BEHAVIOR
THAT TERMINATES THE STIMULATION, THUS IT LEADS TO RELIEF.
• IT IS STATED THAT WHEN NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS ARE MET IT LEADS
TO ACTIVATION OF MEDIAL REGION BECOMES ACTIVATED, THIS LEADS TO
THE BEHAVIOR THAT TERMINATES IT’S ACTIVATION THAT IS, STOPS EATING
AVERSION

• MEDIAL HYPOTHALAMIC ACTIVITY CAN LEAD TO STATE OF


MOTIONLESSNESS.
• THE ORGANISM IS MOTIVATED TO SIMPLY STOP RESPOND OR TO
BEHAVIOUR.
• THIS INACTIVE STATE MAY BE PHYSIOLOGICALLY NEUTRAL.
• IN OTHER SITUATIONS MEDIAL HYPOTHALAMIC ACTIVITY MAY BE
HIGHLY AVERSIVE.
• DORMANCY IS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH PARASYMPATHETIC
ACTIVITY, WHICH IS MEDIATED BY THE MEDIAL AREA.
REFERENCE

JOSEPH, R. (1990A). NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, NEUROPSYCHIATRY,


AND BEHAVIOURAL NEUROLOGY. SPRINGER.
ISACSON, R. (1982). THE LIMBIC SYSTEM (2ND ED.). SPRINGER.
DUDAS, B. (2013). THE HUMAN HYPOTHALAMUS: ANATOMY,
FUNCTIONS AND DISORDERS (NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH
PROGRESS) (1ST ED.). NOVA SCIENCE PUBLISHERS, INC.
THANKYOU

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