Panksepp's theories of emotions and how these could be applied in dog behaviour terms. Classification of neuroanatomy and physiology
Biologically, all mammalian brains share a common blueprint. Affective (emotional) circuits primarily located in the subcortical regions far beneath the highly developed neocortical "thinking cap" determine our mental life and behaviour. These ancestral brain networks generate the primal ways we can feel emotionally, good, or bad. Interestingly, this similarity also extends to some bird species, which have separation-distress PANIC networks, often called the GRIEF system (a main source of emotional pain).[1] Affective systems have been studied in other animals and have helped understand human nature[JG1] .
Panksepp identified 7 emotional systems: SEEKING (expectancy), FEAR (anxiety), RAGE (anger), LUST (sexual excitement), CARE (nurturance), PANIC/GRIEF (sadness), and PLAY (social joy). According to his research, each system determines distinct behaviours in conjunction with specific physiological changes, although many of these changes overlap across systems. If we electrically stimulate neural paths (simulating what life events would normally activate), all mammals experience intense emotions and perform instinctual behaviours.[2] Panksepp believed tangible and distinct networks for various emotions are in:
i) the midbrain
ii) the hypothalamus connected to
iii) the limbic system, whose key components are the amygdala, the hippocampus, the hypothalamus and the thalamus and is essential for emotional regulation (processing fear, pleasure, anger, sadness etc), memory formation, motivation and reward.
Current knowledge indicates that the neural paths and brain chemicals that regulate primal emotional systems are strikingly similar across all mammals. The implication is that these systems must have evolved long ago and that all mammals experience similar emotions when these systems are activated. We cannot say they are identical since evolutions always creates diversity, but the general principles are shared[JG2] .[3] Humans have a more developed neocortical brain expansion which allows for reflection on our emotions leading to highly subtle feelings. Nevertheless, our higher mind is still very much rooted in this ancestral past. This means that, fundamentally, we are well-positioned to understand our dogs by drawing meaningful analogies. In fact, it is exactly by studying the mind of other mammals that we have been able to understand our own.
A book called "The Archaeology of Mind" by Jaak Panksepp and Lucy Biven talks about a way to study emotions called the triangulation approach. This approach looks at emotions from three different angles:
What People Feel (Humans): This involves trying to understand how people experience emotions themselves. Researchers often ask people directly through surveys, interviews, or by having them think about their own feelings.
What Happens in the Brain (Animals): Since we can't directly study human brains while they experience emotions, scientists look at animal brains. They use techniques like electrical stimulation, observing brain damage effects, and brain scans to see which parts of the brain are active during different emotions in animals. (There are still debates about whether it's ethical to study emotions this way in animals.)
Natural Behaviors (Mammals): This involves observing how mammals naturally behave when they feel different emotions. For example, researchers might look at behaviors like playing, searching for something, fear, caring for others, and forming social bonds.
The triangulation approach is important for understanding emotions because it helps scientists connect the dots between what people feel inside (subjective experiences), what's happening in their brains, and how they act (observable behaviors[JG3] ).
Whilst philosophers and other scientists saw emotions mainly as ideas or thoughts, Panksepp believed they are physical processes in the brain. He focused on understanding basic emotions first and believed that they are the foundation for more complex ones, and all the while they keep exercising a strong influence on our automatic behaviors (like jumping when scared), on how we learn, and how we make decisions.
As animal behaviourists and trainers, we guide animal behavior and support their learning by shaping the environment and utilizing their unconditioned stimuli and responses, as well as the processes of habituation, sensitization, classical and operant conditioning. Both these automatic and operant brain processes have an affective base and can be described as affective tools which help animals live and learn at primary level, enabling adaptation and thriving in specific environmental niches.[4]
For dogs and animals in general, Panksepp comes in handy: unlike pure behaviourist neuroscientist who just focus on the observable behaviour and purposely neglect the experiential aspect (claiming its inappropriateness on ground of anthropomorphism), Panksepp acknowledges primal affective states in other animals, and claims that these raw affective experiences are essential for higher forms of consciousness.[5]
Neurons assess, process, and integrate various stimuli and past experiences to produce a response. In this process, the limbic system interprets the emotional significance of each stimulus, generating an emotional response which can significantly influence the decision-making processes before the cerebral cortex even gets involved; with our dogs, we must consider this aspect if we want to help them modulate the reaction initiated by their limbic system and engage them in a more complex degree of reasoning at canine level[JG4] .
Recognizing that a dog's initial response to stimuli is emotionally driven by the limbic system can help us, for example:
o approach behavior management with empathy. For example, a dog's sudden fearful reaction to loud noises or new environments is rooted in this primal emotional processing.
o use positive reinforcement to effectively create more desirable behavioural outcomes. Rewarding a dog for calm or desired behaviors in response to specific stimuli can strengthen neural pathways that promote those behaviors, essentially training the limbic system to associate positive feelings with those stimuli.
o help dogs modulate their reactions through gradual exposure to stimuli (desensitization) combined with positive reinforcement (counterconditioning). This approach slowly introduces the stimulus at a level that doesn't trigger a high-stress response and gradually increases the stimulus's intensity, allowing the dog's limbic system to adjust and manage its reactions better.
Our dogs’ learning involves a combination of the limbic system for emotional responses and other brain areas that handle associative learning: behaviors that lead to desirable outcomes tend to strengthen the neural pathways associated with those behaviors. This strengthening occurs through a process known as synaptic plasticity[6], where the connections between neurons (synapses) become more efficient at transmitting signals. This is often described as "neurons that fire together, wire together"[JG5] .
Conversely, neural pathways that lead to undesirable outcomes are less likely to be activated over time and can weaken. We can use this to our advantage in establishing behaviours we like and extinguishing those we do not.
To understand how neural pathways are formed it is useful to imagine neurons like tiny messengers in our brain. They talk to each other using special electrical messages called action potentials. This electrical spark travels down the long, thin part of the neuron called the axon. When the spark reaches the end of the axon, called the presynaptic ending, it gets prepped to send a message to the next neuron: it travels through the synaptic cleft, a tiny gap between the two neurons, and it reaches the postsynaptic ending, the part of the second neuron waiting for a message. The spark can trigger the release of chemicals or neurotransmitters (at chemical synapses) or directly cause an electrical current (at electrical synapses) across the gap.
These chemicals or electrical signals are then picked up by the postsynaptic ending, which can be another spark or a change in the second neuron's electrical charge.
So, synapses are like tiny communication stations where neurons use action potentials to send messages, either with special chemicals or a quick electrical jolt![7]
To conclude, I would like to highlight the importance of nuances in interpreting emotions, both in humans and animals, as highlighted by Darwin in The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (EEMA): a) expectations and context significantly influence how we perceive facial expressions (canine body language in our context); b) there is variability within the same emotion category (the same emotion can have different expressions) and similarities among different ones (different emotion categories can be expressed in similar ways); This should remind us that emotional expressions (behaviours) can be
ü multifaceted and context-dependent
ü dependant on unique personalities and experiences
ü fuelled by different affective systems concurrently
Therefore, it is important to avoid assumptions and quick judgments, particularly because animals cannot verbally express their feelings and intentions. Taking the time to observe, understand context, and consider individual differences is key to interpret their behaviors and ensure responsible and empathetic care. This approach benefits not only the animals but also strengthens our relationship with them.
Good work here on Panksepp and his work on emotions. You do a great job of linking the essay topic to an exploration of neurological anatomy and physiology, showing a very good understanding of the structures involved in processing of emotion. 91%
[1] Panksepp, Jaak; Biven, Lucy. The Archaeology of Mind: Neuroevolutionary Origins of Human Emotions (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology) (p. 1). W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition.
[2] Panksepp, p.2
[3] Panksepp, p.4
[4] In The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (EEMA) (1872), Charles Darwin explored how emotions and their expressions were shaped by natural selection and served practical functions for evolutionary advantages, helping survival and reproduction.
[5] Panksepp, J. (2010) ‘A Synopsis of Affective Neuroscience — Naturalizing the Mammalian Mind’, Psychology Today.
[6]10-minute neuroscience: Neurons (2023) YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/5p9ucgRDie8?si=JUmNilVh6K1Xlqfm
10-minute neuroscience: Synapses (2023) YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/k5RafiYXieo?si=-6GvgzSaKRlA8ohk
[7] Vandergriendt, C. (2022) An easy guide to neuron diagrams and types, Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/neurons.
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Lolliot, S. et al. (2021) Emotion, Introduction to Psychology A critical approach
Panksepp, J. (2010) ‘A Synopsis of Affective Neuroscience — Naturalizing the Mammalian Mind’, Psychology Today.
Panksepp, Jaak; Biven, Lucy. The Archaeology of Mind: Neuroevolutionary Origins of Human Emotions (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology) W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition.
The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness. Available at
https://fcmconference.org/img/CambridgeDeclarationOnConsciousness.pdf
Vandergriendt, C. (2022) An easy guide to neuron diagrams and types, Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/neurons.
10-minute neuroscience: Neurons (2023) YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/5p9ucgRDie8?si=JUmNilVh6K1Xlqfm.
10-minute neuroscience: Synapses (2023) YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/k5RafiYXieo?si=-6GvgzSaKRlA8ohk).
https://www.thewildest.com/dog-lifestyle/what-colors-do-dogs-see
The Cambridge Declaration On Consciousness. Available at https://fcmconference.org/img/CambridgeDeclarationOnConsciousness.pdf
