Affective Neuroscience

Some researchers have argued that emotions, particularly animal emotions, are illusory concepts that lie outside the realm of scientific inquiry. However, with advances in neurobiology and neuroscience, researchers are demonstrating that this position is incorrect as they move toward a lasting understanding of the biology and psychology of emotions. In "Affective Neuroscience," Jaak Panksepp provides the latest information about the systems operating in the brain that organize the fundamental emotional tendencies of all mammals. The book presents complex content in an accessible manner and offers a comprehensive summary of the basic neural sources of human and animal feelings, as well as a conceptual framework for studying emotional systems in the brain. Panksepp examines emotions from the perspective of basic emotion theory but also addresses the complex questions raised by constructivist approaches. These questions include relationships to human consciousness and the psychiatric implications of this knowledge. The book contains chapters on sleep and arousal, pleasure and fear systems, the sources of anger and rage, as well as the neural control of sexuality, along with the subtler emotions associated with maternal care, social loss, and playfulness. As a synthetic integration of extensive neurobehavioral knowledge, including relevant neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and neurochemistry, this book will represent one of the most significant contributions to understanding the biology of emotions since Darwin's "The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals.".