Question 1: Are there emotional patterns in the autonomic nervous system?

Studies have found that we show specific patterns (reflexes) to emotional cues. Moreover, there are two primary reactions: increased sensory processing and mobilization for action. This is thought to be caused by brain structures that learned in the early days of humanity which actions are most protective for the species and are likely to have the most success for survival. The amygdala is one of these brain structures that plays a crucial role. Activation of the amygdala usually leads to certain behaviours that are similar across species. Activation takes plays with both stimulating (pleasant) as aversive cues.

Question 2: Do discrete emotions have their own distinct patterns?

In the past it has been thought that discrete emotions are associated with discrete patterns of autonomic reactivity. Studies did, however, not find specific autonomic nervous system responses elicited by discrete emotions. There are many methodological challenges in looking into the (possible) relationship between emotions and autonomic nervous system responses. For example, how an individual claims to feel doesn’t always match with their bodily signals. Studies have found that there is a low correlation between the report of fear and the physiological reaction in patients with an anxiety or a mood disorder. Both external (in the surrounding) and internal (thinking of a fearful event) activate the same brain regions, but the responses of the autonomic nervous system differ.

Question 3: Is there a function of autonomic nervous system activity downstream?

There are three different domain available in measuring emotion. The first domain is called affective language, which consists of both evaluative and expressive language. The second domain is overt behaviour and the third domain is physiological reactivity. Even with modern technology, it is hard to investigate the relationship between brain function and the autonomic nervous system. Recent studies have found a relationship between microbiotica in the gut and healthy brain functioning, suggesting that different parts of the body influence how the brain functions.

Question 4: What are the obstacles in research on emotion and autonomic nervous system response?

There has been very little consensus in this field. One of the models, the developing brain model, claims that emotions reflect the activation of neural circuits that have evolved in mammalian species because they facilitated the survival of the species. Understanding of what happens in the brain might lead to better (or different) treatments for people with emotional psychopathology, or anxiety and mood disorder.