Neuroimaging studies have found that when a person who is in the throes of intense love looks at a photograph of his or her partner, he or she shows increased activation in the ________ and deactivation in the ________.
A) amygdala (threat); ventral striatum (reward)
B) ventral striatum (reward); amygdala (threat)
C) amygdala (threat); hippocampus (memory)
D) ventral striatum (reward); hippocampus (memory)

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Neuroimaging studies have consistently found that when a person who is in the throes of intense love looks at a photograph of his or her partner, he or she shows increased activation in the ventral striatum, a region of the brain implicated in reward processing and motivation. At the same time, there is often deactivation in the amygdala, which has been traditionally associated with threat and fear processing. Therefore, the best choice is B, which pairs ventral striatum with reward and amygdala with threat.

Neuroimaging Studies Have Found That When a Person Who Is