Preprint / Version 1

The Neurobiology of Disgust

##article.authors##

  • Connor Levow Lincoln High School

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58445/rars.2502

Keywords:

Emotions, Ocd

Abstract

Despite often being overlooked, disgust is one of the core emotions from which all others originate. It is vital to every day life, allowing us to avoid harmful stimuli. This paper will delineate the neurobiology of this emotion by exploring the neurotransmitters involved, the environmental and genetic factors, and its importance in obsessive compulsive disorder.

References

Zafiri, Daphne, and Sevil Duvarci. ‘Dopaminergic Circuits Underlying Associative Aversive Learning’. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, vol. 16–2022, 2022, https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1041929.

Kobiella, Andrea et al. “Human dopamine receptor D2/D3 availability predicts amygdala reactivity to unpleasant stimuli.” Human brain mapping vol. 31,5 (2010): 716-26. doi:10.1002/hbm.20900

Sherlock, James M et al. “The quantitative genetics of disgust sensitivity.” Emotion (Washington, D.C.) vol. 16,1 (2016): 43-51. doi:10.1037/emo0000101

Thayer, Kayla K., et al. ‘What Therapists Need to Know about the Treatment of OCD When Disgust Is Part of the Clinical Presentation’. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, vol. 6, 2021, p. 100209, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2021.100209.

Hornboll, Bettina et al. “Acute serotonin 2A receptor blocking alters the processing of fearful faces in the orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala.” Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) vol. 27,10 (2013): 903-14. doi:10.1177/0269881113494106

Tuerke, Katharine J., et al. ‘Double Dissociation between Regulation of Conditioned Disgust and Taste Avoidance by Serotonin Availability at the 5-HT3 Receptor in the Posterior and Anterior Insular Cortex’. Journal of Neuroscience, vol. 32, no. 40, Society for Neuroscience, 2012, pp. 13709–13717, https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2042-12.2012.

Rockwell-Evans, K., Peterson, N., Paulsen, R., Rudd, J., & Martinez, M. (2023). Yucky, ooey, gross, and gooey: The role of disgust in OCD. International OCD Foundation. https://iocdf.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/The-Role-of-Disgust-in-OCD.pdf

Sherpa, S. (2024, October 15). Feelings & the neuro-chemistry of emotion. Mya Care. https://myacare.com/blog/feelings-the-neuro-chemistry-of-emotion​

Downloads

Posted

2025-04-27