
Contents
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7.1 Introduction 7.1 Introduction
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7.2 Localization: the cortex 7.2 Localization: the cortex
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7.2.1 Monsieur Leborgne: aphasia 7.2.1 Monsieur Leborgne: aphasia
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7.2.1.1 Leborgne’s brain restudied 7.2.1.1 Leborgne’s brain restudied
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Lesson I: The right cortical hemisphere enables swearing Lesson I: The right cortical hemisphere enables swearing
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7.2.2 The Marquise de Dampierre: Tourette syndrome 7.2.2 The Marquise de Dampierre: Tourette syndrome
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7.2.3 Localization: methodologies 7.2.3 Localization: methodologies
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7.2.4 The prefrontal cortex 7.2.4 The prefrontal cortex
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7.2.5 Mr Phineas Gage: a brain injury 7.2.5 Mr Phineas Gage: a brain injury
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7.2.5.1 The modern study of Gage’s skull 7.2.5.1 The modern study of Gage’s skull
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Lesson II: Intact prefrontal cortex guards against swearing Lesson II: Intact prefrontal cortex guards against swearing
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7.3 Localization: below the cortex—the basal ganglia 7.3 Localization: below the cortex—the basal ganglia
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7.4 Networks: nodes and arcs 7.4 Networks: nodes and arcs
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7.4.1 The limbic system 7.4.1 The limbic system
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7.4.2 The CSTC (cortico-striato-thalamocortical) circuits 7.4.2 The CSTC (cortico-striato-thalamocortical) circuits
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7.4.3 The cerebellum 7.4.3 The cerebellum
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7.4.4 Johann F.: Alzheimer’s disease 7.4.4 Johann F.: Alzheimer’s disease
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7.5 Networks: neurotransmitters 7.5 Networks: neurotransmitters
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7.5.1 Swearing, dopamine, and serotonin 7.5.1 Swearing, dopamine, and serotonin
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7.5.1.1 Swearing and dopamine 7.5.1.1 Swearing and dopamine
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7.5.1.2 Swearing and serotonin 7.5.1.2 Swearing and serotonin
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Lesson VIII: The neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin play a role in swearing Lesson VIII: The neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin play a role in swearing
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7.6 Swearing and emotions 7.6 Swearing and emotions
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7.6.1 Swearing and anger in the afflicted 7.6.1 Swearing and anger in the afflicted
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7.6.2 Swearing and anger in the population at large 7.6.2 Swearing and anger in the population at large
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7.6.3 The swearing of males and females 7.6.3 The swearing of males and females
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7.7 Swearing and pain 7.7 Swearing and pain
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7.7.1 Swearing and thermal pain 7.7.1 Swearing and thermal pain
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7.7.2 Physical and social pain 7.7.2 Physical and social pain
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7.8 Swearing and sociocultural inhibition 7.8 Swearing and sociocultural inhibition
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7.9 Discussion 7.9 Discussion
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7.9.1 Hypothesis I: Expletives compete with other behaviors 7.9.1 Hypothesis I: Expletives compete with other behaviors
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7.9.2 Hypothesis II: Expletives might contribute to our understanding of the evolution of language 7.9.2 Hypothesis II: Expletives might contribute to our understanding of the evolution of language
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7.9.3 Future directions 7.9.3 Future directions
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Acknowledgements Acknowledgements
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7 Swearing and the brain
Get accessShlomit Ritz Finkelstein earned her first PhD in theoretical physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1987, and in 2009 she earned her second PhD from Emory University, for which she conducted a multidisciplinary study of Tourette syndrome. She is currently an Adjunct Professor at the Emory’s psychology department researching the cognitive and neurolinguistic aspects of swearing. Email: finkelstein@emory.edu.
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Published:11 December 2018
Cite
Abstract
This chapter explores and summarizes the current knowledge about the neurophysiological substrata of the utterance of expletives—its brain regions, pathways, and neurotransmitters, and its interaction with hormones. The chapter presents clinical data that have been gathered directly from patients of aphasia, Tourette syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, and brain injuries—all are disorders often accompanied with expletives. It also discusses the possible relations between swearing and aggression, swearing and pain, and swearing and social inhibition in the population at large. Finally, the chapter examines the clinical data and the data gathered from the population at large within one frame, and proposes two hypotheses that can serve as possible directions for future research about the biological substrata of swearing. No previous knowledge of the brain is assumed.
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