Neuroscience

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Neuroscience

• Limbic System

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Limbic System

• The limbic system is located deep within the core
  of the brain.
• It is a source of our raw emotions before they
  are modulated by our frontal lobes.
• It is a storehouse for long-term memories,
  particularly memories that have a strong
  emotional component.

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Parts of the Limbic System

• Hippocampus
• Amygdalae
• Anterior thalamic nuclei
• Septum
• Limbic cortex
• Fornix

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Functions of the Limbic System

• Emotion
• Behavior
• Motivation
• Long-term memory
• Olfaction

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Functions

• The limbic system includes the hypothalamus,
  amygdala, and the hippocampus.
• These structures are involved in motivation,
  emotion, learning, and memory.
• The limbic system is where the subcortical
  structures meet the cerebral cortex.
• The limbic system operates by influencing the
  endocrine system and the autonomic nervous system.

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Functions continued

• The limbic system is highly interconnected with
  the nucleus accumbens, which is the brains
  pleasure center.
• It plays a role in sexual arousal and the high
  derived from certain recreational drugs.
• The basal ganglia in the limbic system direct
  intentional movements. This region also controls
  posture and movement.

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Limbic

• limbic comes from the Latin limbus for border
  or edge.
• The limbic system forms the inner border of the
  cortex.

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Hippocampus and Associated Structures

• Hippocampus
• Amygdala
• Fornix
• Mammillary body

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Hippocampus

• Formation of long-term memories.
• Cognitive maps for navigation.
• If the hippocampus is damaged, a person cannot
  build new memories.

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Amygdala

• Signals the cortex of motivationally significant
  stimuli related to reward and fear.
• Participates in social functions such as mating.
• Stimulates the hippocampus to remember details
  surrounding an event or situation.

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Fornix

• Carries signals from the hippocampus to the
  mammillary bodies and septal nuclei.

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Mammillary Body

• Important for the formation of memory.

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Septal Nuclei

• Interconnections between areas of the limbic
  system.
• Pleasure zone in animals.

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Limbic Node

• Parahippocampal gyrus
• Formation of spatial memory
• Cingulate gyrus
• Autonomic functions
• Heart rate, blood pressure
• Cognitive and attentional processing
• Dentate gyrus
• Helps to formulate new memories

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Additional Limbic Structures

• Entorhinnal cortex
• Memory and associative components
• Piriform cortex
• Olfactory system
• Fornicate gyrus
• Encompasses the cingulate, hippocampus, and
  parahippocampal gyrus
• Nucleus accumbens
• Involved in reward, pleasure, and addiction
• Orbitofrontal cortex
• Required for decision making