Exam 6: Limbic System I

Question 1

What does the limbic system control?

Answer 1

mood, emotion, feelings, motivation; critical for memory

Question 2

Where does the hippocampus project to? Via what?

Answer 2

Mammillary body, septal nuclei; fornix

Question 3

Where do the mammillary bodies project to? Via what tract?

Answer 3

Anterior thalamic nucleus; mamillothalamic tract

Question 4

Where does the amygdala project to? via what?

Answer 4

septal nucleus; stria terminalis

Question 5

Where does the midbrain (via hypothalamus) project to? Via what bundle?

Answer 5

Forebrain; medial forebrain bundle

Question 6

What neurotransmitter does the locus ceruleus release?

Answer 6

Norepinephrine

Question 7

Where is the locus ceruleus located?

Answer 7

pons

Question 8

What neurotransmitter does the raphe nuclei release?

Answer 8

serotonin

Question 9

Where is the raphe nuclei?

Answer 9

midbrain and pons

Question 10

What is the locus ceruleus and rephe nucleus responsible for in a humn?

Answer 10

arousal and sleep/wake cycles

Question 11

What neurotransmitter is involved in the mesolimbic system?

Answer 11

dopamine

Question 12

Where does the ventral tegmental area (VTA) project to? (4 different areas)

Answer 12

Nucleus accumbens, medial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, septal nuclei

Question 13

What is the action of cocaine and amphetamines?

Answer 13

blocks DA uptake

Question 14

Where does a lesion in the brain decrease drug-seeking behavior? How does it work?

Answer 14

VTA and Nucleus accumbens; decreases amount of dopamine in the brain that acts as a reward

Question 15

What neurotransmitter does the nucleus basalis and septal nucleus release?

Answer 15

Acetylcholine

Question 16

What role does the amygdala have in the limbic system?

Answer 16

fear conditioning

Question 17

What do lesions in the amydala lead to?

Answer 17

prevents fear conditioning

Question 18

what do lesions in the prefrontal lobe lead to?

Answer 18

Impairment in goal directed behavior, lack of emotion in decision-making (Lack of risk aversion), Poor social judgement (antisocial behavior), poor emotional control (increased impulsivity)

Question 19

What areas are involved with the symptoms of a lesion to the prefrontal lobe?

Answer 19

Dorsolateral PFC and Orbital frontal cortex

Question 20

What do lesions of the hippocampus lead to?

Answer 20

anterograde amnesia, temporally graded retrograde amnesia, explicit or declarative memory (semantic and episodic)

Question 21

T/F: motor skills are not lost in a lesion to the hippocampus

Answer 21

True

Question 22

What are symptoms of Urbach-Wiethe disease?

Answer 22

impaired recognition of emotion in facial expressions, memory loss especially of information with emotional content

Question 23

What are the symptoms of PTSD?

Answer 23

re-experiencing phenomena in the form of flashbacks, avoidance of situations that parallel initial trauma, hyperarousal/hypervigilence

Question 24

What is the etiology of PTSD?

Answer 24

increased amygdala activity, decreased medial prefrontal cortex activity (which usually plays a role in inhibiting amygdala)

Question 25

What are the positive/negative symptoms of schizophrenia?

Answer 25

Positive: delusions, hallucinations. negative: Social withdrawal

Question 26

What symptoms of schizophrenia are the target of treatment?

Answer 26

Positive symptoms: delusions and hallucination

Question 27

What are the two main hypotheses of schizophrenia?

Answer 27

Dopamine and glutamate hypotheses

Question 28

Explain the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia?

Answer 28

Increase in dopamine receptor activity

Question 29

What are the treatments for the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia?

Answer 29

haloperidol, clozapine

Question 30

What is the mechanism of action and side effects of haloperidol?

Answer 30

Blocks dopamine receptors; causes motor dysfunction (Parkinsonian like)

Question 31

What are the mechanisms of action of clozapine?

Answer 31

Block DA-receptors, block 5HT receptors, block glutamate reuptake

Question 32

Explain the glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia? What was the idea that people though of?

Answer 32

Decrease in glutamate in synapse ; PCP blocks NMDA glutamate receptor

Question 33

What are symptoms of depression?

Answer 33

lethargy, annedonia, loss of sleep

Question 34

What is the hypothesis behind the cuase of depression?

Answer 34

monoamine hypothesis (depression due to decrease in NE and 5HT activity

Question 35

What is the monoamine hypothesis?

Answer 35

depression due to decrease in NE and/or decrease in 5HT activity

Question 36

What are the three main treatments for anti-depression? what are their actions?

Answer 36

monoamine oxidase inhibition, tricyclics (imipramine) (block reuptake of 5HT and NE, SSRI (fluoxetine) (Block reuptake of 5HT)

Question 37

What are the symptoms of Korsakoff's syndrome?

Answer 37

Disorder of immediate memory, disorientation, confabulation

Question 38

What are the causes of Korsakoff's syndrome?

Answer 38

chronic alcoholism, vitamin deficiency

Question 39

What is the brain etiology of Korsakoff's syndrome?

Answer 39

damage to mamillary bodies or to mamilothalamic tract

Question 40

What are symptoms of Kluver-Bucy syndrome?

Answer 40

Oral tendencies, changes in emotions, hypersexuality, visual agnosias

Question 41

What are symptoms of alzheimer's disease?

Answer 41

Loss of memory, mood disorder (anxiety/depression), loss of motor function, complete loss of cognitive function

Question 42

what is the etiology of Alzheimer's disease?

Answer 42

loss of cholinergic input to hippocampus (nucleus basalis), loss of neurons in multiple brain areas, present of neurofibrillary tangles and Beta-amyloid plaques

Question 43

What are the symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy

Answer 43

Cognition: anterograde amnesia, dysfunction in goal-directed behaviors. Mood: depression, apathy. Behavior: decreased impulse control, increased aggressiveness

Question 44

What is the etiology of chronic traumatic encephalopathy

Answer 44

generalized brain atrophy including prefrontal cortex, temporal lobes (amygdala, hippocampus), and parietal lobes