Hypothalamus & Limbic System Flashcards

1
Q

Hypothalamus is involved in the mediation of:

A
  • Autonomics
  • Neuroendocrine (Pituitary and Pineal Glands)
  • Behavioral functions
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2
Q

Structures located near Hypothalamus:

A
  • Epithalamus
  • Mammillary body (posteroinferior)
  • Anterior Commissure
  • Optic Chiasm
  • Infundibulum with Pituitary Gland
  • Forms floor and inferior walls of third ventricle
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3
Q

Anteromedial Hypothalamus produces ____ activity

A

Parasympathetic
(ex. satiety, sleep, heat dissipation to decrease temperature)

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4
Q

Posterolateral Hypothalamus produces _____ activity

A

Sympathetic
(ex. hunger, wakefulness, heat conservation to increase body temperature)

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5
Q

What Nuclei are located in the Hypothalamus?

A
  • Lateral
  • Anterior
  • One in the PreOptic area
  • Suprachiasmatic
  • Paraventricular
  • Ventromedial
  • Posterior
  • Arcuate
  • Supraoptic
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6
Q

Lateral Nucleus of Hypothalamus

A
  • Sense a drop of glucose (hunger)
  • Lesion makes you Lean
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7
Q

Anterior Nucleus of Hypothalamus

A
  • Cooling via Parasympathetic
  • Sense elevation of temperature
  • Increases sweating and dilates superficial vessels
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8
Q

Nuclei in Preoptic Area of Hypothalamus

A
  • Releases GnRH
  • Influences reproduction and sexual behavior
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9
Q

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus of Hypothalamus

A
  • Circadian rhythm
  • Can function independently
  • Can be regulated by the Ganglion Cells of CN II
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10
Q

Paraventricular Nucleus of Hypothalamus

A

Produces Oxytocin and ADH

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11
Q

Ventromedial Nucleus of Hypothalamus

A
  • Sense elevated glucose (satiety)
  • Lesion makes you Very Massive
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12
Q

Posterior Nucleus of Hypothalamus

A
  • Senses temperature drop (heating)
  • Has sympathetic center
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13
Q

Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus

A

Secretes Dopamine directly to the Pituitary Gland where it inhibits prolactin secretion in adenohypophysis

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14
Q

Supraoptic Nucleus of Hypothalamus

A
  • Secretes ADH and Oxytocin
  • Senses drop in water concentration (thirst)
  • Located in Posterior Pituitary Gland
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15
Q

The major efferents of Suprachiasmatic Nucleus project to the ___ ___

A

Pineal Gland

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16
Q

During the night, fibers from the SCN release ___ in the Pineal Gland which stimulate the pinealocytes, triggering the production of ____

A
  • NE
  • Melatonin
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17
Q

Supraopticohypophysial Tract

A

Axons carry ADH and Oxytocin into Posterior Pituitary where it is stored in Herrying Bodies and released if needed (i.e hypothalamus osmoreceptors sense lack of water in blood and CSF)

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18
Q

Two main pathways from the Hypothalamus that are the source of most of the central control of autonomic functions:

A
  • Medial Forebrain Bundle
  • Dorsal Longitudinal Fasciculus
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19
Q

The Medial Forebrain Bundle and the Dorsal Longitudinal Fasciculus connect the Hypothalamus with:

A

the major parasympathetic nuclei in the brain stem and the preganglionic (central) neurons of the thoracolumbar spinal cord

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20
Q

Medial Forebrain Bundle

A
  • Anterior area for parasympathetic activity
  • Goes to S2-S4
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21
Q

Dorsal Longitudinal Fasciculus

A
  • Sympathetic
  • Major output pathway of the hypothalamus that descends through the gray matter of the brain stem and into the spinal cord T1-L2
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22
Q

Lesion of hypothalamus is noticeable mostly in ____ lesion

A

Bilateral
- Typically results in autonomic and neuroendocrine dysfunction (ex. temperature, thirst, etc)

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23
Q

4 Main Limbic Structures

A
  • Amygdala
  • Hippocampus
  • Cingulate Gyrus
  • Parahippocampal Gyrus
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24
Q

Importance of Limbic Structures

A
  • Emotional responses
  • Drive-related behavior
  • Memory
  • Smell
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25
Q

Fornix

A
  • White matter between lateral and 3rd ventricles
  • Connects hippocampus to mammillary bodies
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26
Q

Hippocampus converges to form:

A

Fimbria of Fornix

27
Q

Fimbria come together to form the:

A

Crus of Fornix

28
Q

At Anterior Commissure, Body of Fornix splits into:

A

Columns of Fornix

29
Q

Major role of Hippocampus

A

Formation of new memory (learning memory)

30
Q

Papez Circuit

A

Hippocampus –> Mammillary Bodies –> Anterior Thalamic Nuclei –> Cingulate Cortex –> Entorhinal Cortex –> Hippocampus

*primary nuclei of circuit: mamillary bodies

31
Q

Role of Papez Circuit

A

Assists with spatial and episodic memory consolidation and storage

32
Q

What happens if there is damage to the Fornix or Mammillary Bodies?

A

Amnesia

33
Q

Mammillary Bodies

A
  • One of the primary nuclei of the Papez Circuit
  • Assist with emotion and reward behaviors and goal-directed behaviors
  • Primary function is recollective memory
  • Memory consolidation occurs here – processing short-term memory into long-term memory
34
Q

What happens if there is a lesion to the Mammillary Bodies?

A

Anterograde Amnesia – inability of retention of newly acquired memory; has no difficulty in remembering events occurring months or years before the lesion

35
Q

Fornix is situated between what ventricles?

A

Between the Lateral and Third Ventricles

36
Q

Fornix bifurcates at the level of the ___ ___ with the ___ fibers projecting to the ___ ___

A
  • Anterior Commissure
  • Postcommissural
  • Mammillary Bodies
37
Q

Korsakoff Psychosis (Syndrome)

A
  • Caused by Thiamine (Vitamin B1) Deficiency (usually from chronic alcoholism
  • Leads to degeneration of the Mammillary Bodies
  • Lesion is bilateral
  • Irreversible condition characterized by triad: anterograde amnesia, confabulation, personality changes (reckless behavior)
38
Q

Anterograde Amnesia

A
  • Inability to create new memory
  • Function of the mammillary bodies with the hippocampus
39
Q

Confabulation

A

Act of filling in gaps in memory with fabrications that are believed to be true

40
Q

___ ____connect Amygdala with the ___

A
  • Stria Terminalis
  • Hypothalamus (Lateral Nucleus)
41
Q

What are the main efferent fibers of the Amygdala?

A

Stria Terminalis

42
Q

Role of Amygdala

A
  • Form memories related to emotional events
  • Facilitate long-term memory formation (together with hippocampus)
  • Convert and retain learning from pleasure or fear responses
  • Help us tell what other people express: aggression, love, indifference, etc
43
Q

Causes of Kluver-Bucy Syndrome

A
  • Result of trauma or surgery (for epilepsy) to temporal lobe
  • Can also be caused by Herpes Encephalitis
44
Q

Kluver-Bucy Syndrome

A
  • Associated with damage to both amygdala resulting in abnormalities in memory, social and sexual functioning and idiosyncratic behavior
  • Diminished ability to visually recognize object, loss of normal fear and anger responses
  • Associated with Hyperphagia, Hypersexuality, and Hyperorality
45
Q

Hyperphagia

A

Eating a lot even if person is not hungry; sometimes eats objects that are not actually food

46
Q

Hypersexuality

A

Extremely urgent sexual desire

47
Q

Hyperorality

A

Tendency to examine things by mouth; taste, chew, put everything in their mouth

48
Q

Anosmia

A
  • Loss of smell due to a viral infection of the olfactory mucosa, obstruction of the nasal passages or may be congenital
  • Lesions occur due to shearing of CNI or tumors in the floor of the anterior cranial fossa
49
Q

Phantosmia (Olfactory Hallucination)

A

Distortion in a smell experience or the perception of a smell when no odor is present

50
Q

Causes of Phantosmia

A
  • Abnormal sequence of neuronal activity
  • Lesion of anterior/medial temporal lobe – hippocampus, amygdala, or medial dorsal thalamic nuclei
51
Q

Two major dopaminergic areas of the brain:

A
  • Substantia Nigra
  • Ventral Tegmental Area
52
Q

Vental Tegmental Area (VTA)

A
  • Located medial to the Substantia Nigra
  • Role in all behavioral and mental activities in which dopamine is released in our brain (reward, motivation, addiction)
53
Q

Two of the most prominent efferents that project from the VTA:

A
  • Mesolimbic
  • Mesocortical
54
Q

Mesolimbic Pathway

A

Travels from VTA to Ventral Striatum (Nucleus Accumbens)

55
Q

Mesocortical Pathway

A

Travels from VTA to Cortical Areas

56
Q

Schizophrenia

A
  • Dopaminergic neurons in the VTA play a role in this disorder
  • Associated with high levels of dopamine
57
Q

ADHD

A

Linked to low dopamine activity in the VTA

58
Q

Integrity of the ___ is crucial to proper brain function

A

VTA

59
Q

Central Diabetes Insipidus

A
  • Condition in which the kidneys are unable to concentrate urine because of a lack of circulating ADH
  • Low levels of ADH are due to either decreased production within the hypothalamus or decreased release from the Posterior Pituitary Gland
  • Present with Polyuria (too much urine), nocturia (increased urination at night), and polydipsia (thirst)
60
Q

Hyperthermia

A
  • May occur if there is a lesion (stroke or CNS damage) in the Anterior Nucleus of the Hypothalamus, which is involved in thermoregulation, specifically cooling the body down
  • Damage to this region prevents the body from being able to cool itself
  • Works via stimulation of the Parasympathetic NS
61
Q

Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea

A
  • Primary cause of secondary amenorrhea (cessation of menses)
  • Results from decreased pulsation of GnRH from a nuclei of the PreOptic Area that occurs during times of severe physical or psychological stress
  • Most commonly associated with eating disorders or overexercise
62
Q

Effect of Lesion to the PreOptic Area

A

Reduction or abolition of sexual drive

63
Q

Hyperprolactinemia

A
  • Elevated levels of Prolactin (hormone of adenohypophysis) in the blood
  • Most common cause is a prolactin-secreting pituitary adenoma, but also can be caused by loss of inhibitory dopamine secretion by the hypothalamus
  • Can occur when dopaminergic neurons from the arcuate nuclei of the hypothalamus are damaged or if the infundibulum is transected during surgery
  • Sxs: galactorrhea (milk discharge), oligoamenorrhea, erectile dysfunction