Lecture 6.2 Flashcards
limbic system 3 main functions
- controls endocrine system (hypothalamus)
- involved in memory encoding and retrieval (hippocampus)
- integrates and produces homeostatic responses to environmental stimulus (cortex)
what does the limbic system control about the endocrine system
influences many aspects of emotional behavior (fear, anger, sexual behavior, appetite and eating behavior, sleep, addiction and motivation, social cognition)
how are the three functions of the limbic system related
in order to have an appropriate emotional response (amygdala) to environmental stimuli we need to be able to store and retrieve memories of our previous experiences
other names for limbic lobe
cingulate cortex/cingulate gyrus
Broca’s contribution to discovery of limbic system
pointed out horseshoe shaped circular rim of cortex that surrounded the junction between the diencephalon and cerebral hemispheres
- based on anatomical, not functional specifications
James Papez’s contribution to limbic system discovery
proposed that there is an emotional system that links the cortex to the hypothalamus where the type and intensity of emotion is determined by the activity of the cingulate cortex and expression of the emotion is governed by endocrine system
Papez circuit
- cingulate cortex projects to hippocampus
- which projects to the hypothalamus
- which projects to the thalamus
- which projects back to cingulate cortex
limbic system role in emotion and cognition
- integrates emotional states with cognitive processes
- involved in the regulation of emotional responses, formation and retrieval of memories, decision-making, and social interactions
limbic system integration with other brain regions
- highly interconnected with other brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex, sensory cortices, and brainstem
- allows for a complex interplay between emotional, cognitive, and physiology processes
limbic system network perspective
- functional network more than a distinct anatomical entity
- components participate in broader neural circuits that support a range of behaviors, from emotional regulation to cognitive functions
core limbic system structures
- limbic cortex (limbic lobe/cingulate gyrus)
- hippocampus
- amygdala
- prefrontal cortex
- mammillary bodies
- hypothalamus
- septal nuclei
current view on limbic system
- no single neural system produces all emotional states
- different emotions depending on on different neural circuits but they all converge in the cortex for higher processing/awareness
- limbic system translates sensory data from cortex into motivational forces that produce human behaviors
what is the “ring” of cortex tissue associated with limbic function
cingulate, parahippocampal, & entorhinal cortex
how does limbic system connect pre-frontal/association cortex and lower limbic structures
2-way communication to control behavioral responses
what does ablation of some limbic cortex areas result in
persistent changes in an animal’s behavior
hippocampus role
encoding & consolidating info from short-term to long-term memory, memory retrieval, and spatial memory/nav
what does the hippocampus consist of
hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus
where does the hippocampal gray matter lie
on the floor of the inferior horn of the lateral ventricle
what is the alveus formed by
formed of axons leaving the hippocampus along the surface of the hippocampus that form the fornix
what is the fimbria formed by
axons of the alveus coming together to form a larger white matter tract called the fimbria
what is the fornix formed by
the fimbria from the left and right hemispheres come together at the commissure to form an even larger white matter tract called fornix
fornix
C-shaped bundle of white matter fibers that arise from neurons in the hippocampus and are its major output tracts
- carries some afferent tracts into the hippocampus from the diencephalon and forebrain
what does cutting the fornix result in in humans
memory loss
- some debate over what type of memory is affected, but typically it’s episodic father than semantic or spatial knowledge
major white matter output from hippocampus
fornix
hippocampus axons projection path
alveus —> fimbria —> fornix
hippocampul commissure
part of the fornix that transmits information from either side of the brain
- bridge between the hemispheres
what does the parahippocampal gyrus contain
entorhinal cortex
entorhinal cortex function
provides most of the input to the hypothalamus
hippocampal formation
hippocampus (dentate gyrus + CA1 to CA4 - where neuron cell bodies are located), the entorhinal cortex, and the rest of the parahippocampal gyrus
perforant path
the primary source of external input to the hippocampus from the entorhinal cortex
what role does the entorhinal cortex-hippocampus system play
declarative (autobiographical/episodic) memory and spatial memory formation, consolidation, and optimization during sleep
where do the hippocampal outputs reach
amygdala, mammillary bodies, thalamus, hypothalamus, and the cingulate and frontal cortex
two distinct divisions of hippocampus
dorsal/posterior hippocampus, ventral/anterior hippocampus
dorsal/hippocampus main functions
- spatial learning and memory
- context encoding
- place memory
ventral/anterior hippocampus main functions
- emotional behaviors
- stress response system
- HPA axis negative feedback
hippocampal place cells
specialized neurons in the dorsal hippocampus, mainly CA1 and CA3 that play a crucial role in spatial memory and navigation
which cells are associated with encoding the “cognitive map” of an environment
place cells