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Neuroanatomy > Limbic System > Flashcards

Limbic System Flashcards

1
Q

What is the limbic system?

A

A diverse network of cortical and subcortical structures.

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2
Q

What are the main functions of the limbic system?

A

Homeostasis, olfaction, memory, and emotions and drive

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3
Q

What are the main components of the limbic system?

A 
Limbic cortex
Hippocampal formation 
Amygdala
Olfactory cortex
Diencephalon
Basal forebrain
Septal nuclei
Basal ganglia
Brainstem
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4
Q

What structures are apart of the limbic cortex?

A
  1. Parahippocampal gyrus
  2. Cingulate gyrus
  3. Medial orbitofrontal cortex
  4. Temporal pole
  5. Anterior insular cortex
  6. Uncus
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5
Q

What structures are included in the diencephalon?

A

Hypothalamus
Thalamus (MD and anterior nu.)
Habenula

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6
Q

What is the hypothalamus in charge of?

A

Homeostasis

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7
Q

What does the diencephalon form?

A

Forms walls and floor of 3rd ventricle.

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8
Q

What are the components of the hypothalamus?

A
  • Made up of many important nuclei
  • Tuber cinereum
  • Mamillary bodies
  • Infundibulum
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9
Q

Describe what borders the tuber cinereum, mamillary bodies, and infundibulum make up for the hypothalamus.

A

Tuber cinereum = ventral surface

Mamillary bodies = form posterior surface

Infundibulum = gives rise to pituitary stalk

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10
Q

What are the functions of the hypothalamus?

A

Homeostasis = endocrine control (pituitary gland), autonomic control, and limbic mechanisms

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11
Q

What separates the thalamus and hypothalamus?

A

Hypothalamic sulcus

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12
Q

What are the major inputs to the hypothalamus for homeostasis?

A

Solitary nucleus
Reticular formation and spinal cord
Retinal pathways

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13
Q

What type of information does the solitary nuclei input to hypothalamus?

A

Visceral info from vagus nerve on BP/HR and gut distention

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14
Q

What does the reticular formation and spinal cord input to the hypothalamus?

A

Thermoregulation:

  • Anterior = detects increases in body temp; activates mechanisms of heat dissipation
  • Posterior = heat conservation
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15
Q

What does the retinal pathways input to the hypothalamus?

A

Send input on day/night input –> Circadian rhythm

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16
Q

What nucleus sends input about photosensitivity?

A

The suprachiasmatic nucleus send input from the retinal ganglion cells.

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17
Q

For the daytime, what nuclei contributes to arousal? What does it contain?

A

Posterior hypothalamic nuclei.

Contains glutamatergic, histaminergic and orexin neurons.

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18
Q

For the nighttime, what does the suprachiasmatic nucleus project to? What does it function to do?

A

Project to other hypothalamic nuclei and pineal gland.

Modulates body temperature and production of hormones such as cortisol and melatonin for sleep.

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19
Q

For the nighttime, where does the anterior hypothalamus send information to?

A

Sends inhibitory projections to reticular activating system of reticular formation.

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20
Q

What input does the limbic system send to hypothalamus?

A
  1. Eating and thirst
    - Lateral limbic = stimulates
    - medial limbic = inhibits
  2. Reproduction (sexual desire and motivation, nurturing behaviors)
  3. Emotional influences on autonomic pathways (bi-directional)
  4. Homeostatic control on immune regulation (bi-directional)
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21
Q

What input do the circumventricular organs send to the hypothalamus?

A
  1. Changes in osmolarity

2. Toxins

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22
Q

What are the major outputs of the hypothalamus?

A
  1. Autonomic system
  2. Endocrine system
  3. Limbic system
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23
Q

Where does the autonomic system project to with information from hypothalamus?

A

Projects on to parasympathetic and sympathetic systems to control HR, vasoconstriction, digestion, sweating

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24
Q

What endocrine system structure does the hypothalamus sent output information to?

A

Pituitary gland

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25
Q

What limbic system structures does the hypothalamus send output information to?

A

Hippocampus and amygdala, which are reciprocal connections that further impact both autonomic and endocrine function.

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26
Q

What does the pituitary gland do?

A

Secretes hormones!

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27
Q

Describe the anterior pituitary gland.

A

Contains glandular cells that synthesize and then release a variety of hormones into circulation.

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28
Q

Describe the posterior pituitary gland.

A

Contains axons and terminals of neurons whose cell bodies are in hypothalamus. Releases hormones into circulation.

29
Q

What hormones does the anterior pituitary gland secrete?

A
  1. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
  2. Growth hormone
  3. Prolactin
  4. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
  5. Luteinizing hormone (LH)
  6. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
30
Q

What controls the release of hormones from anterior pituitary?

A

The hypothalamus

31
Q

What hormones does the posterior pituitary gland secrete?

A
  1. Oxytocin

2. Vasopressin

32
Q

Where are the posterior pituitary glands synthesized first?

A

The hypothalamus

33
Q

What structures are contained in the primary olfactory cortex?

A
  1. Piriform cortex

2. Periamygdaloid cortex

34
Q

What is super special about the primary olfactory cortex?

A

Is the only sensory cortex that receives input without a need for relay through the thalamus!

35
Q

Where is the primary olfactory cortex found?

A

Found in the medial and rostral tips of the temporal lobes

36
Q

What are the 3 secondary olfactory structures?

A
  1. Entorhinal Cortex
  2. Orbitofrontal olfactory area
  3. Amygdala
37
Q

What 2 structures are included with the entorhinal cortex? What information does it connect?

A

The perirhinal and parahippocampal cortex

Connects smell to memory.

38
Q

What does the orbitofrontal olfactory area do?

A

Smell discimination

39
Q

What does the amygdala do in olfaction?

A

Connects smell to emotion and motivation

40
Q

Where is long-term memory stored and consolidated?

A

Medial temporal and diencephalic structures.

41
Q

What is declarative (explicit) memory?

A

Memory of facts or events

42
Q

What 3 structures make up the medial temporal lobe memory areas?

A
  1. Hippocampal formation
  2. Parahippocampal gyrus
  3. Perirhinal cortex
43
Q

What structures are included in the medial diencephalic memory areas?

A
  1. Mediodorsal and anterior nuclei of thalamus

2. Mammillary bodies of hypothalamus

44
Q

What is the hippocampal formation made up of? What type of information is found here?

A

Made up of dentate gyrus, hippocampus, and subiculum.

A major center for components of long-term memory

45
Q

What is the parahippocampal gyrus made up of? What is its function?

A

Entorhinal cortex (rostral) and parahippocampal cortex (caudal)

Functions to encode and retrieve memory.

46
Q

What is the function of the perirhinal cortex?

A

Recognition and identification of environmental stimuli.

Facilitates the recognition and identification of environmental stimuli.

47
Q

Where does the medial temporal lobe’s memory structures receive most of their input from?

A

From heteromodal association cortex via the entorhinal cortex.
-Input about higher order information for memory storage.

Also: contralateral hippocampus via hippocampal commissure.

48
Q

What sends cholinergic (ACh) projections to the medial temporal lobes memory structures? What kind of effect do these projections have?

A

Basal forebrain and septal nuclei

Neuromodulatory effect = neuron excitability and synaptic plasticity.

49
Q

What are the main output sources of the medial temporal lobes memory structures?

A

Goes back to heteromodal association cortex via entorhinal cortex and goes to medial diencephalic structures.

50
Q

What do the medial diencephalic structures directly connect to?

A
  1. Direct connections to mediodorsal nucleus via inferior-thalamic peduncle.
    - helps in working memory by holding concepts briefly in awareness while a mental operation is performed.
    - Connect executive function to memory
  2. Variety of additional diencephalic structures via fornix
51
Q

What does the fornix connect?

A

Hippocampus with a variety of subcortical regions.

52
Q

What are the 3 main targets of the fornix?

A
  1. Mamillary bodies of hypothalamus
  2. Anterior nucleus of thalamus
  3. Septal nuclei (bi-directional) = modulatory effect
53
Q

Describe the temporal poles and what they have to do with memory.

A
  • Strong connections with hippocampus, amygdala, and orbital prefrontal cortex.
  • Thought to be part of heteromodal association cortex (social and emotional processing)
54
Q

What type of memory does the left temporal pole hold?

A

Semantic memory

- meanings, names, general impersonal facts

55
Q

What type of memory does the right temporal pole hold?

A

Personal and episodic memories

- Closely associated with emotions and socially relevant memories.

56
Q

What is the function of the amygdala?

A

Emotion and drive.

  • Attaching emotional significance to various stimuli perceived by association cortex
  • Fear, anxiety, and aggression

Also active in all limbic functions!

57
Q

Where does the limbic system receive all its input from?

A

From ALL senses and visceral input

58
Q

What are the connections of the amygdala?

A
  1. Regulates emotions and drives through complex, typically bi-directional connections with widespread cortical and subcortical areas.
  2. Receives and transmits info from diverse cortical areas (heteromodal association cortex)
  3. Olfactory system and hypothalamus
  4. Hypothalamus and brainstem
  5. Mediodorsal nucleus of thalamus
  6. Limbic cortex and hypothalamus
  7. Uncus
  8. Hippocampal formation
  9. Septal nuclei, basal forebrain
  10. Medial orbitofrontal cortex
59
Q

What type of connections are seen with the olfactory system and hypothalamus?

A
  • Appetitive states

- Emotional and motivational aspects of smell

60
Q

What type of connections are seen with the hypothalamus and brainstem?

A
  • Autonomic control
  • Connects to hypothalamus bidirectionally
  • Connections to the brainstem are mainly efferent from amygdala
61
Q

What type of connections are seen with the mediodorsal nucleus of thalamus?

A
  • Fear reflex

- Emotional learning –> projections to hippocampus

62
Q

What type of connections are seen with the limbic cortex and hypothalamus?

A
  • Neuroendocrinological modulation = changes in different emotional states.
63
Q

What connections are seen with the uncus?

A

Involved in olfaction, emotions, and forming new memories. (puts them all together to really amplify the experience)

64
Q

What type of connections are seen with the hippocampal formation?

A
  • Emotional aspects of memory

- Important with forming memories that are associated with fear-inducing events

65
Q

What type of connections are seen with septal nuclei, basal forebrain?

A

Processing of rewarding/pleasurable experiences

66
Q

What type of connections are seen in the medial orbitofrontal cortex?

A
  • Decision - making and emotion.

- Modulation of bodily changes associated with emotion

67
Q

Describe the anterior cingulate cortex.

A

Dense interconnections with amygdala and hypothalamus.

68
Q

What are the functions of the anterior cingulate cortex?

A
  • Thought to be involved with number of functions related to emotion.
  • Regulates autonomic and endocrine responses, pain perception, and selection and initiation of motor movements.
69
Q

What is the function of the posterior cingulate cortex?

A

Recall of autobiographical memories

*but thought to be more involved when memories have emotional quality to them.

Neuroanatomy (18 decks)

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