Limbic System Flashcards
The limbic system is composed of brain structures responsible for ____________________________.
lower‐level cognitive functions
What are examples of the limbic system functions?
1) Emotional control
2) Memory
3) Reward
4) Olfactory recognition
Why is the limbic system important?
Important for individualized interpretation of internal and external stimuli.
The limbic system regions are ____________________ and develop FASTER/SLOWER in life.
evolutionarily older
FASTER
What is the limbic system composed of?
1) Cingulate gyrus
2) Hippocampus
3) Amygdala
4) Mammillary bodies
5) Fornix
6) Hypothalamus
7) Specific thalamic nuclei
8) Nucleus accumbens
9) Insula
10) Olfactory system
The core components of the limbic system are found in the _________________.
Mammillothalamic tract
Mammillary bodies
Nucleus accumbens
Amygdala
Hippocampus
Fornix
Anterior and mediodorsal
thalamic nuclei
diencephalon
The core components of the limbic system are in close proximity and interconnected in pathways that resemble a ____________.
ring
What is the hippocampal formation composed of?
1.) Hippocampus
2.) Dentate gyrus
3.) Subiculum
4.) Fornix (fibers)
The hippocampal formation involves ___________-term memory, __________________, ___________, and _____________.
short
spatial navigation
attention
learning
The hippocampal formation has direct connections to the ____________ and _____________________.
amygdala and mammillary bodies
The hippocampal formation is divided into 5 layers; what are they called?
CA1
CA2
CA3
CA4
Dentate gyrus (DG)
The hippocampus receives most of its afferent fibers from the ________________.
entorhinal cortex
The entorhinal cortex connects it to the ___________, the ______________, and the ____________________.
neocortex, the cingulate gyrus, and the olfactory bulb.
The ___________________ is known as the limbic cortex, given its function in logical processing of emotion and its extensive connections to the neocortex.
cingulate gyrus
Efferent fibers leave in a structure known as ___________ to project mainly to the _________________ to retrieve recollective memories .
fornix
mammillary bodies
Efferent fibers leave in the fornix to the mammilary bdies and to the ____________ (which includes the nucleus accumbens) to _____________________.
septal area
regulate reward
What is the interface between motivation and action?
The nucleus accumbens (NAc)
What is the integrative center for emotions, emotional behavior, and motivation
the amygdala
What is important for responses like fear, anxiety, and aggression?
the amygdala
What is crucial in processing of emotional-driven memory and decision-making?
the amygdala
The amygdala is the “___________________” area of the brain.
fight-or-flight
The amygdala receives inputs from all senses and has many ___________ inputs.
visceral
The amygdala is divided into how many nuclei?
5
What are the amygdala’s nuclei called?
- central
- basolateral
- lateral
- basal
- medial
The amygdala receives _____________________ from all sensory modalities and projects efferents to centers that regulate _______________________ and ________________.
sensory input
physiological responses and memory.
MEMORIZE DIAGRAM
What are the 4 inputs of the amygdala?
- Thalamus
- Sensory Cortex (sensory info)
- Olfactory bulb (olfactory stimuli)
- Hippocampus (memory regarding stimuli)
What are the 3 outputs of the amygdala?
- Hypothalamus
- Brainstem (autonomic, physiological and hormonal responses)
- Hippocampus (memory consolidation)
The amygdala mediates fear, anxiety, and aggression by ______ main pathways.
two
What are the two amygdala pathways called?
high road processing
low road processing
The high road involves ___________________ processing.
logical
The _______ road recruits memories.
high
TRUE or FALSE
The low road is immediate!
TRUE
During amygdala hijack, anxiety, and panic attacks there is INCREASED/DECREASED thalamic activity and INCREASED/DECREASED frontal lobe activity.
INCREASED thalamic
DECREASED frontal lobe activity
What are some examples of excessive amygdalar and hypothalamic responses?
hyperventilation, sweating, chest pain, headache, dizziness
Increased thalamic activity involves ___________ overload and unusual/heightened ________________.
sensory
perceptions
Decreased frontal lobe activity involves ________________, ___________, and __________________.
confusion, disorientation, and impulsivity.
The __________________________ and __________________________ are regions in rostral to the hypothalamus and the striatum.
nucleus accumbens (NAc) and the olfactory tubercle
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) and the olfactory tubercle are known as the ________________ ____________.
ventral striatum
The ventral striatum is an anatomical component of the ____________________, but a functional component of the ___________________, serving as a key ______________________.
basal ganglia
limbic system
limbic-motor interface
The ______________________ regulates the cognitive processing of motivation, aversion, reward, pleasure, positive reinforcement, and reinforcement learning.
nucleus accumbens
The ____________________ mediates reward cognition, attentional behaviors, and social and sensory responsiveness.
olfactory tubercle
The nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle are known as the ______________ pathway.
mesolimbic
The nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle receive ___________________ input from the _________ in the midbrain.
dopaminergic
VTA
The mesocorticolimbic pathway regulates the multiple cognitive and emotional processes required for:
- Incentive salience (cravings for reward)
- Associative learning
- Reinforcement of stimuli associated with positive emotions such as joy and pleasure
The mesocorticolimbic pathway is also known as the:
reward pathway
What are the components of the reward pathway? (5)
Ventral tegmental area (VTA)
Nucleus accumbens (NAc)
Hippocampus
Amygdala
Prefrontal cortex
Why would the reward pathway go to the hippocampus?
It is important for spatial/contextual/relational/novelty processing.
What would the reward pathway go to the basolateral amygdala?
It is important for aversive/appetitive conditioning, affective processing, and reward value.
Where does the NAc output to?
-Ventral pallidum
-hypothalamus
-midbrain
-motor effector sites
The VTA sends signals to what three things?
1) Basolateral amygdala
2) prefrontal cortex
3) NAc
Why is the prefrontal cortex important in the reward pathway?
It deals with selective attention, conflict resolution, flexibility, and working memory
What structure send signals to the NAc?
Hippocampus (vSub)
Basolateral amygdala
VTA
Prefrontal cortex
TRUE OR FALSE:
Addictive substances activate the reward pathway very effectively
TRUE
What refers to the engagement in a compulsive behavior given its rewarding or pleasurable effect?
Addiction
In the addicted brain, the circuit between the _________ and the _________ becomes dysfunctional, leading to STRONGER/WEAKER activation of the ________.
Prefrontal cortex
NAc
STRONGER
NAc
The basal ganglia are also involved in limbic functions related to ___________________, ___________________, and ______________________ behaviors.
movement, cognitive and emotional behaviors
In regards to Parkinson’s, which structure deals with these characteristics:
*ICD
*apathy
*depression
*impaired cognition
*motor symptoms
cingulate gyrus
In regards to Parkinson’s, which structure deals with these characteristics:
*ICD
*impaired reward learning
*apathy
*depression
*anxiety
*autonomic dysfunction
ventral striatum
In regards to Parkinson’s, which structure deals with these characteristics:
*sleep disorders
*autonomic dysfunctions
hypothalamus
In regards to Parkinson’s, which structure deals with these characteristics:
*impaired affective processing
*impaired cognition
*sleep disorders
*autonomic dysfunctions
*motor symptoms
Amygdala
In regards to Parkinson’s, which structure deals with these characteristics:
*dementia
*impaired cognition
*impaired action control
Hippocampus
What are the two “pathways” in the hippocampal circuitry?
1.) Septal area & mammillary bodies (goes thru the FORNIX) ->hippocampus (entorhinal cortex) -> cingulate gyrus
2.) medial hypothalamus -> amygdala -> entorhinal cortex -> cingulate cortex
