Limbic System Flashcards by tcarlso 3

What is emotion?

Subjective feelings and associated physiological states

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What are subjective feelings?

explicit conscious awareness, such as fear, anxiety,

happiness

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Are physiologic states of emotion implicit or explicit?

Implicit (unconscious)

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What are the two components of the physiologic part of emotion?

Skeletal muscle activity

Visceral activity

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What are the two characteristics of the limbic system that make it ideal for regulating emotions?

Connects cortex and lower parts of the brain

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What are the affective responses of the limbic system?

Fear
Rage
Pleasure
Motivation

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True or false: the limbic system plays no role in memory

False–critical for certain types of memory

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What is the role of the limbic system in homeostasis? (4)

Reproductive drive
Eating/drinking
Endocrine
Autonomic regulation

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What are the main components of the limbic system?

Cingulate gyrus
Hippocampus
Hypothalamus
Amygdala
Olfactory system
Septal nuclei
Insula
Thalamus

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What are the two nuclei of the thalamus that are a part of the limbic system?

Anterior nucleus

Mediodorsal nucleus

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What are the three parts of the limbic cortex?

Anterior cingulate gyrus
Orbitofrontal, medial prefrontal cortex
Insula

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What is the primary output of the limbic system?

Hypothalamus

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What is the higher part of the brain that the amygdala is connected to?

Limbic cortex

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What is the role of the hypothalamus in the limbic system?

governs and monitors internal homeostasis and

basic needs such as hunger and thirst.

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Higher order limbic nuclei (e.g. amygdala, hippocampus), do what?

achieve

some awareness of external reality and begin to form memories.

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What is the role of the limbic cortex?

more efficiently, effectively, and safely satisfy
limbic needs and impulses; associated with the conscious, rational
mind.

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True or false: Under certain circumstances, emotions can hijack the logical mind,
and the limbic system can overturn the neocortex

True

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What part of the brain utilizes dopamine?

Mesolimbic system

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What are the parts of the mesolimbic system?

NAcc, mPFC, septal nuclei

Nigrostriatal projections

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What neurotransmitter does the Locus ceruleus use?

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What neurotransmitter does the raphe nuclei use?

5HT

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What neurotransmitter do the nucleus basalis and septal nuclei use?

Ach

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True or false: the hypothalamus is fully functional at birth

True

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How is the hypothalamus involved in the emotional response?

Through the ANS

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What are the two way the hypothalamus send information?

Neuronal circuitry | Endocrine

The hypothalamus can mediate body responses between internal and external information. What is the part of the brain that is necessary for conscious appreciation of stimuli, and emotional response?

Limbic system

What is the role of the amygdala?

Integrative center for emotions, emotional behavior, and | motivation

What are the three groups of nuclei in the amygdala?

1. Corticomedial nucleus 2. Basolateral nucleus 3. Central nucleus

What are the major inputs into the amygdala? (4)

Sensory cortex Sensory thalamus Associative cortex Prefrontal cortex

What are the two outputs of the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala?

Thalamus | Basal ganglia

What are the major input/outputs of the central nucleus of the amygdala (they're all reciprocal)?

Brainstem PAG Autonomic centers

What is the major input into the corticomedial nucleus of the amygdala?

Olfactory

What is the output of the olfactory nucleus of the amygdala?

To the hypothalamus, then to pituitary

What are the three major outputs of the amygdala?

Hypothalamus Thalamus Basal ganglia

Why is the basolateral part of the amygdala enlarged in humans?

Major input area that projects to the central nucleus of the amygdala

What part of the brain is involved in recognition of facial expression?

Amygdala

What is the role in homeostasis that the amygdala plays? (2)

Conditioning of autonomic responses Neuroendocrine control

What is the effect of an amydalectomy?

Flat affect, loss of fear

What is the role of the amygdala in memory and learning?

- Conditioned fears - Response to aversive stimuli - Modulate working memory

What part of the brain works with the amygdala to play a role in motivation and emotion?

Nucleus accumbens

What is the underlying neural circuit in learning of the amygdala?

Synaptic connections of sensory inputs to | amygdala neurons are strengthened

How does the activity of the amygdala change when presented with faces?

Increases

Stimulation of the amygdala produces what?

A sense of familiarity

What is the role of the amygdala in homeostasis?

Neuroendocrine control

The somatosensory cortex projects to what nucleus in the amygdala in the neural circuit of fear conditioning? Where does this send projections to?

Basolateral -- to the PVN, LH and CG of the hypothalamus

What is the role of the PVN (paraventricular nucleus) of the hypothalamus in the neural circuit of fear conditioning pathway?

Release hormones

What is the role of the lateral hypothalamus in the neural circuit of fear conditioning pathway?

Autonomic stuffs

What is the role of the auditory cortex in the neural circuit of fear conditioning?

Projects to the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala.

What are the three types of conditional fear in humans?

Fear conditioning Instructed fear Observational fear

What is instructed fear?

Telling someone you will hurt them

What is observational fear?

CS after the subject observed someone else undergoing fear conditioning

What does the hippocampus do in learning and memory?

Provides context

What is the role of the medial prefrontal cortex in fear?

Regulates how much fear the amygdala expresses

Why do teenagers suck?

No cortex to regulate amygdala

What part of the brain deals with the raw and reflexive emotional response to stimuli?

Hypothalamus

What part of the brain deals with the external emotional feature of reality/assign emotional significance to what is experienced?

Amygdala

What part of the brain is involved in understanding emotions of others?

Mirror neurons of the limbic cortex

What are mirror neurons?

Neurons that activate the same neural pathways just by seeing someone else do it

What part of the brain mediate empathy?

Only that part of the pain network associated | with its affective qualities, but not its sensory qualities, mediates empathy.

A lesion where will produce the following symptoms: * Apathetic * Impulsive * Poor judgment * Depressive behaviors * Mania

Prefrontal cortex

What are the three areas of the brain that are involved in the brain reward system?

Nucleus accumbens Frontal cortex Ventral tegmental area

What is the major neurotransmitter involved in the reward pathway

Dopamine

What composes the nucleus accumbens?

Caudate nucleus + putamen (= striatum)

What is the underlying circuitry of the brain reward system?

Limbic loop

What is the reward signal?

Dopamine from ventral tegmental area (VTA) to nucleus accumbens

What are the inputs into the nucleus accumbens in the reward pathway? (4)

Prefrontal cortex Amygdala VTA Hippocampus

Where does the nucleus accumbens output to in the reward pathway?

Ventral Pallidus to thalamus

What is the gist of the reward pathway?

``` Cortex Striatum Pallidum Thalamus AND BACK TO CORTEX! ```

What other loop is similar to the reward loop?

motor loop and goal directed behavior

What part of the thalamus is involved in the limbic loop?

Mediodorsal

What is the function of the VTA in the reward system?

provides dopamine

What is the role of the limbic system in the reward system?

emotional processing in the limbic system can signal the presence of rewards and can promote the activation of motor programs to acquire the beneficial rewards

What is the MOA of addicting drugs such as cocaine, heroin, opiates, marijuana etc?

act on elements of the limbic circuitry by | altering the neuromodulatory influence of dopamine

What is the effect of addictive substances on the reward pathway?

Addiction dampens the response of reward circuitry to natural rewards, and intensifies the response to addictive drugs, resulting in “hypofrontality” – reduced cortical control of emotional behaviors.

What is the effect of addiction on the frontal lobe?

Reduced goal setting Lack of motivation Diminished planning Impulse inhibition

What is the effect of addiction on the limbic lobe?

``` Anxiety Urgency Negative affect Craving Impulsivity ```