Limbic System and cognition Flashcards
Where is the hippocampus found?
Temporal lobe
What does the limbic system do?
Mood, emotion, feeling, motivation
50% of Pxs will be there for mood disorders
Where do fibers from the hippocampus go?
Around the thalamus and to the mammillary body and also to the septal nuclei
What is the name of the fiber bundle from the hippocampus to the mammillary body and septal nucleus?
The fornix
Where is The locus cerullius and what does it make?
In the pons
Makes norepinephrine
Where is RAPHE nuclei and what is made there?
Serotonin is made there
Found in the midbrain and pons
What do arousal and sleep-wake cycle?
Norepinephrine and serotonin
What is the meso limbic system?
Reward system
In the midbrain
Dopamine
What is the nucleus of the midbrain that produces the most dopamine in the body?
The ventral tegmental area (VTA)
Where does the VTA project?
Nucleus accumbens
Medial prefrontal cortex
Amygdala
Septal nuclei
What do cocaine and amphetamine do to dopamine?
Prevent dopamine reuptake
What does a lesion in the VTA or the nucleus accumbens do?
Decrease in drug seeking behavior
Same if you give dopamine receptor blockers
What does the nucleus basalis and septal nucleus make?
ACh
What nuclei make ACh in the meso limbic system?
Nucleus basalis
Septal nucleus
First to go in Alzheimer’s
What is the role of the amygdala?
Learning, fear conditioning
What do lesions of the amygdala do?
Prevent fear conditioning
Still feel free but cannot pair neutral and bad stimulus
What does injury to the prefrontal cortex do?
Prefrontal lobe syndrome
- bad goal directed behavior
- emotionless
- responsive to criticism
- poor social judgement
What does the dorsal PFC do?
Executive function
Working memory
What does the orbital frontal cortex do?
Projects to the amygdala
What does the PFC do to the amygdala?
Via the OFC is inhibits the amygdala (normally activates the hypothalamus)
What happens with a lesion in the hippocampus?
Bilateral medial temporal lobectomy
Anterograde amnesia –> no new memories
Temp retrograde memories –> lost old
Old memories were explicit: semantic (facts) and episodic (experiences) where he was
Still had motor skills
What is Urbach-Wiethe disease?
Bilateral loss of amygdala
Impaired recognition of emotion NAND facial expressions
Inability to judge like emotions (fear vs. anger)
Emotional memory loss
What is the triad of symptoms in PTSD?
Re-experiencing the situation
Avoidance of similar situation
Hyperarousal, increase anxiety
What is the etiology of PTSD?
Increase amygdala
Decrease medial PFC
What are symptoms of schizophrenia?
Fragmentation of mood, thought and movement
Positive: delusions, hallucinations
Negative: social withdrawal
Tx only affects positive symptoms
1% of population
What is the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia?
Too much dopamine receptors
Haloperidol is anti dopamine, side effect is Parkinson’s motor dysfunction
Clozapine
- Block DA receptor for a small amount of time
- Block serotonin receptors
- Block glutamate reuptake
What is the basis of the glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia?
PCP - blocks NMDA receptors
Tx: up glutamate
What are symptoms of depression?
Lethargy
Anhedonia - no pleasure in normal activities
Loss of sleep and weight
15%. (20% female, 13% male)
What is the mono amine hypothesis of depression?
Depression is due to a decrease in NE and or Serotonin receptor activity
Tx: raise those concentration in synaptic cleft
How do we block MAO and what does it do?
Block metabolism of NE or 5HT
What do tricyclics like imipramine do?
Block reuptake of NE and 5HT
What do SSRIs like Prozac (fluoxetine) do?
Block reuptake of 5HT
What is Korsakoff’s syndrome symptom wise?
3
No new memories
Disorientation of space and time
Made up stories
What causes Korsakoff’s syndrome?
Alcoholism leading to B1-thiamine def
What part of the limbic system is damaged in Korsakoff’s?
Mammillary bodies or mamallothalamic tract
What is Kluver-Bucy syndrome?
From temporal lobe damage by stroke or encephalitis
Amygdala, hippocampus, and temporal lobe bilateral
Little emotion (loss of amygdala)
Hyper sexuallality (always change it here) (damage pathways to hypothalamus)
Visual agnosia - inability to discriminate visual stimuli (think pen is food?) damage visual pathways