The Limbic System Flashcards
Brief role
how do I feel about it
How do we know the function of the limbic system?
due to temporal lobe epilepsy (strong distorted emotional states).
what is the limbic system made up of?
hypothalamus
amygdala
hippocampus
cingulate gyrus
corpus callosum
thalamus
role of cingulate gyrus
learning and memory
role of corpus callosum
white matter tract connecting the hemispheres
role of amygdala
Stimulation = fear and aggression
Vigilance
Recognising fear in others
Learning about fear (cues)
what clinical conditions are associated with the amygdala?
anxiety disorders - hyperactive, hypervigilant (PTSD)
Kluwer-Bucy Syndrome
what is Kluwer-Bucy syndrome?
Bilateral lesions (Kluwer-Bucy syndrome – very rare condition resulting in reduced fear/docility, visual agnosia, pica, hyperorality, hypersexuality)
what brain area is the following associated with?
- Stimulation = fear and aggression
- Vigilance
- Recognising fear in others
- Learning about fear (cues)
amygdala
what is the white matter tract connecting the hemispheres called?
corpus callosum
what part of the limbic system is associated with learning and memory?
cingulate gyrus
role of hippocampus
- Declarative/explicit memory (patient HM)
- Tells you where you are in space
o Spatial memory/learning
o Dorsal/posterior hippocampus
o Taxi drivers
o ‘place cells’ – groups of neurons firing when you’re in a certain place
what are place cells?
groups of neruons firing when you’re in a certain place
what part of the limbic system does this describe the function of?
Declarative/explicit memory (patient HM)
- Tells you where you are in space
o Spatial memory/learning
o Dorsal/posterior hippocampus
o Taxi drivers
o ‘place cells’ – groups of neurons firing when you’re in a certain place
hippocampus
clinical representations of the hippocampus
o One of the first sites lost in AD
o Focus for epilepsy
o Active site of neurogenesis (generation of new neurons)
o Anatomically merges with the tail of the caudate nucleus
