The Limbic System, Learning & Memory Flashcards
Telencephalic components of the limbic system.
cingulate gyrus, subcallosal gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus
Diencephalic components of the limbic system.
thalamic and hypothalamic nuclei
Cingulate gyrus
sexual behavior, pain/pleasure, addictive behavior
Subcallosal gyrus
emotional memory, reward/punishment (basal forebrain)
Parahippocampal gyrus
entorhinal cortex (smell memory), hippocampal formation (spatial navigation, ST-LT memory), amygdala (fear, emotional behaviors, hijacking, emotional learning)
Thalamic nuclei
sensori-motor integration (most important is anterior nucleus)
Hypothalamic nuclei
motor control of emotion
“The Triune Brain”
Breaks brain into 3 parts based on development:
Reptilian brain - brainstem and cerebellum
Paleomammillian brain - the limbic system
Neocortex - the primate/human brain
Major function of limbic system.
- govern emotion of individual
- All functions geared toward the preservation of self and the species
Mammillothalamic tract
mammillary bodies to anterior thalamic nucleus
Main pathway of the limbic circuit.
cingulate gyrus–>hippocampus–>mammillary bodies–>anterior thalamic nucleus–>cingulate gyrus
Damage to the frontal lobe could result in what?
person could act in an inappropriate way because the prefrontal cortex might not overrule the limbic system reactions
Pathways from hypothalamus to prefrontal cortex.
Emotion is generated in the amygdala and then is sent to the prefrontal cortex in order to help you decide how to react to an emotional stimulus (i.e. laugh, cry, don’t react)
Amygdala and hippocampal transmitters and receptors.
GABA, 5-HT, Dopamine, Glutamate, Steroid hormones
Klüver–Bucy syndrome
hyperphagia, hypersexuality, hyperorality, and docility (bilateral lesions of the amygdala)
Clinical hallmark is loss of ability to make new memories, consolidation of short term into long term is lost.
Alzheimer’s disease
Amygdaloid Nuclear Complex
- Made up of 5 sub-nuclei that all have their own neurotransmitters
- very sensitive to steroid hormones
Ischemic injury to hippocampus (as a result of CVA for example) will result in what?
memory loss
Hippocampal Formation
- Entorhinal complex (EC) to subiculum to CA1 to CA3 to cingulate gyrus
- EC gets input from all cortical areas into internal capsule stria
Hippocampus 3 major structures:
subiculum, ammon’s horn, dentate nucleus
T/F Information travels to and from the cortex to the hippocampus.
true
Pavlov’s Experiments
classical conditioning
Lashley’s Experiments
Equipotentiality - No matter where the lesion was, there was a decrement to the memory of the task= memory is stored everywhere