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the limbic system
CBN
25
Medical
Graduate
12/09/2010

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Term
what is the limbic system?
Definition
an interrelated group of cortical/subcortical structures which are involved w/the regulation of the internal/emotional state and the accompanying physiological, behavioral, and psychological responses.
Term
what structures are associated with the limbic system?
Definition
the limbic cortex, the *amygdala, the *hippocampal formation, the *olfactory complex, the *septal area/basal forebrain, and the hypothalamus.
Term
what functions are associated with the hypothalamus?
Definition
autonomic function, emotion, endocrine function, homeostasis, motor function, regulation of food/water intake, and regulation of sleep/wake cycle
Term
what is the cingulate gyrus, a part of the limbic cortex interconnected with?
Definition
visual, auditory, and tactile-spatial input
Term
where is the parahippocampal gyrus in relation to the limbic cortex?
Definition
on the inferior side - which is where the uncus/amygdala is also located
Term
what involvement does the insula cortex bring to the limbic system?
Definition
taste
Term
what is the involvement of the olfactory nerve w/the limbic system?
Definition
the olfactory bulb projects directly into the amygdala (limbic system)
Term
what function does the amygdala perform?
Definition
control of emotion. it is the "storehouse for the memory of fear" which provides sensory information w/affective value, communicates w/brain functions controlling effective function (motor function, autonomic response, release of hormones, etc), and responds to emotionally charged events in memory (which projection from prefrontal cortex can inhibit according to context)
Term
what function does the hippocampus perform?
Definition
learning/declarative memory.
Term
what are the different zones in the hippocampus?
Definition
1) hippocampus proper (pyramidal cells). 2) dentate gyrus (granular cells). 3) subiculum.
Term
where is one of the first places which signaling goes from the hippocampus (the end of which is the subiculum)?
Definition
the entorhinal cortex, however the fornix/septal nuclei (pleasure center) is another common output from the hippocampus
Term
what are the key fiber tracts associated w/the limbic system?
Definition
fornix: conveys information from *hippocampus to septal nuclei and mammillary body (nuclei of hypothalamus) and stria terminalis which conveys information from amygdala to the septal area and hypothalamus.
Term
what is papez's circuit (the more hippocampal portion of the limbic system)?
Definition
cingulate gyrus -> hippocampus -> fornix -> mamillary bodies - > *mammillothalamic tract -> *anterior nucleus of dorsal thalamus (filter) -> cingulate gyrus...prefrontal cortex etc
Term
what is the amydala's cycle in the limbic system?
Definition
amygdala -> stria terminalis -> (the *ventral amygdalofugal pathway*) -> thalamus -> cerebral cortex -> amygdala...
Term
what are the 2 types of long term memory? which of these is the hippocampus involved in?
Definition
1) declarative/explicit (hippocampus-associated): episodic (remembering events) and semantic (knowing facts). 2) non-declarative/implicit/procedural: skills/habits (basal ganglia, cerebellum, neocortex), emotional associations (amygdala), and conditioned reflexes (cerebellum).
Term
what is consolidation?
Definition
the process of storing new information in long-term memory where novel factual information is relayed from relevant areas to the hippocampal complex for encoding and memory becomes independent of the hippocampus.
Term
what will result from lesions in the amygdala?
Definition
inability to recognize emotional facial expressions
Term
what will result from lesions in the prefrontal cortex?
Definition
interruption of inhibitory amygdala control and disinhibition of emotional responses = socially inappropriate behavior and impulsivity
Term
what will result from lesions in the hippocampus and medial temporal cortex?
Definition
inability to learn new information (short term memory) and loss of declarative memory (facts) = amnesia
Term
what will result from lesions in the lateral temporal lobe?
Definition
inability to recall remote events or previously learned facts (long term memory)
Term
what are classic diseases associated w/the limbic system?
Definition
alzheimer's disease: loss of recent memory. korsakoff: loss of recent memory and *confabulation. kluver-bucy: behavioral changes.
Term
what is alzheimer's disease?
Definition
loss of neurons in the hippocampus/parahippocampus and formation of amyloid plaques = progressive loss of memory, cognition, orientation, and behavior. (advanced = loss of neurons in the frontal cortex progressing to the parietal cortex and reduction in cholinergic innervation of the cerebral cortex)
Term
what is korsakoff's syndrome?
Definition
damage to the hippocampus, mammillary bodies, and thalamus (alcoholism/vit B1 deficiency) - memory deficiency, inability to form new memories, and intact intelligence thus confabulates.
Term
what is kluver-bucy syndrome?
Definition
destruction of the amygdala = absence of emotional responses (fear, rage, aggression cease to exist), compulsion to be overly attentive to all sensory stimuli, hypersexuality, and psychic blindness/visual agnosia (objects are not recognized visually).
Term
does neurogenesis occur in the brain?
Definition
yes, though not fully. new neurons arise from "neural precursors".
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