LIMBIC LOBE AND NEUROLOGY OF EMOTION LECTURE NOTES

LIMBIC LOBE
Lateral
▪ PAPEZ CIRCUIT Hypothalamus Passive Fear
– Ties together the cerebral cortex and (Autonomic Reaction
central
hypothalamus response) (Aroused,Stres
nucleus
– Anatomic substrate for the convergence of Paraventricular sed &
Hypothalamus(HP despondent)
cognitive activities,emotional experience and A response)
expression
PAPEZ CIRCUIT (PRE FRONTAL AND ASSN CORTEX) Fear
Arousing Lateral Periaqueductal
Immobility
stimuli nucleus gray

CINGULATE GYRUS Active

Ventral Coping
Basal
striatum (Getting
nucleus
(Motor circuit) on With
life)

PARAHIPPOCAMP
ANT THALAMIC FUNCTIONS:
AL & PYRIFORM
NUCLEI
AREA • Integrate input from sensory, cognitive and limbic pathways
• Modulates endocrine activity, sexuality and reproduction
through hypothalamic connections
• Destruction will result in passivity, defensive or aggressive
behavior
• Stimulation result in mood changes or arrest of activity and
activation of autonomic responses

MAMILLARY BODY HIPPOCAMPUS

(HYPOTHALAMUS) Fornix (AMYGDALA)

FUNCTIONS OF THE LIMBIC LOBE

• Visceral/autonomic responses
• Pupillary size
• Blood pressure
• Pulse
• GI peristalsis
• Bladder contraction
• Breathing
• Complex behavioral responses • Some of the areas that may be involved in MDD are: prefrontal
• General arrest of activity cortex (PFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), primary and
• Chewing secondary somatosensory cortex, mid-insular cortex, posterior
• Swallowing cerebellum, amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, and nucleus
• Licking of the lips accumbens.
• Grooming
• Psychomotor seizure THE AMYGDALA AS A PRIMARY MODULATOR: EMOTIONS AND STRESS
• Aura of fear or visceral sensation EFFECTS AMYGDALA RESPONSE TO PAIN (HYPOTHETICAL MODEL)
• Loss of consciousness
• Automatic acts such as chewing, picking
at clothes, followed by amnesia for the
event
• Reward behavior and pleasurable sensation
• “Pleasure area”
• Found in septal region in rats
• “Feeling good” area
• Posterior cingulate gyrus
• Mental changes from midline glioma of limbic
system and corpus callosum
• Mood changes
• Drive
• General behavior KEY POINTS
• With no overt motor, sensory or visual • Dependent on environmental conditions and affective
signs states, the amygdala appears to play a dual facilitatory and
BASAL FOREBRAIN: AMYGDALA inhibitory role in the modulation of pain, behavior, and
• Large nuclear mass located in the temporal pole nociceptive processing at different levels of the pain
• Extensive afferent/efferent connections neuraxis.

1
© AMG
LIMBIC LOBE AND NEUROLOGY OF EMOTION LECTURE NOTES
• Amygdala function • Rhinencephalon: anterior perforated substance &
➢ Integration of nociceptive information with substantia innominata
affective content. NUCLEI OF HYPOTHALAMUS
➢ Contributes to the emotional response to pain. • Anterior group
➢ Neuronal interface for the reciprocal relationship • Preoptic nuclei:
between pain and affective states and disorders. • heat loss
➢ Formation, storage, and modulation of memories • parasympathetic exictation
associated with emotional events.1 • Supraoptic nucleus:
• Amygdala direct and reciprocal relationships (hypothetical • Relases ADH and oxytocin
model) suggests:2 • Paraventricular Nuclei
➢ Negative affective states that correlate with • Releases ADH and oxytocin
increased amygdala activity (such as depression and • Middle Group
anxiety disorders) would activate pain-facilitating • Dorso and ventormedial nuclei
pathways and, therefore, enhance pain response. • Appetite control
➢ Negative affective states, such as fear and stress that • Fat metabolism
produce hypoalgesia, activate amygdala connections • Control of aggression
with descending inhibitory pathways and would, • Arcuate Nuclei
therefore, decrease pain response. • Sends releasing hormones to the
➢ In addition, positive emotions (such as pleasant adenohypophysis
odors or music) that decrease the unpleasant effects • Posterior Group
of pain tend to decrease the activity in the amygdala • Mammillary body
and, therefore, inhibit connections to the pain- • Involved in short-term memory and
facilitating pathway. Papez circuit
BASAL FOREBRAIN: HIPPOCAMPUS • Posterior hypothalamic area
– Primitive cortex along the medial aspect of the temporal lobe • Sympathetic excitation
– 3 regions: • Heat preservation
– Subiculum • Mediates sleep-wake cycle and
– Hippocampus proper consciousness
– Dentate gyrus EFFERENT CONNECTION
– Origin: Rhinencephalic cortex • Amygdala and adjacent basal frontal and temporal lobe
– Connection: Extensive cortex
– Function: • Hippocampal formation and piriform cortex
– Involved in learning and recent memory • Limbic nuclei and midline nuclei of the thalamus
– Bilateral lesions profoundly impair memory • Reticular formation and periaqueductal gray
– Has low seizure threshold • Retina
– Has a role in propagation of epileptic seizure AFFERENT CONNECTIONS:
HYPOTHALAMUS • Striatum
• Most ventral of the 4 longitudinal nuclear zones of the • Lemniscal Systems
diencephalon • Cerebellum
• Diencephalon • Thalamus
• Nuclei that border the 3rd ventricle • Neocortex
• Thalamic complex FUNCTIONS AND CLINICAL SYNDROMES
• Weighs 45 grams • Hypothalamic control of autonomic functions
• Essential to life • Anterior and posterior areas
• Controls viscera, endocrine, system, vegetative • Parasympathetic control
functions and homeostasis • Anterior and medial hypothalamus
• Mediates the experience and expression fo • Stimulation: pupilloconstriction, bradycardia,
emotion vasodilatation, reduced blood pressure and
• Control instinctive behaviors such as mating, increased motility of gut and bladder
feeding, aggression and fright/flight response • Destruction: anterior hypothalamus results in
ANATOMIC BOUNDARIES irreversible hyperthermia
• Ventral • Acts as heat loss center
• Optic chiasm and tract • Sympathetic Control
• Infundibular stalk • Stimulation of posterior and lateral hypothalamus
• Median and lateral eminences produces fright/flight response
• Mammilary bodies • Pupillodilation, increased heart rate and
• Dorsal blood pressure
• 3rd ventricle • Increased breathing and reduced gut
• Lateral motility
• Internal capsule • Destruction results in lethargy, sleepiness and
• Globus pallidus hypothermia
• Caudal • Acts as heat conservation center
• Periaqueductal gray • Control of Appetite
• Reticular formation • Lesions may cause hyperphagia or aphagia
• Rostral • Critical region is mid-hypothalamus
• Control of water balance
2
© AMG
LIMBIC LOBE AND NEUROLOGY OF EMOTION LECTURE NOTES
• Damage to infundibular stalk blocks release of 5 Anatomical types of cortical neurons
ADH • Pyramidal
• Polydipsia, polyuria • Axons form the association. Commisural and
• Control of circadian rhythm and cycle projection fibers
• Suprachiasmatic nuclei controls sleep-wake cycle • Betz cells
• Role in affective expression and sexuality • Largest neurons of the cortex
• Stimulation results in fear and rage • Found in layer 5
• Small tumors can cause gelastic epilepsy, • Origin of the pyramidal tract
precocious puberty • Meynert cells
• preoptic area controls release of gonadotropin • Send axons to brainstem to mediate visually
• Contains dimorphic nucleus that distinguishes directed reflex eye movement
males form females • Found in layer 5
• Role in mental processes and memory • Stellate or granular neurons
• Korsakoff’s syndrome • Seen in layer 4
• Severe alcoholics • Small, round, polygonal or triangular
• Hallucinations, delirium, disorientation, perikaryon
loss of recent memory and • Cortical interneurons
confabulation • Fusiform neuron
• Contains opiate receptors • Most common in layer 6
• Prime region for the action of addictive • Golgi type 1 neurons
and mood-altering drugs • Axons enter deep white matter
• Role in satiety and euphoria • Martinoti neurons
NEOCORTEX AND EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION • Polygonal interneuron
• Higher order emotional processing • Seen in all layers except 1
• Prefrontal and association cortices • Horizontal neuron of Cajal
• Right hemisphere • Interneuron
• Expression and comprehension of affective • Layer 1 only
aspects of speech CONNECTIONS AND SYNAPTIC RELATIONS
• Damage to supra-sylvian/posterior • Layer 1-4
frontal/anterior parietal lobe – Aprosody • Outer 4 cortical layers
• Monotonous voice • Receptive and interneurons
• Layer 5 and 6
THE RETICULAR FORMATION
• Efferent
• Consists of clusters of interconnected neurons throughout
AFFERENT FIBERS TO CORTICAL NEURONS
the brainstem
• Cortical neurons
• Projects to the following:
• 95% of synapses
• Spinal cord
• Thalamus
• hypothalamus
• 1%
• Cerebellum
• Specific
• Cerebral cortex
• Pyramidal neurons
FUNCTIONS
• Nonspecific
• Control of posture
• ARAS, diffuse
• Visceral motor function
• Locus Ceruleus
• Sleep and wakefulness
• Noradrenergic
• Lesions of rostral region- stupor
• Ventral tegmental nucleus
• Lesions of caudal region- constant wakefulness
• Dopaminergic
CEREBRAL CORTEX • Raphe nuclei
• Consists of thin layers of neurons and nerve fibers, forming • Serotonergic
a brownish gray sheet on the surface of the cerebral • Meynert
hemispheres • Cholinergic
• Phylogeny: FUNCTIONAL LOCALIZATION IN THE CEREBRUM
• Paleocortex • Classic motor area
• Nucleate-reticulate pattern • Precentral gyrus
• Rhinencephalon • Area4 and 6 of Broadmann
• Seen in primitive and subsequent • Stimulation activates contralateral muscles
animals • Supplementary Motor Area
• Archicortex • Medial hemispheric wall in area 6
• 3 distinct layers • Stimulation produces postural movement
• Seen in hippocamppal formation • Destruction has no clear motor syndrome
• Neocortex • Involved in motor planning
• 6 distinct layers • Frontal Eye Field
• Mesocortex- covers limbic lobe • Posterior part of the medial frontal gyrus or area 8
• Ectocortex – supralimbic cortex; • Stimulation causes contralateral conjugate
phylogenetically new deviation of the eyes
- accounts for increased brain size in higher • Destruction causes ipsilateral conjugate deviation
animals of both eyes
3
© AMG
LIMBIC LOBE AND NEUROLOGY OF EMOTION LECTURE NOTES
CLINICAL SYNDROMES • Destruction of Association Cortex leads to AGNOSIA
• Apraxia • Loss of meaning or symbolic significance of
• Inability to do a volitional motor act even if not primary sensation
paralyzed • Agnosias
• Loss of motor engrams or template for skilled • Somatosensory Agnosia
movement • Parietal lobe lesion
• Apraxia • Astereognosia
• Speech apraxia- • Inability to recognize the form
• Area 44/ Left inferior frontal of an object placed in the hand
gyrus • Astatognosia
• Unable to utter words • Inability to recognize position
• Writing apraxia of body parts
• Left angular gyrus • Visual Agnosia
• Loss of ability to form letters • Occipital lobe lesion
although the arm is not • Prosopagnosia
paralyzed • Inability to recognize faces
• Dressing apraxia • Association cortex of
• Posterior part of the right temporo-occipital region
parietal lobe • Dyslexia
• Cannot orient clothes to place • Inability to recognize written
them on the body words or meaning of words
• Gait apraxia • Association cortex of left
• Diffuse cerebral disease as in occipital lobe
Alzheimer’s disease • Auditory agnosia
• Inability to stand and walk • Spoken words
although not paralyzed • Area 22/ temporal lobe
• General and Special Somatic sensation • Aphasias
• Primary and secondary somatosensory area • Inability to understand or express words as
• Areas 3,1,2 symbols for communication
• Superior lip of Sylvian Fissure • Anatomical lesion: L parasylvian region
• Receive relays from nucleus ventralis • Types of Aphasia and localizing significance
posterior of the thalamus • Broca’s aphasia
• Primary Visual receptive Area • Anterior aphasia
• Area 17 • Non-fluent or expressive aphasia
• Superior and inferior banks of calcarine • Patient produces few words
sulcus • Wernicke’s Aphasia
• Strict retinotopic representation of the • Posterior aphasia
macula and contralateral visual field • Impaired language reception
• Primary Auditory receptive Area • Patient produces many words and
• Area 41 and 42 speech sounds but they are garbled and
• Postero-superior region of superior incomprehensible
temporal gyrus • Pure amnestic syndrome
• Strict tonotopic representation • Temporal disorientation
• Sensory Association Areas • Patient cannot remember the day, date,
• Help interpret symbolic significance or overall time or current events
meaning of sensory stimuli • Can remember previously learned
• Re-represents the sensory data to integrate, information and skills
analyze, or associate it with memories, current • Anatomical basis:
perception and future goals of the individual • Medial inferior quadrant of
• Destruction of primary sensory areas/pathway the temporal lobe including
leads to numbness, hypesthesia, anesthesia, hippocampus
blindness or deafness • Inferior thalamic peduncle
• Irritation leads to paresthesia, flashing of lights, • Nucleus medialis dorsalis
ringing or buzzing sounds • Fornix/ mamillary body
• Visual association Cortex
• Areas 18 and 19
• Gives meaning to visual stimuli (words or objects)
• Speeding car
• Somatosensory Association Area
• Area 7
• Postcentral sulcus
• Gives meaning or recognition to afferent impulses
from skin and proprioceptors
• Auditory Association Area
• Area 22
• Gives meaning to sounds, mostly spoken words
4
© AMG