THE LIMBIC SYSTEM

LOCATIONLOCATION• THE LIMBIC

SYSTEM IS BETWEEN THE BRAINSTEM AND CEREBRAL CORTEX

THE LIMBIC SYSTEM IS A DOUGHNUT-SHAPED SYSTEM OF NEURAL STRUCTURES; ASSOCIATED WITH EMOTIONS SUCH AS FEAR AND AGGRESSION

IT INCLUDES THE HIPPOCAMPUS, AMYGDALA, AND HYPOTHALAMUS.

THE AMYGDALATHE AMYGDALATWO LIMA BEAN-TWO LIMA BEAN-SIZED NEAURAL SIZED NEAURAL CLUSTERSCLUSTERS

INFLUENCES INFLUENCES AGRRESSION AND AGRRESSION AND FEARFEAR

LINKED TO LINKED TO EMOTION/ EMOTION/ INFLUENCES INFLUENCES EMOTIONEMOTION

AMYGDALA EXPERIMENTS

• PSYCHOLOGIST, IN 1939, LESIONED (CUT) THE PART OF A RHESOS MONKEY’S BRAIN THAT INCLUDED THE AMYGDALA, TURNING THE NORMALLY ILL-TEMPERED MONKEY MELLOW. LATER, WITH OTHER WILD ANIMALS, THE SAME EFFECT TOOK PLACE.

• WHEN SCIENTISTS ELECTRICALLY STIMULATED (CHARGED) THE AMYGDALA IN NORMALLY PLACID (MELLOW) ANIMALS, LIKE CATS, THE ANIMAL IN TURN BECOMES AGGRESSIVE, READY TO ATTACK.

THE HYPOTHALAMUSTHE HYPOTHALAMUS

PERFORMS SPECIFIC BODILY PERFORMS SPECIFIC BODILY MAINTENANCE DUTIES MAINTENANCE DUTIES

EXAMPLEEXAMPLE: : THINKING ABOUT SEX CAN STIMULATE THINKING ABOUT SEX CAN STIMULATE

(AROUSE)(AROUSE) YOUR HYPOTHALAMUS TO SECRETE YOUR HYPOTHALAMUS TO SECRETE

(ACTIVATE) (ACTIVATE) HORMONES. THROUGH THESE HORMONES. THROUGH THESE

HORMONES, THE HORMONES, THE HYPOTHALAMUS CONTROLS THE HYPOTHALAMUS CONTROLS THE

ADJACENT ADJACENT PITUITARY GLAND, WHICH IN TURN PITUITARY GLAND, WHICH IN TURN

INFLUENCES INFLUENCES HORMONE RELASE BY OTHER GLANDS; HORMONE RELASE BY OTHER GLANDS;

PERFORMING BODILY MAINTENANCE.PERFORMING BODILY MAINTENANCE.

THE HIPPOCAMPUSTHE HIPPOCAMPUS THE LIMBIC THE LIMBIC

COMPONENT THAT COMPONENT THAT PROCESSES MEMORY.PROCESSES MEMORY.

EXAMPLE:EXAMPLE: IF ANIMALS OR IF ANIMALS OR

HUMANS LOSE HUMANS LOSE THEIR THEIR HIPPOCAMPUS TO HIPPOCAMPUS TO SURGERY OR SURGERY OR INJURY, THEY INJURY, THEY BECOME UNABLE BECOME UNABLE TO PROCESS TO PROCESS MEMORIES.MEMORIES.