LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Define limbic system

• Know the different parts and function of
Limbic system
• Describe the functions of various parts of
THE LIMBIC SYSTEM Hypothalamus

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Limbic System
LIMBIC SYSTEM
• Not a separate structure but a ring of forebrain structures that
surround the brain stem
• Limbic means the structure which lies on medial rim of brain
between cerebral cortex & hypothalamus • Responsible for
• Emotions , long term memory, olfaction
• Basic, inborn behavioral patterns related to survival and perpetuation of
• Limbic system is a set of brain structure the species
including hippocampus, amygdala, ant. thalamic nuclei and • Plays important role in motivation and learning
limbic cortex

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 Schematic of the Limbic System Components

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Location of the Limbic System Hypothalamus

• major output pathway of the limbic system

• vegetative functions:
• neurogenic control of arterial pressure
• regulation of body temperature
• regulation of fluid volume
• regulation of endocrine gland secretion

growth hormone, thyroid hormone,

glucocorticoid secretion, sex hormones

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 Behavioral Functions of the Functional Areas of the Hypothalamus
Hypothalamus and Related Areas

• lateral hypothalamus
• eating, thirst, general level of activity, rage
• ventromedial nucleus
• satiety, tranquillity
• periventricular nucleus
• fear, punishment reactions
• anterior and posterior hypothalamus
• sexual drive

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Hypothalamus
• Brain area most involved in directly regulating internal
environment
• Functions
• Controls body temperature
• Controls thirst and urine output
• Controls food intake
• Controls anterior pituitary hormone secretion
• Produces posterior pituitary hormones
• Controls uterine contractions and milk ejection
• Serves as a major ANS coordinating center
• Plays role in emotional and behavioral patterns
• Participates in sleep-wake cycle
Behavior and its Control
• Almost all behaviors are associated with either reward or
punishment.
• Several limbic structures are concerned with the affective
nature of the sensory experience–is it pleasant or
unpleasant?
• Reward center - located around medial forebrain
bundle (the lateral and ventromedial hypothalamus).
• Punishment center - located in central gray around
the aqueduct and extending into periventricular zones
of hypothalamus and thalamus.
Punishment always takes precedent over reward

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Function of Other Limbic Areas
• Hippocampus
• originated as part of the olfactory cortex
• in lower animals the sense of smell is an important determinant
of behavior (is it good to eat, does it smell like danger, is it
sexually inviting)
• therefore, the early hippocampus was involved in decision making
by determining the importance of the incoming information
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Function of Other Limbic Areas
• Amygdala
• receives input from other areas of limbic system as well
as most areas of the cortex
• sends output back to cortex as well as into hippocampus,
septum, and hypothalamus
• functions in behavioral awareness at the semiconscious
level
• projects into limbic system one’s status with respect to
the surroundings and current thoughts
• helps pattern behavior appropriate for the each occasion
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Hippocampus
• memory and learning, (in remembring recent events)
• damage causes anterograde amnesia
• reward and punishment determine whether or not information
will be stored as memory
• a person becomes habituated to indifferent stimuli but learns any
sensory experience that causes pain or pleasure
• hippocampus provides the drive to rehearse and consolidate
these sensory experiences
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 Limbic Cortex
Functions of limbic system
• cerebral association area, Role in anger, fear and
emotional behavior with sexual behavior
• Part Function
• stimulation of various portions of this area can • Amygdala aggression & fear
elicit almost all types of behavior in an animal
• Cingulate gyrus autonomic functions
• Hippocampus recent memory
• Mammilary body long memory
• Prefrontal cortex personality

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Malfunction of limbic system

• Leads to psychiatry disorders e.g. HOMEOSTASIS
Schizophrenia, depression and senile dementia
• Lesions in hippocampus:
loss of recent memory, in Alzheimer’s
disease there is extensive degeneration of
hippocampus
• Lesions in Amygdaloid nucleus:
loss of aggressive behavior, fear and anger

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 A day at the sauna
How does the body react to change?

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Saving energy? What is homeostasis?

Sayid has decided to save energy by staying in bed all day. The body uses so much energy, even during sleep, because
it must maintain a constant internal environment.
How much of his energy do you think this will save?

This process of keeping things

the same is called homeostasis.

A series of automatic control

systems ensures that the body
maintains a constant
temperature, and steady levels
Surprisingly, the answer is only about 30%. of water, ions and blood sugar.

The other 70% keeps his body temperature at 37 °C, and Homeostasis allows the body’s
the solutions around his cells at just the right concentration. cells to work at their optimum.

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 Keeping comfortable The organs of homeostasis

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Why control temperature?

Environmental temperature is
constantly changing. One minute it
can be very hot, the next very cold.

Despite this, the body must be kept

at a constant temperature of 37 °C.
Why?

This is the optimum temperature for

the body’s enzymes.

Even slight changes in body temperature can have a life-

threatening effect on health. If body temperature falls too
low, reactions become too slow for cells to survive: too high,
and the body’s enzymes are at risk of denaturing.

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 What is core body temperature? Finding the right balance
The vital organs located deep within the body, such as the Core temperature is maintained by balancing heat gain
heart, liver and kidneys, are maintained at 37 °C. This is and heat loss.
the core body temperature.
How can heat be gained?
 movement and exercise
Skin temperature at
the body's extremities,  shivering
such as the fingers  vasoconstriction
and toes, is usually
 wearing extra clothing.
lower than the core
body temperature. How can heat be lost?
 sweating
On a warm day, skin temperature may be just 1 °C lower  vasodilation
than the core body temperature, but on a very cold day it
could be up to 9 °C lower.  removing extra clothing.

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Too hot…or too cold? Finding the right balance

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 How is temperature controlled? What’s in skin?
Body temperature is monitored and controlled by temperature
receptors in the skin and brain.
hypothalamus
These receptors detect changes
in the temperature of blood
flowing through those areas.

The thermoregulatory centre in the

brain is called the hypothalamus.

If body temperature deviates from 37 °C, the hypothalamus

and skin receptors send out electrical signals that trigger
actions or behaviours that increase or decrease heat loss.

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Why do we shiver? Vasoconstriction and warming up

When core body temperature drops, muscles begin to Why do people go pale when they are cold?
twitch. This rapid and contraction and relaxation of the
muscles is called shivering. When core body temperature falls, blood vessels in the
skin get narrower. This is called vasoconstriction.
Shivering generates heat, which raises
Vasoconstriction is
body temperature.
caused by contraction
of the muscular wall of
Goose bumps involuntarily appear when the blood vessels.
a person becomes cold. Goosebumps
are caused by the tiny muscles at the This reduces the volume
base of body hairs pulling the hairs erect. of blood flowing near the
skin surface, and
The upright hairs trap an insulating layer reduces the amount of
of air, which helps reduce heat loss. heat lost from the body.

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 Vasodilation and cooling down Responding to change
Why do people turn red when they are hot?

When core body temperature rises, blood vessels in the

skin get wider. This is called vasodilation.

Vasodilation allows a larger volume of blood to flow near

the skin surface, transferring heat to the environment.
This cools the body down.

Additional cooling occurs

with the production of
sweat from sweat glands.

As the sweat evaporates

it transfers heat away
from the body.
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Temperature control in newborns How do incubators work?

Sayid has a baby sister. Samira was born premature and is
too young to control her temperature. An incubator helps to
control her temperature, using negative feedback.

The air around Samira is kept at 32 °C. Why is it not keep

at 37 °C?

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 Negative feedback in the body Thermoregulation: true or false?

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Why is water important?

The human body is about 60-70% water.

Water molecules and ions constantly

move in and out of cells, and are essential
for all life processes.

Dehydration (loss of too much water

from the body) damages cells.

How is water gained and lost?

 Water is produced by the body during respiration, and
absorbed from food and drink.
 Water is lost from the body in exhaled air, sweat, urine
and faeces.
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 Dehydration and its causes Controlling water levels
Just a 1% decrease in body weight due to water loss is
enough to cause mild dehydration.
Mild dehydration can cause dizziness, a dry mouth and
concentrated urine. Severe dehydration can cause death.
What causes dehydration?
 heavy sweating
 low water intake
 eating salty food
 breathing dry air
 caffeine and alcohol
 diarrhoea.

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How do the kidneys work?

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 What is blood glucose? Controlling blood glucose
Glucose is a type of sugar used Between meals, blood glucose levels are topped up from
by the body to provide energy. stored deposits in the liver and muscles.

Sometimes there is too much After a meal, blood glucose rises but quickly returns to
glucose in the blood, and normal. Where does the excess go? Why not leave it in
sometimes there is not enough. the blood?

Excess glucose makes the blood plasma and

What affects the level of blood
glucose?
 Eating causes blood glucose levels to rise.
 Vigorous exercise causes blood glucose levels to fall.
How does the body regulate blood glucose levels?
tissue fluid around cells too concentrated.
This can severely damage cells, for example,
causing crenation in red blood cells.
However, low blood sugar levels can be
equally as dangerous, as it can make cells
swell up and burst. This is called lysis.

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The pancreas and blood glucose Maintaining safe glucose levels

Blood glucose levels are pancreas
monitored and controlled
by the pancreas.

The pancreas produces

and releases different
hormones depending on
the blood glucose level.

 Insulin is released when blood glucose levels are

high – the liver stores excess glucose as glycogen.

 Glucagon is released when blood glucose levels are

low – the liver converts stored glycogen into glucose
and releases it into the blood.
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 Maintaining safe glucose levels

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Glossary (1/3) Glossary (2/3)

 ADH – The hormone released from the pituitary gland that
acts on kidneys and blood vessels to maintain the body’s
water balance.
 dehydration – The loss of too much water from the body.
 homeostasis – The constant regulation of the body's
internal environment.
 hyperthermia – Dangerously high body temperature.
 hypothalamus – The part of the brain that helps to
regulate the body's internal environment.
 hypothermia – Dangerously low body temperature.
 glucose – The main source of energy for the body.
 glucoregulation – The homeostatic control of the body’s
blood sugar level.
 glycogen – A storage form of glucose, found in the liver
and muscles.
 insulin – A hormone involved in the control of blood sugar,
and which is reduced or absent in people with diabetes.
 kidney – The bean-shaped organ that filters the blood and
produces urine.
 negative feedback – A stabilizing mechanism that slows
down or reverses a stimulus.

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 Glossary (3/3) Anagrams

 osmoregulation – The homeostatic control of the body’s

water and ion balance.
 pancreas – The organ that secretes the hormone insulin.
 thermoregulation – The homeostatic control of the
body’s temperature.
 vasoconstriction – The narrowing of the blood vessels
in the skin in order to reduce heat loss.
 vasodilation – The widening of the blood vessels in the
skin in order to increase heat loss.

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Multiple-choice quiz

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