BEHAVIORAL

NEUROANATOMY 2017
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

 Describe several areas of the brain that are

associated with behavior.

 List neurochemical systems that are associated

with behavior.
CASE 1
 Mrs. KP is a 38 year old woman who is employed as
an accountant in a local financial firm. She is married
with two children ages 10 and 12. Her husband brings
her in for evaluation as he has noted some “changes”
in his wife since she was in an auto accident one year
ago. She is currently in danger of losing her job due to
her inability to plan and complete her clients’ cases in
time for the past tax season. He has also noticed she
has been unable to coordinate her children’s schedule
for after school activities. She frequently loses her
temper with her children and argues with the
neighbors . He states he has not noticed any change
in her ability to do physical activities. There are no
 focal neurological deficits.
CASE 1
The manifestation of absence of long-range
behavioral planning and poor control of emotion
suggests difficulties in which area of the brain?
 1. frontal lobe

 2. occipital lobe

 3. parietal lobe

 4. temporal lobe
CASE 1
One of the largest cortical sub regions of the
brain is:
 A. Motor cortex

 B. Prefrontal cortex

 C. Preoccipital cortex

 D. Sensory cortex
PREFRONTAL CORTEX
 Large association region in the brain

 It mediates a variety of specifically human

functions known as executive functions
 creative problem solving
 high-order abstract thinking
 temporal sequencing of behavior
FRONTAL LOBE SYNDROMES

1. ORBITOFRONTAL -- impulsive/disinhibited

2. CONVEXITY -- apathy

3. MEDIAL FRONTAL -- akinesia

ORBITOFRONTAL SYNDROME
(disinhibited)
Disinhibited, impulsive behavior

Inappropriate jocular affect, euphoria

Emotional lability
Poor judgment and insight
Distractibility
FRONTAL CONVEXITY SYNDROME
(apathetic)
Apathetic
(occasional brief angry or
aggressive outbursts common)
Indifference
Psychomotor retardation
Motor perseveration and impersistence
Loss of set
Stimulus boundedness
MEDIAL FRONTAL SYNDROME
(akinetic)
Paucity of spontaneous movement and
gesture

Sparse verbal output (repetition may be

preserved)

Lower extremity weakness and loss of

sensation

Incontinence

**Location of major dopamine pathways

CASE 2
 PG is a 25 year old man working in management
for a railroad company. He was known as a mild-
mannered and efficient foreman well liked by all
that knew him. One afternoon, PG was preparing
a hole in the ground for blasting powder, using
an iron tamping rod in order to install railway
tracks. He accidentally ignited a spark, and the
resulting explosion drove the metal rod
completely through his skull. After the accident,
PG maintained consciousness and spoke without
difficulty. There was no loss of memory or motor
impairments. The wound was tended to and PG
“recovered” in several weeks.
CASE 2
 PG ,however, was noted to be a changed man. He
became irresponsible and obstinate and was
incapable of planned activity. He traveled
throughout the country, holding many different
jobs. His personality was so radically changed
that “his friends no longer recognized him as PG.
He lived for 13 years after the accident.
CASE 2
 What lobe of the brain would you speculate tht
the metal rod affected?
 A. Frontal lobe

 B. Occipital lobe

 C. Parietal lobe

 D. Temporal lobe
CASE 2
 What type of Frontal lobe syndrome does PG best
fit?
 A. Convexity

 B. Medial Frontal

 C. Orbitofrontal
CASE 2:

 PG=Phineas Gage
 case described from the 1800s
QUESTION
 The negative symptoms of schizophrenia, which
includes apathy, likely involves which frontal
region?
 A. Frontal Convexity

 B. Medial Frontal

 C. Orbitofrontal
FRONTAL LOBE
1. Failure to notice and be motivated by
emotionally relevant stimuli, leading to
apathy
2. Transient reflexive emotional outbursts
without consideration of consequences.
FRONTAL LOBE
3. Neglect of social rules regarding timing
and expression of biologic drives such as
elimination, sexual desire, and aggression.
4. Absence of long-range behavioral planning
and strategy.

Executive Functions
CASE 3
 Ms. JS is a 35 year old school teacher who has
two children. She has no prior psychiatric history
and is known for her maturity and self-
composure. After a febrile illness, Ms. JS is
noted to have a change in her behavior. She is
emotionally indifferent to her children and
husband, she is noted to eat pieces of newspaper
and leather parts from her handbag. She is
indiscrete in expressing her sexual impulses and
is not fearful when exposed to potentially
dangerous situations. There are no obvious focal
neurologic abnormalities.
CASE 3
 What area of Ms. JS’s brain has been most likely
affected as a consequence of her illness?
 A. Frontal lobe
 B. Parietal lobe
 C. Occipital lobe
 D. Temporal lobe
LIMBIC CIRCUIT
 amygdala
 hippocampus

 cingulate gyrus

 septal complex (includes subcallosal area)

 fornix

 hypothalamus
LIMBIC CIRCUIT
3-D VERSION
SAGGITAL SCENE
LIMBIC SYSTEM
 Several reasons for lumping these structures
under the rubric of a system
 Share common behaviors – regulate autonomic and
endocrine functions as they relate to memory,
motivation, emotions
 Cellular architecture (3 layers)
 Immunological (HSV)
 Cytochemical (cholinergic innervations)

 Often thought to mediate the 4 F’s (fear, food,

fight, and reproduction)
GENERAL FUNCTION
 Controls the internal world of the
individual: the emotional coloring of
experience, the modulation of drives and
instincts, and memory and learning.
AMYGDALA
 Integrates
 OUTSIDE WORLD STIMULI
 BIOLOGIC DRIVES

 Modulates
 Emotional reactivity/learning (fear response)
 Memory
 Attention
 Aggression
FREUD

CATHEXIS—emotional valence directed towards

person, object or idea (amygdala)
RHESUS MONKEYS
 lose fear/aggressive responses to human
caretakers
 copulate indiscriminately

 mouth non-food objects

 Common denominator of symptoms:

misdirected drive
KLUVER-BUCY SYNDROME

Case 3 diagnosis ( Ms. JS)

HUMAN PRESENTATIONS
 Medial Temporal Encephalitides
1. Limbic Encephalitis
2. Herpes Simplex Encephalitis
CASE 4
 Mr. P is a 61 year old married male with 2 adult
children. His family has noticed that he has
become increasingly anxious since his birthday
and began having memory problems. They
encouraged him to seek help, but he refused. As
time passed, he also developed uncontrollable,
writhing movements, which spurred him to make
an appointment with a doctor.

 Which illness does Mr. P have?

BASAL GANGLIA
TWO DISEASES OF THE BASAL GANGLIA

 Huntington’s disease –
 anxiety, memory problems, depression, delusional
thinking, hallucinations

 Parkinson’s disease –
 depression, affective blunting (masked facies),
amotivation
CASE 5
 MR. BR a 32 year old single man has recently
returned from Afghanistan after being deployed
for ten months. He has had no prior psychiatric
history. When he returns he begins to have sleep
difficulties, is fearful to go grocery shopping or
go anywhere there is a large group of people. He
has become emotionally detached from his family
and states he has lost interest in pursuing his
career goal of completing college.
CASE 5
Which neurotransmitter system is most likely
affected in Mr. BR’s brain?
 A. Cholinergic system

 B. Dopamine system

 C. Norepinephrine system

 D. Serotonin system
NEUROCHEMICAL SYSTEMS IN
BEHAVIOR
 Dopamine system
 Norepinephrine system

 Serotonin System

 Cholinergic system

 GABA system

 Glutamate system
SUMMARY

 Behavioral Neuroanatomy

 ---Frontal lobe and limbic system



 Behavioral Neurotransmitters
BEHAVIORAL NEUROANATOMY

 Refer to handout and addendum as we progress

through MBB-

 This will help you put each week’s new

information into the larger context of
neuroanatomy, the brain and how it begins to
interface with behavior