We all know that the emotions have their origin in the brain. You might have the impression that a small person lives in your skull, independent from you, that controls your behavior, just like in the movie,,Inside Out”. But most of us haven’t heard about this very important structure: THE LIMBIC SYSTEM.
The limbic system is the part of the brain involved in our behavioural and emotional responses, especially when it comes to instinctual behaviour. Its name comes from the latin word ,,limbus”, which means ,,border” and it does refer to the placement of the limbic structures. It does separate the cerebral cortex from the diencephalon.
There is no universal agreement on the structures of it, so you might find different informations about its components. However, there are two structures that are recognised by all the scientists, the amygdala and the hippocampus. The limbic system does contain the paleocortex and the olfactory pathway, so it is evolutionary older and more rudimental than the other parts of the encephalon, therefore controlling the instinctual behaviours. It does have numerous connections with other parts of the brain: with the olfactory pathway, hypothalamus, epithalamus, talamus and fewer with the neocortex. Therefore, it does have a variety of functions.
First, the episodic memories are formed and catalogued to be filed away in long-term storage across other parts of the cerebral cortex by the hippocampus. This limbic structure is also involved in associating memories with senses, such as the association of Christmas with the scent of gingerbread. It is also a key structure in the process of learning.
The left and right amygdalae play a central role in our emotional responses, including feelings like pleasure, fear, anxiety and anger. The amygdala also attaches emotional content to our memories, and so plays an important role in determining how robustly those memories are stored. Memories that have strong emotional meaning tend to stick.
The limbic system is also involved in olfaction, apetite and eating behaviours, sleep and dreams, sexual behaviour (it also does have a implication in the sexual orientation, since its connexions with the hypothalamus), addiction and social cognition.
Some of the most well-known neurological and psychiatric diseases involve the affections of the limbic system. We will mention epilepsy, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, autism, dementia, ADHD.
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