The Limbic System and Other Brain Areas

the pons

- serves to connect the hindbrain to the rest of the brain. -involved in regulating brain activity during sleep.

The substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area (VTA)

- Both regions contain cell bodies that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine both are critical for movement - are involved in mood, reward, and addiction - is involved in Parkinson's disease

In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

- a person is placed inside a machine that generates a strong magnetic field. The magnetic field causes the hydrogen atoms in the body's cells to move. When the magnetic field is turned off, the hydrogen atoms emit electromagnetic signals as they return to their original positions. Tissues of different densities give off different signals, which a computer interprets and displays on a monitor.

The thalamus;

- is a sensory relay for the brain. -All of our senses, with the exception of smell, are routed through the thalamus before being directed to other areas of the brain for processing

The reticular formation

- is centered in the midbrain, but it actually extends up into the forebrain and down into the hindbrain. -important in regulating the sleep/wake cycle, arousal, alertness, and motor activity.

The cerebellum

- receives messages from muscles, tendons, joints, and structures in our ear to control balance, coordination, movement, and motor skills. -an important area for processing some types of memories.

The hypothalamus;

- regulates a number of homeostatic processes, including the regulation of body temperature, appetite, and blood pressure. - serves as an interface between the nervous system and the endocrine system and in the regulation of sexual motivation and behavior.

A computerized tomography (CT)

- scan involves taking a number of x-rays of a particular section of a person's body or brain -The x-rays pass through tissues of different densities at different rates, allowing a computer to construct an overall image of the area of the body being scanned - is often used to determine whether someone has a tumor, or significant brain atrophy.

Electroencephalography (EEG)

- serves this purpose by providing a measure of a brain's electrical activity. An array of electrodes is placed around a person's head (Figure 4). The signals received by the electrodes result in a printout of the electrical activity of his or her brain, or brainwaves, showing both the frequency (number of waves per second) and amplitude (height) of the recorded brainwaves, with an accuracy within milliseconds. -Such information is especially helpful to researchers studying sleep patterns among individuals with sleep disorders.

The ________ is a sensory relay station where all sensory information, except for smell, goes before being sent to other areas of the brain for further processing.

Thalamus

Which is primarily responsible for regulating our perceptions of and reactions to aggression and fear?

Amygdala

The hindbrain is located

at the back of the head and looks like an extension of the spinal cord.

The limbic system is involved in processing

both emotion and memory.

The medulla

controls the automatic processes of the autonomic nervous system, such as breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate.

The midbrain is comprised of structures located deep within the brain, between the

forebrain and the hindbrain

The limbic system is made up of a number of different structures, but three of the most important;

hippocampus, the amygdala, and the hypothalamus

The hippocampus

is an essential structure for learning and memory.

The amygdala

is involved in our experience of emotion and in tying emotional meaning to our memories.

The substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are also located in the

midbrain

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

operates on the same principles, but it shows changes in brain activity over time by tracking blood flow and oxygen levels. The fMRI provides more detailed images of the brain's structure, as well as better accuracy in time, than is possible in PET scans

Other areas of the forebrain

parts located beneath the cerebral cortex, including the thalamus and the limbic system

Positron emission tomography (PET)

scans create pictures of the living, - An individual receiving a PET scan drinks or is injected with a mildly radioactive substance, called a tracer. Once in the bloodstream, the amount of tracer in any given region of the brain can be monitored. As a brain area becomes more active, more blood flows to that area. A computer monitors the movement of the tracer and creates a rough map of active and inactive areas of the brain during a given behavior. - this technique has been replaced by the fMRI as an alternative diagnostic tool. However, combined with CT, PET technology is still being used in certain contexts.

The hindbrain contains

the medulla, pons, and cerebellum