What is the main function of the limbic system?

The limbic system primarily regulates emotional behavior (like fear and anger) and is essential for recent memory formation and retrieval. It also integrates sensory inputs to coordinate survival responses.

What are the key components of the limbic system?

Key components include cortical structures (like the cingulate gyrus and hippocampal formation), subcortical nuclei (such as the amygdaloid body and mammillary bodies), and fibre bundles (including the fornix and mammillothalamic tract).

What does the amygdala do in the limbic system?

The amygdala modulates emotional reactions (fear, rage) and somatic responses to internal drives. Bilateral lesions can cause hypersexuality and fearlessness.

Why is the hippocampus important?

The hippocampus is crucial for recent memory consolidation and also involved in emotional regulation and visceral-autonomic responses.

What is the role of the fornix?

The fornix is a major output tract that links the hippocampus to other limbic structures, such as the mammillary bodies and septal nuclei, carrying projection, association, and commissural fibres.

How does the mammillothalamic tract contribute to limbic function?

The mammillothalamic tract connects the mammillary body to the anterior thalamic nucleus, relaying hippocampal output to close the Papez circuit for emotional processing and memory.

Limbic System – Hippocampus, Amygdala & Memory