Brain
Limbic System
The emotional and memory core
Overview
The limbic system is a functionally interconnected set of structures—including the hippocampus, amygdala, cingulate cortex, hypothalamus, and olfactory bulbs—that govern emotion, memory, and motivation. It sits at the interface between the deeper, evolutionarily older brainstem and the newer cerebral cortex.
Function
- Emotional experience and expression
- Formation and retrieval of episodic memories
- Motivational drive and reward seeking
- Olfactory processing and smell-based memory
- Regulation of the autonomic nervous system via the hypothalamus
Key Facts
- Paul MacLean named the limbic system in 1952
- Smell bypasses the thalamus and connects directly to limbic structures—explaining why scents trigger vivid memories
- The limbic system is sometimes called the "mammalian brain"
- Surgical ablation of hippocampus (HM case) abolished new memory formation