Brain Circuits for Emotion

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering the anatomical structures, theoretical models, hemispheric asymmetries, and clinical lesion effects of the brain's emotional circuits.

Lymbus

The Latin term meaning 'border' or 'edge' from which the limbic system gets its name, describing its ring-like border around the corpus callosum.

HOME Mnemonic

A mnemonic summarizing the four core functional domains of the limbic system: Homeostasis, Olfaction, Memory, and Emotion.

Cingulate Gyrus

A medial cortical structure located directly above the corpus callosum that mediates attention, emotion, and behavioural regulation.

Parahippocampal Gyrus

A limbic cortical region surrounding the hippocampus that plays a primary role in memory and spatial context.

Subcallosal Gyrus

An anterior-inferior cortical extension of the cingulate gyrus that functions in processing emotion and mood.

Isthmus

A narrow cortical band that anatomically connects the cingulate gyrus with the parahippocampal gyrus.

Uncus

An anterior medial temporal lobe landmark associated with olfaction that borders the brainstem and carries a high risk of herniation.

Basolateral Nuclei of the Amygdala

The amygdaloid nuclear subdivision that primarily projects to and receives input from the cerebral cortex.

Central Nucleus of the Amygdala

The amygdaloid nucleus that projects to the hypothalamus and brainstem to coordinate autonomic changes during strong emotions, including changes in heart rate, sweating, and piloerection.

Corticomedial Nuclei of the Amygdala

The amygdaloid nuclear division whose neural connections are involved in processing olfaction and appetite.

Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex (vmPFC)

A prefrontal cortical area serving as a storage location for encoded, dispositional knowledge of somatic markers, essential for predicting outcomes and evaluating rewards or punishments.

Mid-anterior Orbitofrontal Cortex (OFC)

A specialized subregion of the orbitofrontal cortex recognized as a key pleasure area in the human brain.

Fornix

A limbic fiber pathway that connects the hippocampus with the mammillary bodies, functioning in memory formation, emotional experience, and automatic processing.

James-Lange Theory

A bottom-up theory stating that physiological responses occur first in reaction to a stimulus, and the subsequent perception of those bodily changes produces the conscious experience of emotion.

Emotion (Watson, 1924)

An innate, biologically inherited 'hereditary pattern-reaction' involving physiological responses to specific environmental stimuli.

Emotion (Stuss & Benson, 1983)

A conceptual 'bridge between behavioral response, bodily and mental activities, and underlying feeling tone.'

Emotion (Rolls, 1990)

Internal affective states elicited by instrumental reinforcing stimuli.

Somatic Marker Hypothesis

Antonio Damasio's theory proposing that emotional changes ('somatic states') induced by biologically important stimuli are encoded in the vmPFC to guide future rational decisions and promote survival.

Feelings (Damasio)

Internal emotional states that have been made conscious through cognitive representation of somatic bodily changes.

Low Road (Emotional Processing)

A rapid, subcortical pathway from the sensory thalamus directly to the amygdala that mediates fast autonomic fight-or-flight defensive reactions without conscious thought.

High Road (Emotional Processing)

A slower, detailed pathway from the sensory thalamus through the sensory cortex and hippocampus to the amygdala that enables accurate, conscious interpretation of emotional stimuli.

2-Dimensional Space of Emotion

A framework developed by Anderson and Adolphs (2014) plotting distinct emotional states along two orthogonal axes: arousal (aroused vs. not aroused) and valence (pleasant vs. unpleasant).

Differential Neural Pattern for Sadness

A distinct emotional activation signature localized to the left amygdala and right temporal lobe.

Differential Neural Pattern for Anger

A distinct emotional activation signature localized to the right orbitofrontal cortex (R OFC) and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).

Right-Hemisphere Emotional Advantage

The hemispheric specialization for automatic emotional components, generation of feelings, holistic bottom-up processing, and the perception of facial expressions and humor.

Left-Hemisphere Emotional Function

The hemispheric specialization for top-down cognitive control of emotion, interpreting feelings through language, and contextual analysis.

Catastrophic Reaction

An intense emotional crisis or severe distress response frequently observed following acute lesions to the left cerebral hemisphere.

Aprosodia

The impairment of producing or understanding emotional tone, rhythm, and inflections in speech, typically following right-hemisphere damage (such as motor aprosodia from Right Broca's area).

Frontal Lesion Behavioral Profile

A pattern of socio-emotional alterations caused by frontal lobe damage, including reduced social interaction, loss of social dominance, inappropriate social/sexual behavior, reduced affect, and reduced vocalization.

Social Neuroscience

The branch of neuroscience focused on understanding how the brain mediates social interactions, prominently featuring the investigation of empathy.