Regions of the Brain Involving Emotion

The Limbic System

The Limbic System is a complex brain structure that lies on either side of the thalamus, a section of the brain under the cerebrum. It supports many different functions like behavior, emotion, motivation and memory. Its main importance is for the well being of the emotional life of the individual, and with the formation of memories. Several parts of the brain connected to this system are the hypothalamus, amygdala, and the hippocampus.

Hypothalamus

 The Hyothalamus is a region in the brain that has a lot to do with motivation, emotion, learning and memory located on the lower end of the top top pat of the brain stem. It is the main region that releases hormones into the brain that controls hunger, thirst, sex drive, mood and others. This is the part of the brain that can show your emotions based on facial expressions and body posture. In animals, stimulation of the hypothalamus can lead to aggression indicating emotions such as anger or fear.  

Hippocampus

The hippocampus is a region of the brain backwards facing and shaped like a “U” inside the temporal lobes and adjacent to the amygdala. It’s mainly responsible for the consolidation of new memoires, emotional responses, navigation, and spatial orientation. The amygdala stimulates the hippocampus by releasing several different neurotransmitters.

Amygdala

Located in the temporal lobes, the amygdala mainly controls the formation and storage of memories associated with emotionally relevant events. Inside the amygdala,distinct neurons respond to positive and negative stimuli in different ways. Similar to the Hippocampus, stimulating the amygdala appears to increase both sexual and aggressive behavior.

Neurotransmitters

Assignment: Research to determine the relationship between these biological components and emotion

AND

Give a thorough explanation of how each works and what areas of the brain are affected.

Norepinephrine

Norpinephrine is neurotransmitter that the brain from the sympathetic neurons that activates because of a stressful event. It affects parts of the brains such as the amygdala, where responses and attention is controlled. When released, it affects your emotion in creating a sense of well-being and a feeling of euphoria.

Serotonin

Serotonin is neurotransmitter that when released into the brain at a proper regulation, can relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression. Its mainly found in the hippocampus, a region of the brain that is primarily associated with memory and spatial navigation. This hormone is mainly linked to emotional and motivational aspect of human behavior. Because of its influence affect of emotions, it is often called the “feel-good” neurotransmitter. It also plays an important role in leaning and in memory, because of its linkage to the hippocampus.

Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for movement and emotional response to situations. It can enable us to see rewards and to take action to move towards them. It also affects the ability to experience pleasure and pain. This hormone is linked to depression in the way that a shortage of it, can cause depression. It is mostly found in the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area and is released from the hypothalamus.