NEUROANATOMY OF MENTAL

AND NEUROBEHAVIOR
DISORDERS
Erial Bahar
2013

Learning Objectives
1. Describe the structures involved in psychiatric and
neurobehavioral disorders
2. Describe and diagram the basic morphology of the
structures comprising the limbic system
3. Describe and diagram the input-output
relationships of limbic nuclei
4. Characterize the functions of limbic brain
structures and their underlying mechanisms (where
known)
5. Develop an understanding of the structural and
functional bases for clinical and behavioral
disorders associated with dysfunctions of the limbic
system

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Structures Involved in
Psychiatric and
Neurobehavioral
Disorder
Hippocampal formation
Amygdala
Orbitofrontal cortex
Cingulate gyrus
Hypothalamus
Mammilary bodies
Anterior thalamic nucleus
Medial dorsal thalamis nucleus
Ventral striatum
Frontal lobe
Rhinencephalon
Mesencephalon

1.
2.
3.

Substantia Nigra
Ventral tegmental area (VTA)
Formatio reticularis

Limbic system

OVERVIEW OF THE
FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY
OF THE BRAIN

HUMAN NERVOUS SYSTEM

A. Central Nervous
System
1. Brain
2. Spinal cord

B. Peripheral Nervous
System
1. Somatic
2. Autonomic
1. Sympathetic
2. Parasympathetic

Functional Areas of
Cerebral Cortex
There are three types of functional areas of cerebral
cortex:
1.Sensory areas which receive and interpret somatic
sensory impulses including cutaneous sensations, the
five special senses, and some aspects of
proprioception (however, little visceral sensory
information is routed to the cortex),
2.Association areas which integrate sensory
information with emotional states, memories, learning
and rational thought processes.
3.Motor areas which generate impulses which
innervate voluntary skeletal muscles.

FUNCTIONAL AREAS OF CEREBRAL CORTEX

1. Sensory areas
2. Motor area
3. Association area

SENSORY AREAS
Specific areas of the cerebral cortex which
receive and interpret somatic sensory
impulses, e.g.,

olfaction in the frontal lobe,

cutaneous sensations in the parietal lobe,
visual sensations in the occipital lobe,
taste, hearing, and equilibrium in the temporal
lobe;
visceral sensory impulses are received and
interpreted in the diencephalon, cerebellum, and
brain stem.

Brain Function: Sensory

Information
Primary somatic sensory cortex
Termination point of pathways from skin,
musculoskeletal system, and viscera
Somatosensory pathways

Touch
Temperature
Pain
Itch
Body position

Brain Function: Sensory

Information
Special senses have devoted regions
Visual cortex
Auditory cortex
Olfactory cortex
Gustatory cortex

Processed into perception

MOTOR AREAS
Specific areas of the cerebral cortex,
diencephalon, cerebellum, brain stem
and spinal cord which generate impulses
which innervate all effectors in the body,
e.g.,
voluntary skeletal muscles,
involuntary muscles,
glands,
Endocrine
Exocrine.

Brain Function: Motor

System
Three major types
Skeletal muscle movement
Somatic motor division

Neuroendocrine signals
Hypothalamus and adrenal medulla

Visceral responses
Autonomic division

Voluntary movement
Primary motor cortex and motor
association areas

ASSOCIATION AREAS
Specific areas of the cerebral cortex
which integrate sensory information
with
emotional states
memories
Learning
rational thought processes

Brain Function: Behavioral

State
Modulator of sensory and cognitive
processes
Neurons collectively known as
diffuse modulatory systems
Originate in reticular formation in brain
stem

Brain Function: Behavioral

State
Four diffuse modulatory systems
Noradrenergic
Serotonergic
Dopaminergic
Cholinergic

Brain Function:
Cerebral
Lateralization

Diagram of the structure of the cerebral cortex. A: Golgi neuronal stain. B: Nissl
cellular stain. C: Weigart myelin stain. D: Neuronal connections. Roman and Arabic
numerals indicate the layers of the isocortex (neocortex); 4, external line of
Baillarger (line of Gennari in the occipital lobe); 5b, internal line of Baillarger.

Brain Function: Behavioral

State

Table 9-3

Brain Function: PET Scan of the Brain

at Work

OVERVIEW OF THE
LIMBIC SYSTEM

LIMBIC SYSTEM
Is a system that concerns with specific
motivated or goal-oriented behaviors,
directly aimed at the maintenance of
homeostasis and at the survival of the
individual and of the species
(Nieuwenhuys, 1996)
Functions:

Maintenance of homeostasis
Motivated and goal-oriented behaviors
Survival of the individual
Survival of the species
Learning and memory

Stuctures of the Limbic

System
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Hypothalamus
Amygdala
Septal area
Hippocampal formation
Cingulate gyrus

LIMBIC LOBE - CINGULATE GYRUS

Schematic drawing of the major anatomical structures of the limbic system.

Note: The cingulated and parahippocampal gyri form the limbic lobe, a rim
of tissue located along the junction of the diencephalons and the cerebral
hemispheres. n, nucleus.

Ref: Clinical Neuroanatomy.pdf

LIMBIC SYSTEM

Ref: Clinical Neuroanatomy.pdf

Schematic illustration of the location of the limbic system

between the diencephalon and the neocortical hemispheres

Schematic illustration of the concentric main components of the limbic sytem.

Schematic illustration (left oblique view) of the position of the hippocampal

formation within the left hemisphere

Schematic showing some of the major limbic structures

and pathways.

Information flow to and

from the limbic system
The limbic system receives
inputs from sensory systems,
including the cerebral cortex,
and monoamine neuronal
groups of the brainstem
reticular formation.
Primary outputs of the limbic
system are directed to the
hypothalamus. This
arrangement allows the limbic
system to alter the activity of
the hypothalamus in response
to sensory input.
Because the hypothalamus
provides the integrating
mechanism for different forms
of emotional behaviors as well
as for other visceral and
autonomic responses, the
limbic system serves as a key
modulating region of these
processes by virtue of its inputs
into the hypothalamus.

HIPPOCAMPAL
FORMATION

Structures constitute the

Hippocampal Formation
1. Subiculum
2. Dentate gyrus
3. Hippocampus proper

Hippocampal
formation in relation
to other limbic
structures.
A, amygdala;
AC, anterior
commissure; AN,
anterior nucleus of
the thalamus;
B-F, basofrontal
region;
CC, corpus callosum
(b, body; g, genu; s,
splenium);
CG, cingulate gyrus;
E-RC, entorhinal
cortex;
F, fornix;
Fm, fimbria;
HF, hippocampal
formation;
IG, indusium
griseum;

Diagram illustrates the histological appearance of the cell

layers within the hippocampus and loci of the hippocampal
fields, dentate gyrus, and subicular cortex. CA1-CA4 denote
the four sectors of the hippocampus

Semischematic diagram illustrates: (1) inputs from the entorhinal

region, which include the perforant and alvear pathways; (2)
internal circuitry, which includes the connections of the mossy
fibers and Schaffer collaterals; and (3) efferent projections of the
hippocampal formation through the fimbria-fornix system of

Major projection targets of the hippocampal formation. The primary output

is through the fornix to diencephalon (i.e., medial hypothalamus,
mammillary bodies, and anterior thalamic nucleus) via the postcommissural
fornix and to the septal area via the precommissural fornix. Other
connections shown include efferent fibers that synapse in entorhinal

Papez
HIPPOCAMPAL
FIBERS
circuit

project to the MAMMILLARY BODIES, which, in

turn, project through the MAMMILLOTHALAMIC TRACT to the ANTERIOR
NUCLEUS. The anterior thalamic nucleus then projects to the
CINGULATE GYRUS, and the axons of the cingulate gyrus then project

OFC, orbitofrontal cortex

FAC, Frontal association
cortex
PMC, premotor cortex
AAC,auditory association
cortex
SAC,somatosensory
association cortex
SPL , superior parietal lobule
IPL, inferior parietal lobule
TAC, temporal association
cortex,
VAC, visual association
cortex

BFC, basal frontal cortex

OFC, orbitofrontal cortex
FAC, Frontal association
cortex
PMC, premotor cortex
CG, cingulate gyrus
CC, corpus callosum
PAC, parietal association
cortex
SAC,somatosensory
association cortex
TAC, temporal association
cortex,
VAC, visual association
cortex
A, amygdala
H, hippocampus
E, entorhinal cortex

HIPPOCAMPAL
AFFERENTS

LgF, longitudinal
fissure
PCS, precentral
sulcus
CS, central sulcus
LF, lateral fissure
STS, superior
temporal sulcus
MTS, middle
HIPPOCAMPAL temporal sulcus
EFFERENTS ITS, inferior temporal
sulcus
CoS, collateral sulcus

HYPOTHALAMUS

A. The approximate boundaries

of the anterior, middle, and
posterior divisions of the
Hypothalamus
B. The medial and lateral zones
of the hypothalamus(shaded).
Hypothalamic cells adjacent to
the third ventricle is
paraventricular zone.

Abbreviations:
A, amygdala;
AC,
anterior commissure;
AcN,
accumbens nucleus;
CN,
caudate nucleus;
CP,
cerebral peduncles;
Fc,
columns of the fornix;
Fcrus, crus of fornix;
Inf,
infundibulum;
MB,
mammillary body;
OC,
optic chiasm;
ON,
optic nerve;
OT,
optic tract;
P, putamen;
Pit,
pituitary gland;
S, septal nuclei;
SN,
substantia nigra;
SubT,
subthalamus;

HYPOTHALAMICPITUITARY
CONNECTIONS.

The posterior portion of the

pituitary (neurohypophysis) is
innervated by hypothalamic
neurons that transport the
hypothalamic hormones (oxytocin
and vasopressin) down their axons
to be released into capillary beds
of the posterior pituitary from
where they enter the general
circulation. By contrast, the
capillary beds of the anterior
pituitary (adenohypophysis)
are supplied with hypothalamic
hormones (either releasing or
inhibitory factors) via a blood
portal system from capillary beds
in the hypothalamus itself. Once
released into the
adenohypophysis, these
hypothalamic hormones then
stimulate pituitary cells to
synthesize and secrete their own

SEPTAL AREA

Topographically organized projections from the

hippocampal formation to the septal area (left side) and
topographically arranged efferent projections from the
diagonal band of Broca to the hippocampal formation
(right side).

Diagram illustrates other projections from the septal

area to the medial hypothalamus, mammillary
bodies, medial thalamus, prefrontal cortex, and
anterior cingulate gyrus.

AMYGDALA

the organization of the nuclei of the amygdala

The major efferent projections of the amygdala. One principal output

includes the stria terminalis, which projects to the bed nucleus of the
stria terminalis and to the rostro-caudal extent of the medial
hypothalamus. Fibers from the bed nucleus also supply similar regions
of the hypothalamus. Another important output to the hypothalamus
and midbrain PAG uses the ventral amygdalofugal pathway. Other fibers