NEUROSCIENCE

3.04 AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM,LIMBIC SYSTEM, HYPOTHALAMUS

DR. ROWEL MATILA | MARCH 4, 2022

OUTLINE • Signal Transmission

I. AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
A. Sympathetic VS. Parasympathetic
B. Sympathetic NS
C. Parasympathetic NS
II. LIMBIC SYSTEM
A. Amygdala
B. Hippocampus
III. HYPOTHALAMUS

LEGENDS
Remember Lecturer Book Presentation

I. AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM

• Functional division of the peripheral nervous system that
innervates both smooth and cardiac muscles and glands
of the body
• Functions at subconscious level

• Autonomic NS Vs. Somatic NS
Somatic Nervous System
Heavily Myelinated ; singular
Acetylcholine
A. Sympathetic NS vs. Parasympathetic NS
Sympathetic Nervous System
B. Sympathetic NS
• THORACOLUMBAR OUTFLOW
→ T1-T5 supply the viscera of the Head, neck and
thorax
Autonomic Nervous − Synapse with the Pulmonary plexus
System
o Bronchodilation
Lightly Myelinated; Unmyelinated; 2 neuron − Synapse with the Cardiac plexus
chain (Preganglionic, Post ganglionic)
o Increase BP. HR, CO
− Synapse with the Esophageal plexus
o Decrease peristalsis
− Synapse with the Dilator pupilae of the eyes
o Pupillary Dilation
− Synapse with the Lacrimal Ducts
Acetylcholine/Norepinephrine o Decrease Lacrimation
− Synapse with the Salivary glands
o Decrease Salivation
Parasympathetic Nervous System

Fight or Flight Rest and Digest

Raising heart rate; Blood vessels Digestion of food; Expulsion of waste

constrict ; Glucose release

Short Pre-ganglionic; Long Post- Long pre-ganglionic; Short post-

ganglionic fibers (ganglia near SC) ganglionic (ganglia in effector organ)

Norepinephrine/ Epineprhine= Acetylcholine= Cholinergic

Adrenergic (EXCEPTION SWEAT
GLANDS)

TRANS ABUZO, BALLESTEROS, AGATEP, DANGARANG, IMPERIO, ESTRADA 1 of

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3.04 Autonomic Nervous System, Limbic System, Hypothalamus
→ T5-L2/3 supply viscera in the abdomen and
pelvis via Splanchnic nerves
▪ Greater Splanchnic (TS-T9)- Synapses with
Celiac Ganglia
o Inhibit Peristalsis of the stomach
o Constrict the Pyloric Sphincter to slow down
the digestion process
o Promotes Glycogenolysis in the liver
o Inhibit Beta cells of the pancreas (dec.
insulin Secretion).
o Stimulate Alpha cells to inc. Glucagon = inc.
Blood Glucose levels
▪ Lesser Splanchnic (T10-T11)- Synapses with B. Parasympathetic NS
AorticoRenal Ganglion
o Decreases urine outflow Parasympathetic Sympathetic
o Decreases the peristalsis of the ureter Preganglionic long short
Postganglionic short long
o Stimulate the Juxtaglomerular cells in the
kidney to release Renin (inc. BP)

▪ Least Splanchnic (T12)- Synapses with the Renal

plexus
o Decreases urine outflow
o Decreases the peristalsis of the ureter
▪ Lumbar Splanchnic (L1-L3)
− Synapse with the Inferior mesenteric ganglion
to decrease peristalsis of the large intestine.
▪ Superior Hypogastric Plexus
− Synapses with the Detrussor muscle -
decrease contraction (Relax)
− Synapses with the Internal Urethral Sphincter
- to prevent voiding of urine
▪ T10-L2 (SACRAL SPLANCHNIC NERVES)
− Come out in the Sacral Region to supply the
Gonads
o Initiate Ejaculation Male
o Uterine contraction Female (non-pregnant)

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3.04 Autonomic Nervous System, Limbic System, Hypothalamus
II. LIMBIC SYSTEM
Subdivided into:
• Anterior Limbic circuit - Amygdala (control of emotions and affective
behavior)
• Posterior Limbic circuit - Hippocampal formation (Learning and
declarative Memory)

A. Amygdala
A. ANATOMY

→ Amygdala
▪ located just anterior to the hippocampus, deep to the
uncus of temporal lobe
▪ consists of several nuclei that are subdivided into:
o Basolateral nuclear group
o Centromedial group
o Olfactory group
→ Association with limbic system:
▪ Perihippocampal gyrus –memory of smell
▪ Amygdala-emotion of smell

→ Main connections with amygdala:

▪ Amygdala is connected with:
o Cerebral cortex through the external capsule
o Thalamus, hypothalamus, basal forebrain and
brainstem through the:
= Ventral amygdalofugal
pathway(fugal=driveaway)
= Stria terminalis

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3.04 Autonomic Nervous System, Limbic System, Hypothalamus
→ Bilateral lesions of the orbitomedial prefrontal cortex
result in socially inappropriate behavior, impulsivity,
and emotional disinhibition, likely by interrupting
inhibitory control the prefrontal cortex exerts on the
amygdala.
• Kluver-Bucy Syndrome
→ Bilateral ablation of temporal lobes, including
amygdalae and hippocampal formations
→ Results from surgery, head trauma, viral encephalitis
Ventral Amygdalofugal Ventral Amygdalopetal due to Herpes simplex virus(affects primarily
Pathway Pathway temporal lobes)
Efferent Afferent → Characterized by inability to recognize the
significance of visual object, emotional blunting,
Projects to Receives input from hypersexuality, inappropriate eating disorder
hypothalamus, brainstem hypothalamus and
and spinal cord brainstem
B. Hippocampus
Medial Temporal System
B. PHYSIOLOGY 1. Hippocampal Formation
● A fundamental role of the amygdala is to provide a 2. Parahippocampal Gyrus
sensory stimulus with emotional significance. Thus, the 3. Entorhinal Cortex
amygdala is critical for emotional or associative
memory, including conditioned responses, particularly Hippocampal formation consists of 3 regions;
fear.) 1. Dentate Gyrus
● The emotional experience stored in the basolateral 2. Cornu Ammonis (CA 1 - CA 4)
amygdala generates an integrated emotional response 3. Subiculum / Subicular Cortex
with the central nucleus of the amygdala, which projects
to the hypothalamus and autonomic and motor nuclei of
the brainstem
● These responses include
sympathoexcitation(tachycardia,sweating,mydriasis,
secretion of cortisol and epinephrine, and startle.
● Projections to the hippocampus --- explain why
emotionally charged events are more likely to be
remembered than emotionally neutral ones, and
reciprocal connections with the hippocampus provide
context information stored in memory.
● Input to the anterior cingulate cortex -- may be important
for motor driver responses.
● Projection from orbitomedial prefrontal cortex to the
amygdala --- important in inhibiting emotional responses
when inappropriate for the social or behavioral context.

• On the illustration particularly at the center we have here

the medial temporal system comprising the
Hippocampal Formation, Parahippocampal Gyrus
and Entorhinal Cortex.
• HIPPOCAMPAL FORMATION constitutes of DENTATE
GYRUS, CORNU AMMONIS (CA 1 - CA4 Areas),
SUBICULAR COMPLEX / SUBICULUM
• The hippocampal formation is an important component
of the limbic system, along with the amygdala and septal
area.

C. CLINICAL CORRELATIONS
→ Bilateral lesions of the amygdala in humans typically
affect the ability to recognize the affective meaning of
facial expressions, particularly the expression of fear.

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3.04 Autonomic Nervous System, Limbic System, Hypothalamus
• Hippocampus is made of:
a) An external plexiform layer
→ is situated near the inferior horn of the lateral
ventricle. It contains the alvear pathway,
which is made up of pyramidal cell axons and
hippocampal afferent fibers coming from the
entorhinal cortex
b) A stratum oriens layer
→ layer contains two types of cells: basal
dendrites and basket cells
c) A pyramidal cell layer
→ consistent with its name, contains pyramidal
cells of the hippocampus
d) A stratum Radiatum layer
e) A stratum lacunosum - moleculare layer
• The STRATUM RADIATUM LAYER and STRATUM
MACULOSUM - MOLECULARE layer both contain the
perforant pathway, which is composed of the apical
dendrites of pyramidal cells and hippocampal afferent
fibers coming from the entorhinal cortex.
THREE REGIONS:
1. DENTATE GYRUS
NEUROSCIENCE
o also multilayered, the primary cell of the dentate
gyrus is the GRANULE CELL.
o Granule cell axons are called MOSSY FIBERS, and
they synapse with the pyramidal cells in the CA3 field
of the hippocampus.
o Unlike the hippocampus primary cell is Pyramidal
cells. The dentate gyrus is the Granule cells.
o gets its name from its tooth-like configuration,
created by numerous blood vessels that pierce the
ventricular surface of the hippocampus and dentate
gyrus
2. CORNU AMMONIS
o The hippocampus is divided into different regions
called FIELDS. One classification divides the
hippocampus into four fields;
→ CA 1 -also known as Sommer’s sector,
contains the pyramidal cells located closest to
the subiculum
→ CA 2 - located in between
→ CA 3 -located in between
→ CA 4 - contains cells within the hilus of the
dentate gyrus
o One special feature of the CA3 field to note is that
the collaterals of the axonal processes extending
from the CA3 pyramidal cells are known as recurrent
or Schaffer collaterals, and these fibers actually
project back to the CA1 field.
3. SUBICULAR CORTEX/SUBICULUM
o The subicular cortex represents a transitional area
between the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex.
The main differentiating feature between the
hippocampus and the subicular cortex is that the
pyramidal cell layer in the subicular cortex is
significantly THICKER than it is in the hippocampus.
o The subiculum receives information relayed by the
hippocampal pyramidal cells. It gives rise to fibers
that join the fornix and terminate in the mammillary
nuclei of the hypothalamus, and the anterior nuclear
group of the thalamus.
ENTORHINAL CORTEX
• The entorhinal cortex (Brodmann’s area 28) is located
ventral to the amygdaloid body and the anterior half of the
hippocampal formation.
• The entorhinal cortex exhibits distinguishing
characteristics in two of its layers (layers II and IV) that
are visible at light microscopy level.
• The entorhinal cortex gives rise to the most prominent
input to the dentate gyrus
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3.04 Autonomic Nervous System, Limbic System, Hypothalamus
• The major sensory input from the association cortex in
cerebrum will enter to the ENTORHINAL CORTEX.
• ENTORHINAL CORTEX - is the gateway for entry of
highly elaborated information, it acts as a hub for memory
networks conveys this excitatory input to the granule cells
of dentate gyrus. And this will now form the FIRST
PATHWAY which is the PERFORANT PATHWAY

• Functions:
1. MEMORY
→ Long-term potentiation (LTP), which is a form of
neural plasticity, occurs in the hippocampus,
and LPT is a vital brain mechanism involved in
memory storage. The complex processes of
memory encoding in the hippocampus and
retrieval of experiences from the frontal lobe
involve two prominent pathways: polysynaptic
and direct pathways PAPEZ CIRCUIT
→ Hippocampus is divided into three regions:
• AKA: Medial Limbic Circuit
CA1, CA2, and CA3. These regions form the
• Episodic Memory
trilaminar loop, which is the processing center
• Memory processing - episodic memory - Autobiographic
of long-term memory.
events
2. SPATIAL NAVIGATION • By James Papez
→ One of the major functions of hippocampus is 1. Start and end on hippocampus
forming cognitive map, which is a type of mental 2. Hippocampus to C-shaped fibers, FORNIX (axons
representation related to acquisition, coding, from pyramidal neurons of CA1)
storing, recalling, and decoding of information 3. Anterior thalamus projects to mamillary nuclei
on relative locations within a specific 4. Mamillary body to Anterior nucleus of thalamus via
environment. Place cells, a type of pyramidal MT tract
cell, are mainly involved in hippocampus- 5. ANT to cingulum via medial thalamocortical fibers
mediated spatial navigation. 6. Cingulum to entorhinal cortex to hippocampal
formation via corticohippocampal fibers
3. BEHAVIOR
→ Hippocampus plays a vital role in flexible and
goal-directed behavior. An intact hippocampal
activity is required for forming and
reconstructing relational memory associated
with flexible cognition and social behavior.
Many studies have revealed that any damage
to hippocampus can impair flexible use of
information and produce maladaptive behavior.
→ Many studies have revealed that any damage
to hippocampus can impair flexible use of
information and produce maladaptive behavior.

4. LEARNING
→ Pyramidal cells of the hippocampus play an
essential role in classical eyeblink conditioning,
which is a standard model for studying
associative learning.

TRISYNAPTIC CIRCUIT

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3.04 Autonomic Nervous System, Limbic System, Hypothalamus

Mnemonic:
• Hi MAC
• For MaMeCo

CATEGORIES OF MEMORY
• Hippocampal formation - essential for declarative
memory
• Papez circuit - Episodic
• anterior and inferior to the thalamus and separated from
it by the hypothalamic sulcus
• extends from the region of the optic chiasm to the caudal
border of the mammillary body
• Preoptic area is the region in front of the optic chiasm,
which has a telencephalic origin but forms a functional
unit with the hypothalamus
• Lamina terminalis corresponds to the anterior edge of the
third ventricle, which extends from the anterior
commissure dorsally to the optic chiasm ventrally
• From anterior to posterior, the hypothalamus is
subdivided into the preoptic-anterior, tubercle, and
CLINICAL CORRELATIONS: AMNESIA mammillary or posterior margins
• Loss of declarative memory
B. Physiology
• Bilateral damage of the medial temporal cortex
• effector structure of the diencephalon and has critical role
• Alzheimer’s disease - most common degenerative
in homeostasis, including thermoregulation,
dementia
osmoregulation, regulation of immune responses, and
the control of food intake, reproduction, biologic rhythms
Diencephalic Amnesia
(including the sleep-wake cycle), and integrated
➔ Impaired learning and declarative memory responses to stress
➔ Midline lesions affecting diencephalic structures • all these functions are important for survival, depend on
Anterograde Amnesia the ability of different hypothalamic nuclei to initiate the
➔ Difficulty remembering events that occur after the injury appropriate autonomic, endocrine, and behavioral
Retrograde Amnesia responses to challenges from the internal and external
➔ Difficulty remembering events that occur before an environments
injury • subdivided into three longitudinally arranged zones:
Transient Global Amnesia o Periventricular zone
➔ Inability to learn new information (Ex. Patient asks the → adjacent to the wall of the third ventricle
same questions several times) → contains nuclei involved in the neuroendocrine
control through connections with the pituitary or
median eminence
III. HYPOTHALAMUS o Lateral zone
A. Anatomy → lateral to the fornix
→ contains hypothalamic nuclei that through
connections with the cerebral cortex and
brainstem are involved in the control of the
sleep-wake cycle and food intake
o Medial zone
→ medial to the fornix
→ contains several nuclei involved in
thermoregulation, osmoregulation, control of
food intake, and reproduction

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3.04 Autonomic Nervous System, Limbic System, Hypothalamus

C. Functions
NEUROENDOCRINE CONTROL
• 2 Neurosecretory systems:
○ Magnicellular system
1. Supraoptic nuclei
2. Paraventricular nuclei
○ Parvicellular system
1. Medial preoptic
2. Paraventricular
3. Infundibular or arcuate nuclei
PARVICELLULAR SYSTEM
• Medial preoptic, paraventricular and infundibular or
arcuate nuclei in periventricular zone
• These neurons synthesize different regulatory hormones
by endocrine cells in anterior pituitary gland
• Hypothalamic control is exerted on the anterior pituitary
gland through a vascular mechanism that involves a
portal circulation which connects the hypothalamus and
the anterior lobe.
• Neurons of periventricular preoptic, paraventricular and
infundibular synthesize releasing or inhibitory factors and
their axons deliver these factors to the portal circulation
at the level of median eminence. From the portal
circulation, these factors deliver to the anterior pituitary to
control hormonal activity by the pit. Endocrine cells.
• This portal circulation consists of hypophysial arteries in
the median eminence giving rise to capillaries that drain
into a series of parallel veins coursing down the pituitary
stalk, reaching the anterior lobe, these veins form a
capillary plexus that supplies blood to the anterior lobe

MAGNICELLULAR SYSTEM
• Supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei
• Synthesize either vasopressin or oxytocin.
• VASOPRESSIN
→ Water metabolism and blood osmolality
• OXYTOCIN
→ Enhances the contractility of
a. Uterine musculature during and after delivery
b. Myoepithelial cells of the breast ducts in
lactating women, facilitating milk ejection
• These peptides are transported down the axons,
through the pituitary stalk and then to the nerve
terminals in the posterior lobe for the storage or release.

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3.04 Autonomic Nervous System, Limbic System, Hypothalamus
Check appendix for Table 16A.3. Anterior Pituitary Hormones
• Important feature of anterior pituitary cells, including their
hormones, functions and their regulatory hormones.
AUTONOMIC CONTROL
• The most important autonomic output of the
hypothalamus arises from the paraventricular nucleus,
with important contributions from the lateral hypothalamic
area and nuclei of the medial zone.
• All these nuclei contain neurons that form part of the
internal regulation system and control the activity of
preganglionic parasympathetic or sympathetic neurons.
• Paraventricular nuclei secrets hormone both in the
anterior Pituitary and posterior pituitary
• Lateral hypothalamic area- primary contains oxinergic
nucleus (that widely projects throughout the nervous
system).
o Lateral hypothalamus regulates metabolism and
food intake.
→ Secreted by orexin or hypocretin.
• Medial zone that has nuclei for thermoregulation,
osmoregulation, appetite.
● Inhibit cold sensitive neuron- initiate heat-gain
responses through skin vasoconstriction, shivering,
lipolysis, increased muscle metabolism and release
of thyroid hormone
● Temperature receptor in various region such as the
skin, muscles, viscera relay information to the
preoptic area of the hypothalamus through the
release of the glutamate from warm or cold afferents.
● For high temperature, the preoptic area inhibits the
dorsomedial nucleus of hypothalamus (dmn) through
Gaba release and this will result to sweating and
vasodilation thereby reducing heat producing
activities and increasing heat loss. For cooler
temperature, pao inhibition of the dorsomedial
nucleus decreases, which causes increase outflow
from dmn to peripheral targets, resulting in shivering
through skeletal muscles, mediated by ach release
increase heat production from fat metabolism and
vasoconstriction to conserve heat.
• Shivering
o Process of heat generation
o Cold receptor are c-fibers (unmyelinated and
low conduction velocity) and a-delta fibers
(myelinated and fast conduction)
o Hot receptor fibers unmyelinated c fibers.

WATER METABOLISM (OSMOREGULATION)

• Hypothalamus is critical for conditioning the mechanism
of water and sodium homeostasis.
• Behavioral mechanisms and reflex mechanism involve
the secretion of vasopressin from the magnicellular
supraoptic and paraventricular neurons
• Contains OSMORECEPTOR NEURONS

THERMOREGULATION
• Preoptic-Anterior Hypothalamic Regions
• Contains thermosensitive neurons including
○ Warm-sensitive neurons
○ Cold -sensitive neurons

• Behavioral mechanism: thirst and salt appetite.

• And the control of autonomic output to maintain
osmolarity and blood pressure and to modify renal
losses of sodium and water.
• Osmoreceptor neurons
○ are specialized neurons that transduce osmotic
changes into electrical signals
○ Located in the lamina terminalis in the
anteroventral wall of 3rd ventricle and include
subfornical organ, which lack of bbb and responds
● WARM-SENSITIVE NEURON- INITIATE HEAT- to circulating signals such angiotensin II.
LOSS RESPONSE(SKIN VASODILATION AND ○ Angiotensin II stimulates thirst, salt appetite and
SWEATING) vasopressin release in response to hypovolemia.

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3.04 Autonomic Nervous System, Limbic System, Hypothalamus
FOOD INTAKE
• Control of Feeding and Energy Metabolism
• It contains neurons whose activity changes according to
the levels of blood glucose and other circulating signals
o Leptin: anorexigenic signal from adipose tissue
o Insulin: hormone secreted by the pancreas that
controls the amount of glucose in the bloodstream
• Both the arcuate and the lateral hypothalamic neurons
project to the paraventricular nucleus, which also
contains neurons that stimulate food intake.
REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTION
• controlling the secretion of GONADOTROPIN
RELEASING-HORMONE and PROLACTIN and specific
sexual behaviors.
• Important REGIONS include:
a) Medial preoptic area which contains a sexually
dimorphic nucleus
b) Ventromedial nucleus which is a major site for the
control of female sexual behavior
• The neurons in these areas have an abundance of
receptors for sex steroids (estrogens and androgens).
RESPONSE TO STRESS
• PARAVENTRICULAR NUCLEUS
o critical effector for the stress response
o Receives input from limbic structures involved in
emotion and from brainstem monoaminergic
nuclei that respond to both internal and external
stressors
→ Pain
→ Hypoglycemia
→ Hypotension
→ Circulating cytokines: Inflammation
• 3 TYPES OF EFFECTOR NEURONS:
1. Magnicellular neurons: VASOPRESSIN
2. Activate Sympathetic Activity: EPINEPHRINE
3. Synthesize corticotropin-releasing hormone:
ACTH or CORTICOTROPIN
SLEEP-WAKE CYCLE
• ANTERIOR HYPOTHALAMUS (Sleep-Promoting
Area)
○ Ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO)
→ sends inhibitory GABAergic projections to the
ascending cholinergic and monoaminergic
arousal systems and particularly to the
histamine-producing neurons of the
tuberomammillary nucleus in the posterior
lateral hypothalamus, which are essential for
AROUSAL
• POSTERIOR LATERAL HYPOTHALAMUS (Waking
Center)
○ Lateral Hypothalamus
○ considered the diencephalic component of the
reticular formation
○ Control of arousal and motivated behavior
→ contains neurons that synthesize hypocretin
(orexin) and project to and activate
monoaminergic brainstem neurons, preventing
abrupt transitions between wakefulness and
sleep
CIRCADIAN RHYTHM
• SUPRACHIASMATIC NUCLEUS
○ circadian pacemaker of the hypothalamus
○ Its neurons have an intrinsic circadian rhythm, and
they control:
○ entrained to the light-dark cycle of day and night by
a direct projection from the retina
• important example of circadian rhythm is the secretion
of melatonin by the pineal gland
REFERENCES
• Reporter’s ppt
• Mayo Clinic Book

APPENDIX

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