Limbic System

In 1878, the French neurologist Paul Broca called attention to a group of distinct subcortical structures surrounding the thalamus in the mammalian brain. He called these interconnected neuronal components the limbic lobe (limbic, from the Latin, limbus, meaning surrounding, as in encircling). This was later called the limbic system by Paul MacLean. The limbic system is a loosely defined anatomical grouping of subcortical and cortical nuclei that, acting together, increase our chances of survival from predators. The limbic system generates both a heightened state of awareness and attention and, when required, activates other brain systems to enable our bodies to run or fight. In addition, it amplifies information processing and memory encoding that relates to a threat so that stimuli that recall the original learning ...