Limbic system
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Elgendy A, Bell D, Rasuli B, et al. Limbic system. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 06 Mar 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-33671
Permalink:
rID:
33671
Article created:
25 Jan 2015,
Azza Elgendy ◉
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Azza Elgendy had no recorded disclosures.
View Azza Elgendy's current disclosures
Last revised:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Daniel J Bell had no recorded disclosures.
View Daniel J Bell's current disclosures
Revisions:
13 times, by
11 contributors -
see full revision history and disclosures
Systems:
Sections:
Synonyms:
- Limbic systems
The limbic system is a complex system that consists mainly of the limbic lobe, cortical areas and subcortical nuclei that have connections to the limbic lobe.
Key structures of the limbic system include:
- hippocampus
- parahippocampus
- cingulate gyrus
- basolateral nuclei of the amygdala
- septal nuclei
- nucleus accumbens
- hypothalamus (mammillary bodies)
- anterior nucleus of the thalamus
The limbic system also involves connections with the midbrain and olfactory system.
History and etymology
It was first called "le grand lobe limbique" by Pierre Paul Broca (1824-1880), a French physician, in 1878 3,4. Broca believed that the main role of the "limbic lobe" was the perception of smell.
Limbic is Latin for "border". In this case, the border is between the neocortex and the subcortical structures (diencephalon).
Related pathology
References
- 1. Rajmohan V, Mohandas E. The limbic system. Indian J Psychiatry. 2007;49 (2): 132-9. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.33264 - Free text at pubmed - Pubmed citation
- 2. Tien RD, Felsberg GJ, Krishnan R et-al. MR imaging of diseases of the limbic system. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1994;163 (3): 657-65. doi:10.2214/ajr.163.3.8079864 - Pubmed citation
- 3. Swanson L. Neuroanatomical Terminology: A Lexicon of Classical Origins and Historical Foundations. Oxford University Press. ISBN:0195340620. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 4. Purves D, Augustine GJ, Fitzpatrick D, et al., editors. Neuroscience. 2nd edition. Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates; 2001. The Limbic System. Available online
Incoming Links
Articles:
- Association fibres of the brain
- Epithalamus
- Limbic lobe
- Autoimmune encephalitis
- Major depressive disorder
- Herpes simplex encephalitis
- Cingulate gyrus
- Telencephalon
- Hypothalamus
- Anterior cingulate cortex
- Anterior commissure
- Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE)
- Papez circuit
- Uncus
- Fornix (brain)
- Amygdala
Related articles: Anatomy: Brain
-
brain
- grey matter
- white matter
-
cerebrum
-
cerebral hemisphere (telencephalon)
- cerebral lobes and gyri
- frontal lobe
- parietal lobe
-
occipital lobe
- occipital pole
- lingual gyrus
- fusiform gyrus (Brodmann area 37)
- calcarine (visual) cortex
- cuneus
- temporal lobe
- basal forebrain
- limbic system
- insula
-
cerebral sulci and fissures (A-Z)
- calcarine fissure
- callosal sulcus
- central (Rolandic) sulcus
- cingulate sulcus
- collateral sulcus
- inferior frontal sulcus
- inferior occipital sulcus
- inferior temporal sulcus
- interhemispheric fissure
- intraparietal sulcus
- lateral (Sylvian) sulcus
- lateral occipital sulcus
- marginal sulcus
- occipitotemporal sulcus
- olfactory sulcus
- paracentral sulcus
- paraolfactory sulcus
- parieto-occipital fissure
- posterior parolfactory sulcus
- precentral sulcus
- preoccipital notch
- postcentral sulcus
- rhinal sulcus
- rostral sulcus
- subparietal sulcus
- superior frontal sulcus
- superior occipital sulcus
- superior temporal sulcus
- cortical histology
- cerebral lobes and gyri
- white matter tracts
- deep grey matter
-
pituitary gland
- posterior pituitary and stalk (part of diencephalon)
- anterior pituitary
- inferior hypophyseal arterial circle
- diencephalon
-
cerebral hemisphere (telencephalon)
-
brainstem
- midbrain (mesencephalon)
- pons (part of metencephalon)
- medulla oblongata (myelencephalon)
- white matter
-
grey matter
- non-cranial nerve
-
cranial nerve nuclei
- oculomotor nucleus
- Edinger-Westphal nucleus
- trochlear nucleus
- motor nucleus of CN V
- mesencephalic nucleus of CN V
- main sensory nucleus of CN V
- spinal nucleus of CN V
- abducent nucleus
- facial nucleus
- superior salivatory nucleus
- cochlear nuclei
- vestibular nuclei
- inferior salivatory nucleus
- solitary tract nucleus
- ambiguus nucleus
- dorsal vagal motor nucleus
- hypoglossal nucleus
-
cerebellum (part of metencephalon)
- vermis
- cerebellar hemisphere
- cerebellar peduncles
- cranial meninges (meninx primitiva)
- CSF spaces
-
cranial nerves (mnemonic)
- olfactory nerve (CN I)
- optic nerve (CN II)
- oculomotor nerve (CN III)
- trochlear nerve (CN IV)
- trigeminal nerve (CN V) (mnemonic)
- abducens nerve (CN VI)
- facial nerve (CN VII) (segments mnemonic | branches mnemonic)
-
vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII)
- vestibular ganglion (Scarpa's ganglion)
- glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
- vagus nerve (CN X)
- spinal accessory nerve (CN XI)
- hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)
- functional neuroanatomy
- CNS development
- cerebral vascular supply
- arteries
- vascular territories
-
circle of Willis
- internal carotid artery (ICA) (segments)
- vertebral artery
-
normal variants
- intracranial arterial fenestration
- internal carotid artery (ICA)
- anterior cerebral artery (ACA)
- middle cerebral artery (MCA)
- posterior cerebral artery (PCA)
- basilar artery
- persistent carotid-vertebrobasilar artery anastomoses (mnemonic)
- vertebral artery
- ophthalmic artery
-
cerebral venous system
-
dural venous sinuses
- basilar venous plexus
- cavernous sinus (mnemonic)
- clival diploic veins
- inferior petro-occipital vein
- inferior petrosal sinus
- inferior sagittal sinus
- intercavernous sinus
- internal carotid artery venous plexus of Rektorzik
- jugular bulb
- marginal sinus
- occipital sinus
- sigmoid sinus
- sphenoparietal sinus
- straight sinus
- superior petrosal sinus
- superior sagittal sinus
- torcula herophili
- transverse sinus
-
cerebral veins
-
superficial veins of the brain
- superior cerebral veins (superficial cerebral veins)
- inferior cerebral veins
- superficial middle cerebral vein
- superior anastomotic vein (of Trolard)
- inferior anastomotic vein (of Labbe)
-
superficial veins of the brain
-
deep veins of the brain
- great cerebral vein (of Galen)
- venous circle of Trolard
- normal variants
-
dural venous sinuses
- arteries
- glymphatic pathway
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