The following other parts of the brain make up the limbic system:
The limbic system is known informally as “the centre for emotions” and is also responsible for survival instincts and memory.
Can you think of some anatomica! words deriving from Greek or Latin?
The pituitary gland is very small – only about the size of a pea! It is located at the base of the brain in a bony cavity, just behind the bridge of the nose. Its job is to produce and release hormones into your body. These hormones make you grow. This gland plays a very important part in puberty when boys’ and girls’ bodies go through big changes.
This little gland also plays a role in the production of lots of other hormones, like the ones that control the amount of sugars and water in your body.
The hypothalamus1 is like your brain’s inner thermostat – it knows what temperature your body should be (about 37°C). If your body is too hot, the hypothalamus tells it to sweat. If you’re too cold, the hypothalamus makes you shiver. Both sweating and shivering are attempts to get your body’s temperature back to where it needs to be.
1 The hypothalamus also controls hunger, thirst and the circadian rhythm. Use the internet to find information about the last term.
The hippocampus is located in the medial temporal lobe and has a unique shape, similar to that of a horseshoe. There are two hippocampi, one in each side of the brain. It assists with the storage of long-term memory, and is also responsible for memorising the location of objects or people. Alzheimer’s Disease (a disease that affects elderly people and often causes loss of memory) affects and damages this area of the brain.
The amygdala is an almond-shaped section of nervous tissue located in the side lobe of the brain.
There are two amygdalae per person, one on each side of the brain. Amygdala plays a role in emotional reactions (as fear, anxiety and anger) but also in memory and emotional learning.
1 lt means that if you experience, for example, something fearful, amygdala makes sure that you ..................... it.