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15.3: The Biology of Emotions

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    Diving into the Underlying Biology of Emotional Development

    The limbic system, which is the area of the brain involved in emotion and memory Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)), includes the hypothalamus, thalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus. The hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system of any emotional reaction. The thalamus serves as a sensory relay center whose neurons project to the amygdala and the higher cortical regions for further processing. The amygdala plays a role in processing emotional information (Fossati, 2012). The hippocampus is the area that integrates emotional experience with cognition (Femenía, Gómez-Galán, Lindskog, & Magara, 2012)[1].

    The limbic system, which includes the hypothalamus, thalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus, mediates emotional response and memory
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): The limbic system, which includes the hypothalamus, thalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus, mediates emotional response and memory ([1]

    Amygdala

    The amygdala has received a great deal of attention from researchers in understanding the biological basis for emotions, especially fear and anxiety (Blackford & Pine, 2012; Goosens & Maren, 2002; Maren, Phan, & Liberzon, 2013).

    diagram above illustrates the anatomy of the basolateral complex and central nucleus of the amygdala.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): The diagram above illustrates the anatomy of the basolateral complex and central nucleus of the amygdala. Raineki, Cortés, Belnoue, and Sullivan (2012) demonstrated that, in rats, negative early life experiences could alter the function of the amygdala and result in adolescent patterns of behavior that mimic human mood disorders[1].

    Hippocampus

    The hippocampus is also involved in emotional processing. Like the amygdala, research demonstrates that hippocampal structure and function are linked to a variety of mood and anxiety disorders.[1]

    [1]Emotion and Motivation is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by OpenStax

    This page titled 15.3: The Biology of Emotions was last modified on Sun, 15 Jun 2025 23:40:15 GMT and is shared under a mixed 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Amanda Taintor (ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative) .