Scientific Understanding of Consciousness
Consciousness as an Emergent Property of Thalamocortical Activity

Limbic System Diagram

(Purves; Neuroscience, 695)

Modern conception of the limbic system

Two especially important components of the limbic system not emphasized in early anatomical accounts are the orbital and medial pre­frontal cortex and the amygdala. These two telencephalic regions, together with related structures in the thalamus, hypothalamus and ventral striatum, are especially important in the experience and expression of emotion (colored green).

Other parts of the limbic system, including the hippocampus and the mammillary bodies of the hypothalamus, are no longer considered important neural centers for processing emotion (colored blue).

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