Topics and Speakers David A. Ruggiero, PhD
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Synopsis
The appropriate regulation of emotions is critical to healthy functioning. In this lecture, Dr David A. Ruggiero examines the limbic system, the brain region most closely associated with emotional and visceral regulations. He describes cutting edge research on the neural circuits involved in this system as well as the pathogenic mechanisms that create limbic dysregulation.
The functions of the limbic system are complex. A conceptual construct, the limbic system refers to phylogenetically primitive cortical associational areas and affiliated subcortical structures, such as the hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, and related areas. The limbic system networks coordinate behavioral, autonomic, and endocrine adjustments required to maintain cellular homeostasis. These networks also regulate perceptions, process fundamental drives, and evoke instinctual reactions. Long-term potentiation in these loops creates reinforcement of response, whether adaptive or maladaptive.
Dr Ruggiero describes the brain circuits involved in regulating emotions. The mesocortex perceives mental and physiological stress through inputs from the thalamus. The thalamus in turn projects information to the mesocortex. Together, the mesocortex and thalamus form a reciprocally interconnected, neurohumerally modulated loop that is involved in learning, memory, and conditioning of adaptive or maladaptive behaviors.
Two broad classes of stimuli can trigger emotional and visceral reactions: social environmental cues and physiological stress. As Dr Ruggiero phrases it, the entire limbic network serves as a large memory bank, learning from past experiences to react appropriately or inappropriately. For example, children of clinically depressed parents may have a greater tendency to develop depression themselves not only because they share a genetic vulnerability but also because they have learned to react to stressful situations with feelings of helplessness.
Current research is focusing on the importance of early environmental stress on the pathogenesis of emotional and visceral disease. Stress and signals from the environment are perceived, incorporated into memory, and processed to influence behavior and visceral reflex function. In utero, the fetus processes maternal environmental cues along with information about its visceral milieu through the limbic lobe.
In the child, stressful events such as parental neglect can trigger emotional dysregulation. Conversely, nurturing environments during early childhood will reinforce adaptive emotional and visceral pathways that will promote appropriate responses for years to come.
