The thalamus relays almost all the sensory input to the cerebral cortex. It provides crude perception of touch, pressure, pain and temperature. The thalamus also includes nuclei involved in movement, planning and control.
The Hypothalamus controls and integrates activities of the autonomic nervous system and pituitary gland. It also regulates emotional and behavioral patterns and circadian rhythms of daily living. It also controls body temperature, regulates eating and drinking, helps maintain the waking state and establishing patterns of sleep. The Hypothalamus also produces the hormones oxytocin and antidiuretic hormone.
While learning about the hypothalamus, I also Learned that it is part of our Limbic system. Our Limbic system is sometimes referred to as , "the emotional brain". It plays a primary role in a range of emotions, including pain, pleasure, docility, affection and anger.
If the hypothalamus/limbic controls our emotions, behavior and memory, I wonder what makes some people more emotional then others. I was interested to learn that the amygdala which is one of the basal nuclei of the cerebrum, produces a behavioral pattern called rage. It is thought to be the negative aspect of our emotions. It was then discussed in class that there have been thoughts of removing this part of the brain to see how it affects criminals, people in jail, etc. I wanted to know more about this idea and if anyone has ever tried it. I decided to do some research. In the Handbook of Psychological Approaches by Bincent B. Van Hasselt and Michel Hersen, I learned that the most common symptoms of amygdala removal include placidity and an absence of fear, rage, aggression, hypersexuality, hyperorality and social initiation. Based on these observations, amygdalectomy, or surgical removal of the amygdala, has been performed in over 500 cases across several countries for the treatment of violent criminals. This surgery has been demonstrated to be adequately effective in reducing aggressive behavior, with a success rate of 75 to 85%. This surgery in not favored in the United States as of now.
After reading this, I wondered what damage to the Hypothalamus would cause. Weight regulation, and sugar and fat metabolism are related to the hypothalamic processes. Disruption in the functioning of, or destruction in this area causes an imbalance in drive states resulting in such symptoms as anorexia. Under the same article of Psychological approaches, I learned that the hypothalamus may play a role in eating disorders. This interested me because I had a friend back in high school who had an eating disorder. Some people thought it was due to stress and negatives in her life. I now wonder if any of her symptoms were a results of damage to her hypothalamus or Limbic system.
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