limbického

Limbic system, and the adjective limbický in some languages such as Czech or Slovak, refers to a group of brain structures involved in emotion, memory, and arousal. The term limbic derives from Latin limbus, meaning border, reflecting its position around the border between the old cortex and deeper subcortical regions.

Key components include the hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, thalamic nuclei (notably the anterior nuclei), cingulate and parahippocampal gyri, fornix, mammillary bodies, septal nuclei, and the nucleus accumbens. In modern neuroscience the limbic system is described as a distributed network rather than a single anatomical shell, with extensive bidirectional connections linking limbic and cortical areas.

Functions encompass emotional processing, memory formation and retrieval, motivation and reward, olfactory-emotional associations, and autonomic and endocrine regulation via the hypothalamus. The limbic circuits influence behavior, stress responses, and learning, particularly for emotionally charged or salient experiences.

Historically, the term was popularized by Paul MacLean in the 1950s to describe these border structures; earlier conceptions by Broca referred to a limbic lobe. Today, the idea persists as a useful framework, though many researchers view it as a functional network rather than a discrete anatomical entity.

Clinical relevance includes memory impairment from hippocampal damage, altered fear and emotion processing from amygdala lesions, and conditions such as limbic encephalitis, epilepsy with limbic involvement, and some affective disorders.