ments and sensations of the body. It consists of many sensory and motor nerves.
The central nervous system is made up of the spinal cord, the brainstem, and the forebrain. Since this paper deals with aspects of human behavior, only those structures of the central nervous system which are involved in emotional and behavioral displays are described.
The brainstem is a group of structures at the base of the brain whose actions are similar to those of the autonomic nervous system. Some of these structures play a part in sleep and arousal mechanism, motivation reinforcement, and emotion. The brainstem contains a system of neurons (nerve cells) called the reticular formation. It is believed that this formation functions in warning or focusing the attention of an individual.
Above the brainstem is a large region containing various organs. This area is known as the forebrain and is highly developed in man. It consists of the thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, limbic system, and cortex.
The thalamus is an egg-shaped group of nuclei which is located at the midline of the brain. It processes and channels sensory information to the cortex and is involved in sleep, arousal, and attention-focusing mechanisms.
The hypothalamus is similar in shape and composition to the thalamus and is embedded in the base of the brain. Unlike the thalamus however, the hypothalamus exerts a highly extensive control over bodily functions such as eating, drinking sexual behavior, body temperature and many types of emotional behaviors. The hypothalamus works closely with the pituitary gland, a gland which regulates the secretion of vital hormones.
Just in front of the pituitary gland are three structures which are designated as the hippocampus, the amygdala, and the septum. These structures function as a group and are collectively known as the limbic system. The limbic system plays a role in motivation, emotions aggression, and me...