> What's the system in our brain that is responsible for behavioral and emotionalresponses?And the answer: Limbic. The brain's limbic system supports a variety of functions including emotion,behavior, and long-term memory. Emotional life is largely housed in the limbicsystem, and it plays an important role in the formation of memories.Photo credit: simplypsychology.com[https://www.simplypsychology.org/limbic-system.html].The word "limbic" comesfrom the Latin word "limbus," meaning border. The limbic system was given thisname because its structures lie along a horseshoe shaped area of the cortex,just between the cerebral cortex and diencephalon. However, there is littleconsensus between scientists as to just what exactly comprises the limbicsystem, with some arguing that it's too simplistic to consider something ascomplex as emotion within a single unit of brain structures. Discourse aside, the limbic system tends to contain several key structures. Theamygdala, for one, is an almond-shaped collection of nuclei in the temporal lobethat is most prominently associated with reactions of fear and anxiety.Meanwhile, the hippocampus connects with the amygdala, and although it'sconsidered part of the limbic system, the hippocampus is generally associatedwith memory rather than emotion. Beyond that, the parahippocampal gyrus,cingulate cortex, septal nuclei, mammillary bodies, fornix and hypothalamus(extra points if you can pronounce them) are all structures that are commonlyassociated with the limbic system's control and release of emotions. Thesebodies, while largely interconnected and complex, are often the site ofscientific research and exploration in this multi-faceted neural system. See these structures for yourself by checking out the video below.