Say Hello To My Limbic Friend
Emotions and behaviors are what drive our clients to us. Emotions and behaviors help design our treatment plans, and psychotropic medication prescriptions. Ultimately the success or failure of our treatment program is defined by our youth’s emotions and behaviors. This edition of Know Your Sheet introduces practitioners to the part of the brain that manages emotions and behaviors.
The Article: A review of systems and networks of the limbic forebrain/limbic midbrain (2005)
Authors: Peter J. Morgane, Janina R. Galler, David J. Mokler
Publishing Journal: Progress in Neurobiology
Research Agency/University: Boston University School of Medicine, University of New England
Funding Source: National Institute of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
In a Nutshell:
This article builds on research dating as far back as 1937 that establishes the limbic system as the survival-emotion behavior brain. The authors illustrate the limbic system as a collection of individual brain structures that work as together to regulate emotional processing. These structures include the cingulate cortex, amygdala, limbic thalamus, hippocampus, and anterior hypothalamus, and more. It appears that the limbic system, far from initiating errors in thinking, is a highly advanced, intelligent, self-organizing system spontaneously adapting to environmental stimuli to optimize individual and species survival.
Why this Article Matters to you:
Contemporary behavior modification programs share the basic premise that changing maladaptive cognitions will reduce delinquent behaviors. They attempt to access the cognitive brain to change youth’ emotions and behaviors. The cognitive brain manages language, reasoning, and complex thinking.
The limbic system is the emotion behavior brain. Emotions and behaviors bring youth into the system, design our treatment plans and psychotropic medication prescriptions, ultimately the success or failure of our program is defined by our youth’ emotions and behaviors.
If our goal is to treat and change the emotions and behaviors of our youth, we have treat the part of the brain that manages emotions and behaviors.
Opportunities for Immediate Application:
Train your staff in healthy limbic system function
Integrate limbic system function into your treatment program
Don’t be confused by the frequency of treatment resistant youth in a treatment program that predominantly employs youth’s cognitive brain