Full Text Full Text (PDF) Correction (v160,p2258) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by Heimer, L. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by Heimer, L. Neurophysiology Other Addictive Disorders Other Neuroscience Other Neuroimaging

A New Anatomical Framework for Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Drug Abuse

Histotechnological breakthroughs in the late 1960s paved the way for anatomical discoveries that led to the concepts of the ventral striatal-pallidal system and the extended amygdala. These two macro-anatomical systems, together with the basal nucleus of Meynert, represent the main components of the new anatomy of the basal forebrain. The concept of the ventral striatal-pallidal system provided the first indication of the existence of parallel cortical-striatal-pallidal-thalamic-cortical circuits, which in turn led to the theory of segregated cortical-subcortical reentrant circuits as a conceptual framework for the study of neuropsychiatric disorders. The multifarious symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders, however, cannot be understood unless the extended amygdala, the basal nucleus of Meynert, and the septal-diagonal band system are also included in such deliberations. All of these systems serve as output channels for activities in the greater limbic lobe, which usually is critically involved in neuropsychiatric disorders. Within the context of the new anatomy of the basal forebrain, structures such as the accumbens, the olfactory tubercle, and the amygdala have lost legitimacy as independent functional-anatomical units at the same time as the major components of the last uncharted territory of the human brain, the substantia innominata, have been identified.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. J. Kish PhD Pharmacologic mechanisms of crystal meth Can. Med. Assoc. J., June 17, 2008; 178(13): 1679 - 1682. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Silbersweig, J. F Clarkin, M. Goldstein, O. F. Kernberg, O. Tuescher, K. N. Levy, G. Brendel, H. Pan, M. Beutel, M. T. Pavony, et al. Failure of Frontolimbic Inhibitory Function in the Context of Negative Emotion in Borderline Personality Disorder Am J Psychiatry, December 1, 2007; 164(12): 1832 - 1841. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. R. WICKENS, C. S. BUDD, B. I. HYLAND, and G. W. ARBUTHNOTT Striatal Contributions to Reward and Decision Making: Making Sense of Regional Variations in a Reiterated Processing Matrix Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., May 1, 2007; 1104(1): 192 - 212. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. R. Marchand and V. Dilda New Models of Frontal-Subcortical Skeletomotor Circuit Pathology in Tardive Dyskinesia Neuroscientist, June 1, 2006; 12(3): 186 - 198. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. M. Miller, S. R. Vorel, A. J. Tranguch, E. T. Kenny, P. Mazzoni, W. G. van Gorp, and H. D. Kleber Anhedonia After a Selective Bilateral Lesion of the Globus Pallidus Am J Psychiatry, May 1, 2006; 163(5): 786 - 788. [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Vataja, T. Pohjasvaara, R. Mantyla, R. Ylikoski, M. Leskela, H. Kalska, M. Hietanen, H. Juhani Aronen, O. Salonen, M. Kaste, et al. Depression-Executive Dysfunction Syndrome in Stroke Patients Am J Geriatr Psychiatry, February 1, 2005; 13(2): 99 - 107. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. HEIMER Acknowledgments of Anatomical Advances Am J Psychiatry, April 1, 2004; 161(4): 768 - 768. [Full Text]

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2003 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us