By exploring the functions of the limbic system and its impact on bodily processes, as well as its connection to chronic conditions like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/ME/SEID), is key to realizing how targeting limbic system can aid healing.
Just because it’s located in the brain and tied to emotions doesn’t mean it’s all in your head ! However, by engaging with the limbic system in a way it understands, by speaking its own language, we can break the cycle of mechanisms that contribute to persistent conditions like chronic pain, chronic fatigue syndrome and other similar health issues.
Part One: The Limbic System Explained
The limbic system is a fascinating part of our brain that acts as the command center for our emotions and instincts. Think of it as your emotional headquarters—it plays a vital role in how we feel, react, and even remember. . Nestled deep within the brain, this complex network of structures plays a crucial role in regulating various body functions and behaviors .
Key Components of the Limbic System
Now, let’s dive a little deeper into the key components of the limbic system. Picture them as specialized departments in a grand city hall, each responsible for different aspects of our emotional and cognitive lives.
– Amygdala: Often described as the emotional powerhouse of the brain, the amygdala is all about emotions, especially fear. It helps us process emotional reactions and is crucial in the formation of memories related to those emotions.
– Hippocampus: This is the brain’s memory-maker. The hippocampus is involved in forming new memories and connecting them to emotions and senses. it helps in converting short-term memories into long-term ones, categorizing and filing away memories for easy future retrieval.
– Hypothalamus: This little structure works maintaining our body’s homeostasis. It regulates autonomic functions like hunger, thirst, body temperature, and the body’s response to stress. It acts as a link between the nervous system and the endocrine system, ensuring our bodies remain in balance.
– Thalamus: Think of the thalamus as the brain’s relay station. It directs sensory signals to the appropriate areas of the brain. It’s key in processing sensory information and regulating consciousness, sleep, and alertness.
– Cingulate Gyrus: Involved in emotional regulation, pain processing, and linking emotional responses to memories.
– Basal Ganglia: Associated with the regulation of voluntary movements, habits, and emotional behaviors.
Other structures that may also be considered part of the limbic system include the mammillary bodies and the parahippocampal gyrus, which are involved in memory processing and spatial memory.
These components work together like a well-synchronized orchestra, each contributing to the symphony of our emotional and physiological responses.
Limbic System Function
-Emotion and Behavior Regulation: This system is deeply involved in processing emotions. Whether you’re feeling joy, anger, or sadness, your limbic system is at work. It helps interpret emotional experiences and respond accordingly. The amygdala, a key component of the limbic system, is involved in processing emotional responses, particularly fear and anxiety.
-Memory Formation and Recall: The limbic system, especially the hippocampus, plays a vital role in forming new memories (both short-term and long-term) and recalling past experiences. It helps create spatial memories that aid in navigation and remembering locations. Have you ever smelled a familiar perfume that suddenly brought back a flood of memories? That’s your limbic system in action, specifically the hippocampus.
-Motivation and Reward: The limbic system is involved in the brain’s reward and pleasure centers, influencing motivation and goal-directed behavior. The nucleus accumbens, part of the limbic system, is associated with the experience of pleasure and reward.
-Olfaction (Sense of Smell):The limbic system is closely connected to the olfactory cortex and plays a role in processing and responding to smells. The amygdala is involved in the emotional response to smells, while the entorhinal cortex is associated with olfactory memories.
-Appetite and Eating Behaviors: The limbic system, particularly the amygdala and hypothalamus, influences food choice, emotional modulation of food intake, and the regulation of appetite and satiety.
-Stress Response: The limbic system, especially the hypothalamus, is involved in the body’s stress response by mediating how an organism responds to unpleasant or fearful stimuli. It helps regulate the autonomic nervous system and hormone production in response to stress.
-Homeostasis: The hypothalamus, a key component of the limbic system, helps maintain homeostasis by regulating various physiological processes such as body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and the sleep-wake cycle.
By playing a part in determining how we react to stress, the limbic system’s functions can directly influence not only our moment-to-moment reactions but also our overall well-being. This is where the interaction between the limbic system and conditions like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/ME/SEID) comes into the picture.
Connection to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
The Limbic System’s Contribution to CFS Genesis
Some Theories:
Understanding the connection between the limbic system and chronic fatigue syndrome is key to realizing how targeting limbic system can aid healing. Co-conditioning theory and other related theories provide a framework for understanding how targeting the limbic system can be beneficial in treating chronic fatigue syndrome. Here’s an overview of relevant theories that support this approach:
- Cell Danger Response Theory
The cell danger response, also known as cellular stress response or xenosis, is a phenomenon that occurs when an organism is exposed to trauma, whether physical, emotional, or psychological. When the body perceives harm, it triggers a response to protect itself from further damage. As Naviaux and trauma science show, despite the fact that a serious disease like ME/CFS/SEID might start off after a stressor like an infection, a vaccine, or a stressful or traumatic event, that trigger isn’t the one thing that causes the disease, but rather a series of long-term exposures.
Implication: This puts trauma, social stress, physical restraint, coping mechanisms, self-perception and other stuff into the treatment perspective as well.
- Co-Conditioning Theory
Co-conditioning theory suggests that chronic fatigue syndrome may arise from a combination of physiological stressors and psychological conditioning. This theory posits that:
– Conditioned Responses: Individuals with CFS may develop conditioned responses to stressors, leading to a persistent state of hyperarousal and fatigue. For instance, if a person experiences fatigue after a stressful event, their brain may begin to associate fatigue with stress, creating a feedback loop that perpetuates the condition.
– Neuroplasticity: The theory emphasizes the brain’s ability to change and adapt (neuroplasticity). By retraining the limbic system through targeted exercises and therapies, individuals can potentially rewire their responses to stress and reduce symptoms associated with CFS.
- Limbic Kindling Theory
– Concept: This theory suggests that repeated exposure to stressors can lead to a “kindling” effect, where the limbic system becomes increasingly sensitive to stimuli. This heightened sensitivity can result in chronic stress responses and symptoms of CFS.
– Implication: By targeting the limbic system through retraining techniques, individuals may be able to reduce this sensitivity and break the cycle of chronic stress responses.
- Central Sensitization Theory
– Concept: Central sensitization refers to the phenomenon where the central nervous system becomes sensitized to pain and other stimuli, leading to heightened perceptions of discomfort and fatigue.
– Relevance: This theory aligns with the idea that limbic system dysfunction can contribute to the experience of chronic pain and fatigue. By retraining the limbic system, individuals may reduce central sensitization and alleviate symptoms of CFS.
- Neurobiological Models of Stress Response
– Concept: Various neurobiological models highlight the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and neurotransmitter systems in stress responses. Dysregulation of these systems can contribute to conditions like CFS.
– Application: Targeting the limbic system may help restore balance to these neurobiological pathways, improving stress regulation and reducing symptoms.
- Psychosomatic Theory
– Concept: This theory posits that psychological factors can significantly influence physical health. Stress, anxiety, and emotional trauma can manifest as physical symptoms, including fatigue.
– Relevance: By addressing the psychological aspects of CFS through limbic system retraining, individuals may experience improvements in their physical symptoms as well.
Evidence from Recent Studies
As science dives deeper into the relationship between CFS and the limbic system, recent studies have shed light on tangible evidence supporting this link. Here’s what researchers have found:
– Brain Imaging Studies: MRI and PET scans have revealed altered brain activity patterns in CFS patients, particularly in areas led by the limbic system, like the amygdala and hippocampus.
– Stress Hormone Research: It’s found that cortisol levels, a key stress hormone managed by the limbic-influenced HPA axis, are often irregular in those with CFS. This supports the idea of an underlying stress response dysregulation.Recent mainstream research indicates that individuals with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) often experience mild hypocortisolism, a diminished daily fluctuation in cortisol levels, a lack of responsiveness in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and an increased negative feedback mechanism from the HPA axis.
– Behavioral Studies: People with CFS often report high sensitivity to stress and emotions, aligning with limbic system overactivity theories.
Perpetuation of CFS by the Limbic System
So, after the “one too many” event, our brain finally goes into survival mode until our autonomic nervous system gets the message it’s okay to come out. In fact, Naviaux says that ME/CFS/SEID symptoms don’t mean you’ve got broken mitochondria, faulty genes, or nutritional deficiencies as much as they mean that your body’s set on maintaining hibernation and freezing in every way possible (cell function, physiology, hormones, emotions, etc.)
The Role of Stress and Emotional Regulation
For those battling CFS, stress and emotional turbulence can feel overwhelming. The limbic system, integral to processing these emotions, can unfortunately fuel the fire:
– Prolonged Stress Response: The limbic system can keep the body in a prolonged state of stress even with low-level stressors, similar to leaving a light on that slowly drains your energy.
– Inadequate Emotional Regulation: Without effective regulation of emotions, the limbic system can drive feelings of hopelessness or anxiety that make CFS symptoms worse.
– Feedback Loops: Stress from dealing with CFS can create negative feedback loops, perpetuating fatigue and emotional distress.
Interaction with Other Brain Networks
The brain operates like an orchestra, with different networks playing together harmoniously. However, when the limbic system is overworked, it can affect the entire symphony:
– Default Mode Network (DMN): This network is active during rest and rumination. If it’s in constant contact with a hyperactive limbic system, it could lead to repetitive negative thinking, draining mental energy.
– Salience Network: This network helps to focus our attention on what’s important. With limbic system dysregulations, it might misinterpret signals, bringing undue attention to fatigue and discomfort.
– Autonomic Nervous System: The limbic system’s struggles can cause imbalances in the autonomic nervous system, leading to symptoms like increased heart rate that further wear down energy levels.
Persistent Fatigue Mechanisms
When talking about CFS, “perpetual fatigue” is a phrase that frequently comes up. Here’s how the limbic system might be behind this ongoing battle with fatigue:
– Neuroinflammation: Chronic limbic activation can lead to neuroinflammation, making the brain work harder to manage basic tasks, leading to feelings of exhaustion.
– Hormonal Imbalances: Again, with the HPA axis at its mercy, the limbic system can push hormonal systems into disarray, leading to symptoms like disrupted sleep, which play directly into constant fatigue.
When the HPA axis is stuck in “saving cortisol” mode, it causes the adrenal glands to produce less cortisol, which can lead to symptoms similar to adrenal fatigue.
– Energy Misallocation: With the brain hogging all the energy to manage stress signals, your body is left running on empty, making fatigue an all-too-common companion.
Signaling danger through the body and maintaining survival mode with the limbic system are inextricably linked. In terms of healing, it is essential to target both. Let’s continue to shed light on this intricate relationship and work towards solutions that alleviate the immense burden of CFS/ME/SEID.
→ NEXT Limbic System Retraining: A New Hope for CFS Sufferers ? Part Two: How It Works and What Are the Benefits
→ NEXT Limbic System Retraining: A New Hope for CFS Sufferers ? Part Three: Effective Use In Practice
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