Sub-cortical Structures

Patient H.M. had his medial temporal lobes removed to treat severe epilepsy. Afterwards he could no longer form new long-term memories, though his short-term memory and procedural skills were intact. Which structure, destroyed in the surgery, explains this deficit?

Below the cortex lies a set of structures that regulate emotion, memory, motivation, and the relay of sensory information. These sub-cortical areas are not visible from the brain's surface — they are buried deep within.

This quiz covers six key sub-cortical structures: the amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, and corpus callosum.

Rather than pointing to a region on a diagram, you will answer questions about what each structure does and what happens when it is damaged or disrupted — the clinically essential knowledge.

6
Intermediate
~9 min
6
AmygdalaHippocampusThalamusHypothalamusBasal gangliaCorpus callosum