Figure 1.

Schematic illustration of the location and key functions of limbic brain areas that play an integrated role in cognitive, emotional, and visceral control processes important for allostasis, allostatic load, and stress responding. Each of the three brain areas is discussed in detail in the text in relation to both animal model studies that focus on what happens at the cellular and molecular levels and studies on the human brain using functional and structural imaging and neuropsychological and neuroendocrine assessments.