Neurobiology of the emotions

Background: The "nature" of emotions is one of the archaic subjects of the western thought, being the theme choice in diverse manifestations of culture - as in art, religion, philosophy and science - from time immemorial. In recent years the advances in Neurosciences have made it possible to build hypotheses to explain emotions, a possibility derived particularly from the studies involving the limbic system. Objectives: To present an updated discussion about the neurobiology of the processes relating to emotions and their connections with neurovegetative control. Methods: Review of the literature on the subject. Results: An updated account of the main neural structures related with emotions, the pathways and circuits of greater relevance as well as the regarding neurotransmitters. The neurobiological aspects of emotions are also discussed. Discussion: It is expected that the present paper can contribute to the dissemination of ideas about the limbic system, hopefully motivating future studies able to elucidate points still to be approached.