Central nervous system neural circuits related to cognition and emotion regulation

The term "Central nervous system neural circuits related to cognition and emotion regulation" refers not to a single molecule or receptor but rather to interconnected brain regions that collectively support higher-order processes such as thinking, decision-making, emotional experience, and control over emotional responses. Key structures include areas of the prefrontal cortex—such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), orbitofrontal cortex—and subcortical regions like the amygdala and ventral striatum. These networks enable both bottom-up processing from subcortical affective centers and top-down modulation by frontal executive areas. Dysfunction in these circuits is implicated across multiple psychiatric conditions including mood disorders and anxiety. However, this entry does not correspond to a discrete therapeutic target such as a receptor or enzyme but instead describes complex functional systems composed of many molecular entities. Note: This is not considered a canonical therapeutic target suitable for drug development databases because it does not refer to an individual molecule/protein/receptor/enzyme/transporter but rather an anatomical/functional network comprising many such targets.

Other names

CNS neural circuits for cognition and emotionNeural substrates of cognitive emotion regulationEmotion regulation neural circuitryCircuits underlying cognitive-emotional processing