Corpus callosumThe band of fibers that joins the two hemispheres. It is ringed as a landmark and is not a limbic part.
Cingulate gyrusAn arch of cortex just above the corpus callosum. It is part of the limbic lobe.
ThalamusA large oval mass deep in the middle of the brain. Its anterior nuclei take input from the mammillary bodies.
HypothalamusIt lies under the thalamus and regulates many automatic processes. The mammillary bodies are part of it.
FornixA C-shaped nerve fiber bundle. It carries output from the hippocampus to the mammillary bodies.
Mammillary bodyA small round body at the end of the fornix. There is one on each side.
Septal area (septal nuclei)A small area under the front of the corpus callosum. The septal nuclei lie in it.
Parahippocampal gyrusA fold of cortex that surrounds the hippocampus. Behind the corpus callosum it joins the cingulate gyrus.
UncusThe front end of the parahippocampal gyrus, bent back like a hook.
Through the side 3
HippocampusA curved ridge deep in the temporal lobe. It helps turn short-term memories into long-term ones.
AmygdalaA small body deep in the temporal lobe. It sits at the front end of the hippocampus and is a center for emotions.
Olfactory bulbThe oval body under the frontal lobe that handles smell. It sends signals on to the amygdala and the hippocampus.
How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-10-01 in at least two of these. (1) Wikipedia, English edition, Limbic system and the article on each part, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbic_system (which parts are counted as limbic; where each lies). (2) Neuroscience Online, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Section 4, Chapters 5 and 6, https://nba.uth.tmc.edu/neuroscience/m/s4/chapter05.html and https://nba.uth.tmc.edu/neuroscience/m/s4/chapter06.html (the limbic system, the hippocampus and fornix, the amygdala). (3) Henry Gray, Anatomy of the Human Body (1918), The Fore-brain or Prosencephalon, https://www.bartleby.com/lit-hub/anatomy-of-the-human-body/4c-the-fore-brain-or-prosencephalon/ (the gyri of the inner face, the fornix, the olfactory bulb). Detail lines are in our own words. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
The first drawing shows the limbic system on the inner face of one half of the brain, labeled part by part. The second looks through the side of the brain at the hippocampus and the amygdala.
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Start at the arch, then go down
Number 1 is the corpus callosum, the landmark. Number 2, the cingulate gyrus, arches over it. Numbers 3 and 4 are the thalamus and the hypothalamus. The fornix, 5, runs under the corpus callosum and ends at the mammillary body, 6. The septal area, 7, is under the front of the corpus callosum. Numbers 8 and 9 follow the lower edge: the parahippocampal gyrus and its hooked front end, the uncus. Through the side, 10 to 12: the hippocampus, the amygdala in front of it and the olfactory bulb under the frontal lobe.
The cingulate gyrus and the parahippocampal gyrus make one ring: they join behind the corpus callosum.
The fornix runs from the hippocampus to the mammillary body. Find those two, then the arch between them.
Questions and answers
What parts make up the limbic system?
Books differ. This drawing rings parts that two of its sources name: the cingulate gyrus, the parahippocampal gyrus, the hippocampus, the amygdala, the fornix, the septal area, the mammillary bodies, the hypothalamus, the thalamus and the olfactory bulb.
Where is the amygdala in a brain labeled from the side?
Deep in the temporal lobe, at the front end of the hippocampus. In the second drawing it is the oval body in front of the long curved one, low in the brain.
What does the fornix connect?
It is a C-shaped nerve fiber bundle and the hippocampus's main output tract. It arches under the corpus callosum and ends at the mammillary bodies.
Is the corpus callosum part of the limbic system?
No. It is the band of fibers that joins the two halves of the brain. It is ringed here as a landmark, because the cingulate gyrus arches over it and the fornix runs under it.
Why is it called limbic?
Limbic comes from a Latin word for border. The parts lie on the border between the cerebral cortex and the structures under it.