what is the role of the medial septum in the brain
The septal nuclei receive reciprocal connections from the olfactory bulb, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, midbrain, habenula, cingulate gyrus, and thalamus. The septal area (medial olfactory area) has no relation to the sense of smell, but it is considered a pleasure zone in animals.The septal nuclei play a role in reward and reinforcement along with the nucleus accumbens.In the 1950s, Olds & Milner showed that rats with electrodes implanted in this area will self-stimulate repeatedly (i.e. press a bar to receive electrical current that will stimulate the neurons).ells located in the intermediolateral septum also project through the lateral part of the fimbria to all CA fields of the ventral hippocampus and adjacent subicular and entorhinal cortices. These cells also send fibers through the stria medullaris to the lateral habenular nucleus and mediodorsal thalamic nucleus.