Papez circuit
![](/Images/godic/202502/01/Brain_limbicsystem3545.jpg")
![Caption: In a dissected brain, the inferior medial view shows the limbus shape of the structures of the Papez circuit in the brain.](/Images/godic/202502/01/Human_brain_inferior-medial_view_description_33545.JPG")
![A heuristic model of the neural pathway of the Papez circuit shows the connections between its different parts.](/Images/godic/202502/01/Papez_Circuit3545.jpg")
![Caption: Compared to a healthy individual, Alzheimer's patients experience significantly more brain loss. The neurodegenerative effects of the disease can be seen by comparing the brains of a healthy individual and an Alzheimer's patient.](/Images/godic/202502/01/Alzheimers_brain3545.jpg")
The Papez circuit (or medial limbic circuit), is a neural circuit for the control of emotional expression. In 1937, James Papez proposed that the circuit connecting the hypothalamus to the limbic lobe was the basis for emotional experiences. Paul D. MacLean reconceptualized Papez’s proposal and coined the term limbic system. Maclean redefined the circuit as the "visceral brain" which consisted of the limbic lobe and its major connections in the forebrain – hypothalamus, amygdala, and septum. Over time, the concept of a forebrain circuit for the control of emotional expression has been modulated to include the prefrontal cortex.