amygdala

Examples of amygdala in the following topics:

• Neural Correlates of Memory Consolidation

  • The hippocampus, amygdala, and cerebellum play important roles in the consolidation and manipulation of memory.
  • The amygdala is involved in memory consolidation—specifically, in how consolidation is modulated.
  • The amygdala is involved in mediating the effects of emotional arousal on the strength of the memory of an event.
  • Even if the amygdala is damaged, memories can still be encoded.
  • The amygdala is involved in enhancing the consolidation of emotional memories.

• Biology of Emotion

  • Its structures include the hypothalamus, thalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus.
  • The amygdala plays a role in processing emotional information and sending that information on to cortical structures.
  • Two parts of the amygdala include the basolateral complex and the central nucleus.
  • Research suggests that the amygdala is involved in mood and anxiety disorders.
  • Its structures include the hypothalamus, thalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus

• The Limbic System

  • There are several important structures within the limbic system: the amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, and cingulate gyrus.
  • The amygdala is a small almond-shaped structure; there is one located in each of the left and right temporal lobes.
  • Known as the emotional center of the brain, the amygdala is involved in evaluating the emotional valence of situations (e.g., happy, sad, scary).
  • The amygdala is also responsible for learning on the basis of reward or punishment.
  • It consists of two horns curving back from the amygdala.

• Conscious vs. Unconscious Emotion

  • The limbic system is a complex set of brain structures that includes the hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and other nearby areas of the brain .
  • Ledoux found two amygdala pathways in the brain regarding the use of fear and emotion conditioning: the low road and the high road.
  • The low road involves a direct emotional pathway to the amygdala designed to protect individuals from life-threatening danger.
  • Visual input is received by the thalamus and projected to the amygdala, which sends signals directly to the areas of the brain responsible for generating self-defense behavior.
  • The high road involves an indirect pathway to the amygdala.

• Limbic System

  • It includes the hippocampus, amygdala, anterior thalamic nuclei, septum, limbic cortex, and fornix, and supports a variety of functions including emotion, behavior, motivation, long-term memory, and olfaction.
  • Amygdala: Involved in signaling the cortex of motivationally-significant stimuli, such as those related to reward and fear, and in social functions, such as mating.
  • The septal nuclei receive reciprocal connections from the olfactory bulb, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, midbrain, habenula, cingulate gyrus, and thalamus.

• Defining Emotion

  • The limbic system includes the amygdala and the hippocampus and functions as the brain’s emotional circuit.
  • Both the amygdala and the hippocampus play a role in normal emotional processing as well as in mood and anxiety disorders.

• Introduction to Anxiety Disorders

  • Such sensory information is processed by the amygdala, which communicates information about potential threats to the rest of the brain.
  • Neurologically speaking, increased amygdala reactivity is correlated with increased fear and anxiety responses.

• Cephalic Phase

  • Neurogenic signals that initiate the cephalic phase of gastric secretion originate from the cerebral cortex, and in the appetite centers of the amygdala and hypothalamus.

• Brain: Midbrain and Brain Stem

  • One important structure within the limbic system is a temporal lobe structure called the amygdala (Greek for "almond").
  • It includes parts of the cerebral cortex located near the center of the brain, including the cingulate gyrus and the hippocampus as well as the thalamus, hypothalamus, and amygdala.

• The Brain

  • The amygdala is a small, almond-shaped structure deep inside the anteroinferior region of the temporal lobe.
  • The amygdala is the center for danger identification, a fundamental part of self-preservation.