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.

• 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.

• Short-Term and Working Memory

  • The limbic system of the brain (including the hippocampus and amygdala) is not necessarily directly involved in long-term memory, but it selects particular information from short-term memory and consolidates these memories by playing them like a continuous tape.

• Cerebral Hemispheres and Lobes of the Brain

  • The hippocampus plays a key role in the formation of emotion-laden, long-term memories based on emotional input from the amygdala.

• Olfaction: The Nasal Cavity and Smell

  • Human and animal brains have this in common: the amygdala, which is involved in the processing of fear, causes olfactory memories of threats to lead animals to avoid dangerous situations.

• Amnesia

  • This is because for the first year or two of life, brain structures such as the limbic system (which holds the hippocampus and the amygdala and is vital t0 memory storage) are not yet fully developed.