Technical Tuesday Amygdala
The word amygdala (almond) comes from
the Latin corpus amygdaloideum. It is
located deep inside the brain (see photo).
The amygdala is a set of
neurons, located specifically in the brain’s medial temporal lobe. It is part
of the limbic system, which also includes hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus,
basal ganglia, and cingulate gyrus. Whew!
Here is the really interesting part.
When you think of the amygdala, think “fear”. It is largely responsible for the
feeling of fear, particularly of those things out of our control. The amygdala controls
the way we react to things that cause an emotional response or anything we
perceive as being threatening.
Without an amygdala, there would be no
fear. None at all. This was shown in an experiment on rats. When their amygdala
was removed the rats feared nothing – even cats.
Conditions like anxiety, depression,
PTSD, and even autism are suspected to be linked to abnormal functioning of the
amygdala.
From the Big
Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Anatomical Secret #27nn:
“The amygdale plays a key role in the
processing of emotions.”
Link of the Day:
Quote of the Day:
“I learned
that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave
man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
― Nelson Mandela
― Nelson Mandela
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