According to the Merriam Webster dictionary the amygdala is one of the four basal ganglia in each cerebral hemisphere that is part of the limbic system and consists of an almond-shaped mass of gray matter in the anterior extremity of the temporal lobe. It has long been linked with a person's mental and emotional state. But recently scientific advances, researchers have grasped how important this 1-inch-long structure really is. Associated with a range of mental conditions from normalcy to depression to even autism, the amygdala has become the focal point of numerous research projects.
To this day, we have learned that the amygdala is one of the main areas in our brain responsible for agression, alcoholism, sexual orientation, post traumatic brain disorder, social interaction just to name a few. Or maybe a better way to say it is that there is plenty of electrical activity in that area of the brain that leads us to believe that the amygdala is responsible for the disorders mentioned.
So what happens if a person has damage to the amygdala? Well there was a case where a woman had damage to the amygdala and she was fearless. At one point she was held at gunpoint and with a knife and she reported no fear. She has been the subject of many tests and conclusions are that the damage to the amygdala is what makes her fearless. Now they are linking combat veterans without PTSD with damage to the amygdala. There are still no evidence that that proves that all of this is responsible due to the amygdala but maybe later in the future we will have the answer. I have included a video that talks about the link of PTSD and the amygdala. Enjoy!
Whoa...lol that is crazy that if there is damage to ones amygdala in the brain that it can prevent us from feeling fear. I would be so scared if I was being held at gunpoint. If that part in our brain was damaged then we would basically have no important emotions active. That is kind of scary, good post!
ReplyDeleteI found your blog post on the amygdala very interesting. It's amazing how powerful and influential this 1-inch structure in our brain really is, to say the least. The video you posted on how fear corresponds to the amygdala in PTSD was very informative. I like how the video dwells into the insightful question of whether problems in the amygdala causes PTSD or whether PTSD causes problems in the amygdala. I believe further research should study into this inquiry.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting information about the amygdala. It seems like it is very powerful and can be seen, because it is thought to be the cause of many disorders. I am very interested in reading further research done to find out what more this little thing in our brain and do and if it is as powerful as it is thought to be. Great blog!
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