Damage To The Amygdala

In the addition to the hormone testosterone, other biological factors such as brain structures contribute to the behaviour of aggression. The amygdala is a part of the limbic system which is located in the frontal lobe of the brain. The amygdala is considered to function or mediate the expression of rage and fear. Research was conducted of rhesus Monkeys to determine if the amygdala was responsible for the behaviour of rage (Harry Harlow,1955). Researchers removed this region to determine the effect on the aggressive monkeys. The removal of the amygdala caused the monkeys to act lethargic and docile and inability to respond or to recognise possible threats. This research displayed the function of the amygdala in determining the fight or flight response in dangerous situations, contributing to when a human or animal should display aggressive behaviour. Therefore the amygdala’s role in regulating

Posttraumatic stress disorder also most known at PTSD is what someone goes through after being in combat, assault, or disaster1. After the trauma someone people may have stress however, if it has been a long period of time that person may have PTSD. It is important to see a doctor if you feel you may be suffering from PTSD. Symptoms of Posttraumatic stress disorder could be distressed memories of the experience, increased jumpiness, or even troubled sleeping. There has been research that could help cease the symptoms of PTSD. There are ways to avoid re-experiencing symptoms such as, not visiting the places, events, or objects that would remind you of the experience, and feeling of strong guilt or depression. There is another symptom called

The term ‘amygdala’ was first used by Burdach (1819) and referred to a set of nuclei in the brain (Aggleton & Saunders, 2000). In 1939, researchers Klüver & Bucy inflicted bilateral lesions of the inferior temporal lobe of monkeys in a laboratory in an attempt to reduce aggression. These lesions affected the cortical areas, amygdala, and the hippocampus. Later this became known as Klüver-Bucy syndrome, and consisted of symptoms such as psychic blindness, hypermetamorphsis, oral tendencies, and changes in emotional and sexual behaviors. Lesions of the amygdala made monkeys fearless of e.g. humans or snakes, and affectively flat, tame. This research brought recognition to the notion that the amygdala plays a significant role in the

Emotions run the world: many buy the “perfect dress” to feel confident, others run for fun, and others sleep as their sadness increases. Thus, in a world where emotions lead, mankind struggles to reason. Dr. Mark G. Baxter, a neuroscientist at Harvard University, and Dr. Elisabeth A. Murray, a Senior Investigator at the National Institute of Mental Health, are perfect examples of why many professionals in the science and medical field should start to investigate the amygdala, an “almond-shaped group of nuclein” associated with emotion, due to it being one of the most important parts of the brain as it is what defines what people do in their everyday basis. Nature, one of the most respected journals in the scientific community, published Dr. Baxter and Dr. Murray’s “The Amygdala and Reward” on July 2002 Nature Publishing Group arguing through ethos and logical appeals that the amygdala processes reward in the brain as well a negative emotions. Both neuroscientists prove the importance of understanding the connections between reward and emotions by analyzing their experiments performed on moneys and other primates, and including facts and statistics from other scientists and doctors. This well crafted article conscientiously analyzes how the amygdala’s role in stimulus-reward learning might be just as important as its role in processing negative fear and conditioning by providing credibility, reliability, logic, and reason to the audience.

Signal processing within the amygdala is further regulated by interactions with a network of external structures. In particular, the dMT and its projections to the CeL have been demonstrated to play a role in fear memory retrieval. Notably, the dMT is assumed to be extensively modulated by opioids considering its innervation with opioidergic fibers and the high expression levels of MORs. Previous studies have reported the MOR system in the PVT, as part of the dMT, to be involved in managing physical pain. Moreover, social pain, which describes social rejection, being excluded or not being liked by others and which is associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression, appears to involve the MOR system in the PVT (Hsu et al). However, so far a direct implication of

Research has shown that early exposure to circumstances that produce persistent fear and chronic anxiety can have lifelong consequences by disrupting the developing architecture of the brain (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2010). Changes in the brain activity and have been shown to have long-term, adverse consequences for learning, behavior, and health (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2010). Research as shown that several parts of the brain are key actors in the production of fear and anxiety (National Institute of Mental Health, 2014). Using brain imaging technology and neurochemical techniques, scientists have discovered that the amygdala and the

People can then use this knowledge to guide their actions so that we don't upset or anger them. In the last decade, it has been nudged firmly to one side by evidence, that we are Homo empathicus - wired for empathy (Krznaric xii). Biologically, our emotions are processed by the amygdala, a part of the brain that is responsible for emotion. The amygdala is part of the limbic system in the brain. The limbic system is a doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres. It is associated with emotions such as fear and aggression and drives such as those for food and sex. It includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus (Dartmouth). Experiments have been done on monkeys where their amygdala was surgically lesioned. The result was a monkey, which was originally ill-tempered, that would remain calm no matter what you did to it (Teddy Brain). The amygdala thus links to the empathy people feel during their normal

The Amygdala associates experiences and things in this world to emotional reactions that we have.

Two structures in the brain work independently and with each other to impact memory and emotions: the amygdala and the hippocampus. The amygdala is linked to fear-conditioning, while the hippocampus is linked to episodic memories, which are those memories that a person can recall whenever wanted [1]. An experiment was performed to demonstrate the independence of the two structures from each other which involved patients with lesions in the amygdala and patients with lesions in the hippocampus. Researchers designed a fear-condition wherein a blue patch applied to the wrist initiated a shock. They found that patients with lesions in the amygdala had no physiological response to the conditioned stimulus (the blue patch) [2], whereas patients with lesions in the hippocampus demonstrated appropriate

One study found that patients with GAD possessed higher amygdala volumes than the control group of healthy patients (Neurobiology and Genetics, 2011). The amygdala is a part in the brain that is the centralizing hub for motivation, emotions, and emotional behavior (neuroscience.edu). The amygdala communicates in both directions, using both afferent and efferent fibers. If there is a disruption in the connection of the amygdala then it would affect things such as emotion, motivation, and emotional behavior (Neurobiology and Genetics, 2011). When your brain is trying to process a threat, hyperactivity and hyper-arousal of the amygdala is associated with anxiety disorder abnormalities (Neurobiology and Genetics, 2011). It was observed that people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder are not able to conclude the “worry process” as easily as non-affected people (Neurobiology and Genetics,

(Tonya Hines 2013) The cerebrum is the one that affects reasoning and emotions. But there are smaller parts to the three main areas; the smaller part of the brain that manages emotional reactions is the Anterior Cingulate Cortex(ACC). If something were to happen to the ACC or the cerebrum, the things that control, the emotions and reactions to these emotions could be bad, and could cause depression or anxiety The brain has so many cells, which contain DNA, which has information to choose which genes are used. When we grow we create DNA, sometimes when you copy DNA it can cause gene mutation which can cause a rise in disabilities or disorders. There are many ways that a brain can change; these are only a few that I feel are important to the topic. The brain is very interesting, there are so many things going on at one time that the thoughts can change the way a certain part of the brain works is so

The stress of feeling afraid and anxious causes the body to release cortisol (a steroid hormone). This continuous release of cortisol may damage the amygdala; thus, causing the absence of neurons once the child becomes an adult. For this reason, early diagnosis and intervention is essential.

The amygdala is made up of a group of nuclei located in the medial temporal lobe of the brain. (Mannironi, et al., 2013) The amygdala is believed to be key in stress response integration with its extensive network of efferent outcrops to other regions of the brain. (Mannironi, et al., 2013) Stress mediators such as adrenaline, cortisol, and corticotrophin releasing hormone, contribute to neuronal operative change and plasticity that are instrumental contributory to the stress response. (Mannironi, et al., 2013) Acute psychological stress creates a instant surge of hormone release, neuronal activation, and neurotransmission. (Mannironi, et al., 2013) This activation has an intense effect on the brain, leading to structural modification in the synaptic connectivity and dendritic spine morphology. (Mannironi, et al., 2013)

Having a "bad experience" causes us to later be stressed in that situation, i.e. pairing a neutral stimulus with a painful, scary experience will condition a fear response to the previously neutral stimulus. Fears and other weaknesses may yield payoffs; the payoffs (like attention or dependency) cause the fear to grow. Avoiding frightening situations may reinforce and build fears and stress.