The amygdaloid complex: anatomy and physiology
- PMID: 12843409
- DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00002.2003
The amygdaloid complex: anatomy and physiology
Abstract
A converging body of literature over the last 50 years has implicated the amygdala in assigning emotional significance or value to sensory information. In particular, the amygdala has been shown to be an essential component of the circuitry underlying fear-related responses. Disorders in the processing of fear-related information are likely to be the underlying cause of some anxiety disorders in humans such as posttraumatic stress. The amygdaloid complex is a group of more than 10 nuclei that are located in the midtemporal lobe. These nuclei can be distinguished both on cytoarchitectonic and connectional grounds. Anatomical tract tracing studies have shown that these nuclei have extensive intranuclear and internuclear connections. The afferent and efferent connections of the amygdala have also been mapped in detail, showing that the amygdaloid complex has extensive connections with cortical and subcortical regions. Analysis of fear conditioning in rats has suggested that long-term synaptic plasticity of inputs to the amygdala underlies the acquisition and perhaps storage of the fear memory. In agreement with this proposal, synaptic plasticity has been demonstrated at synapses in the amygdala in both in vitro and in vivo studies. In this review, we examine the anatomical and physiological substrates proposed to underlie amygdala function.
Similar articles
-
Different types of fear-conditioned behaviour mediated by separate nuclei within amygdala.Nature. 1997 Jul 24;388(6640):377-80. doi: 10.1038/41097. Nature. 1997. PMID: 9237754
-
Effects of the mGluR8 agonist (S)-3,4-DCPG in the lateral amygdala on acquisition/expression of fear-potentiated startle, synaptic transmission, and plasticity.Neuropharmacology. 2006 Feb;50(2):154-64. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2005.08.002. Epub 2005 Sep 26. Neuropharmacology. 2006. PMID: 16188284
-
The indirect amygdala-dorsal striatum pathway mediates conditioned freezing: insights on emotional memory networks.Neuroscience. 2008 Apr 22;153(1):84-94. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.02.013. Epub 2008 Feb 19. Neuroscience. 2008. PMID: 18367339
-
Interneurons in the basolateral amygdala.Neuropharmacology. 2011 Apr;60(5):765-73. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2010.11.006. Epub 2010 Nov 18. Neuropharmacology. 2011. PMID: 21093462 Review.
-
Amygdala, long-term potentiation, and fear conditioning.Neuroscientist. 2005 Feb;11(1):75-88. doi: 10.1177/1073858404270857. Neuroscientist. 2005. PMID: 15632280 Review.
Cited by
-
Negative family and interpersonal relationship are associated with centromedial amygdala functional connectivity alterations in adolescent depression.Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2024 May 14. doi: 10.1007/s00787-024-02456-0. Online ahead of print. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2024. PMID: 38743107
-
Selective disrupted gray matter volume covariance of amygdala subregions in schizophrenia.Front Psychiatry. 2024 Apr 29;15:1349989. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1349989. eCollection 2024. Front Psychiatry. 2024. PMID: 38742128 Free PMC article.
-
Pathophysiology in cortico-amygdala circuits and excessive aversion processing: the role of oligodendrocytes and myelination.Brain Commun. 2024 Apr 18;6(3):fcae140. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae140. eCollection 2024. Brain Commun. 2024. PMID: 38712320 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Synergism between two BLA-to-BNST pathways for appropriate expression of anxiety-like behaviors in male mice.Nat Commun. 2024 Apr 24;15(1):3455. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-47966-2. Nat Commun. 2024. PMID: 38658548 Free PMC article.
-
Longitudinal microstructural changes in 18 amygdala nuclei resonate with cortical circuits and phenomics.Commun Biol. 2024 Apr 18;7(1):477. doi: 10.1038/s42003-024-06187-5. Commun Biol. 2024. PMID: 38637627 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources