Previous studies have shown that the amygdala (AMG) plays a role in how affective signals are processed. Animal research has allowed this role to be better understood and has assigned to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) an important role in threat perception. Here we show that, when passively exposed to bodily threat signals during a facial expressions recognition task, humans with bilateral BLA ...

The amygdala is a heterogeneous structure that has been implicated in a wide variety of functions, most notably in fear conditioning. From this research, an influential serial model of amygdala processes has emerged in which aversive learning is mediated by the amygdala basolateral nucleus whereas performance, in this case of various defensive reflexes, is mediated by the central nucleus. By co...

Molecular identification and characterization of fear controlling circuitries is a promising path towards developing targeted treatments of fear-related disorders. Three-color in situ hybridization analysis was used to determine whether somatostatin (SOM, Sst), neurotensin (NTS, Nts), corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF, Crf), tachykinin 2 (TAC2, Tac2), protein kinase c-δ (PKC-δ, Prkcd), and do...

Consistent with the hypothesis that the amygdala is central to fear activation, brain imaging studies show that fear stimuli activate the amygdala, even when conscious recognition is prevented by backward masking. The bulk of the data suggest that the amygdala can be activated from potentially accessible but unattended fear stimuli. Activation of the amygdala facilitates low level visual proces...

The amygdala is intimately involved in emotional behavior, and its role in the generation of anxiety and conditioned fear is well known. Benzodiazepines, which are commonly used for the relief of anxiety, are thought to act by enhancing the action of the inhibitory transmitter GABA. We have examined the properties of GABA-mediated inhibition in the amygdala. Whole-cell recordings were made from...

The primate amygdaloid complex is a prominent structure in the medial temporal lobe that comprises a variety of cytoarchitectonically distinct nuclei and cortical regions. The present study employed immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization techniques to determine the distribution of GABAergic cells, fibers, and terminals in the macaque monkey amygdala. Using a monoclonal antibody to GABA, ...

Genetic and Functional Cartography of the Central Amygdala

The amygdala has been implicated in processing information about the emotional significance of the environment and in the expression of emotions, through robust pathways with prefrontal, anterior temporal areas, and central autonomic structures. We investigated the anatomic organization and intersection of these pathways in the amygdala in rhesus monkeys with the aid of bidirectional, retrograd...

Objective(s) Single injection of naloxone, a selective antagonist of morphine, prior to the drug conditioning testing was used to investigate on morphine dependence. Materials and Methods Conditioning to morphine (2.5-10 mg/kg, s.c.) was established in adult male Wistar rats (weighing 200-250 g) using an unbiased procedure. Nitric oxide agents were microinjected into the central amygdala prior ...