Concept and structure of the amygdala. Amygdala (corpus amygdoloideum)

Introduction

The amygdala is a small, round, almond-shaped collection of gray matter inside each hemisphere of the brain. Most of its fibers are connected to the olfactory organs, a number nerve fibers also approaches the hypothalamus. Functions amygdala, obviously have to do with a person’s mood, feelings, and possibly memory of recent events.

The amygdala has very good connections. When it is damaged by a probe, a scalpel, or disease, or when it is experimentally stimulated, serious emotional changes are observed.

The amygdala is connected to the rest of the nervous system and is strategically located, so it acts as a center for regulating emotions. It receives all the signals coming from the motor cortex, the primary sensory cortex, part of the association cortex, and the parietal and occipital lobes of your brain.

Thus, the amygdala is one of the main feeling centers of the brain, it is connected to all parts of the brain.

The purpose of the work is to study the amygdala, as well as its significance.

Concept and structure of the amygdala

Amygdala, tonsil is an anatomical structure telencephalon, having the shape of an amygdala, belonging to the basal ganglia of the cerebral hemispheres, belongs to the subcortical part of the limbic system.

Figure 1 - Brain formations related to the limbic system: 1 - olfactory bulb; 2 - olfactory pathway; 3 - olfactory triangle; 4 - cingulate gyrus; 5 - gray inclusions; 6 - vault; 7 - isthmus of the cingulate gyrus; 8 - end strip; 9 - hippocampal gyrus; 11 - hippocampus; 12 - mastoid body; 13 - amygdala; 14 - hook

There are two tonsils in the brain - one in each hemisphere. They are located in the white matter inside the temporal lobe of the brain, anterior to the apex of the inferior horn of the lateral ventricle, approximately 1.5-2.0 cm posterior to the temporal pole, bordering the hippocampus.

It consists of three groups of nuclei: basolateral, associated with the cerebral cortex; corticomedial, associated with the structures of the olfactory system, and central, associated with the hypothalamus and brainstem nuclei that control the autonomic functions of the body.

Figure 2 - Location of the amygdala in humans

The amygdala is an important part limbic system brain Its destruction leads to aggressive behavior or an apathetic, lethargic state. Through its connections with the hypothalamus, the amygdala influences endocrine system, as well as on reproductive behavior.

The importance of the amygdala for humans

amygdala defensive body brain

The neurons of the amygdala are diverse in form, function and neurochemical processes in them.

The functions of the amygdala are associated with ensuring defensive behavior, autonomic, motor, emotional reactions, motivation of conditioned reflex behavior. The functions of the amygdala obviously have a direct relationship with a person’s mood, feelings, instincts, and possibly even the memory of recent events.

The electrical activity of the tonsils is characterized by oscillations of different amplitudes and frequencies. Background rhythms can correlate with the rhythm of breathing and heart contractions.

The tonsils react with many of their nuclei to visual, auditory, interoceptive, olfactory, skin irritations, and all these irritations cause a change in the activity of any of the amygdala nuclei, i.e. The amygdala nuclei are multisensory. The reaction of the nucleus to external stimuli lasts, as a rule, up to 85 ms, i.e. significantly less than the reaction to similar stimulation of the neocortex.

Neurons have pronounced spontaneous activity, which can be enhanced or inhibited by sensory stimulation. Many neurons are multimodal and multisensory and fire synchronously with the theta rhythm.

Irritation of the nuclei of the amygdala creates a pronounced parasympathetic effect on the activity of the cardiovascular, respiratory systems, leads to a decrease (rarely to an increase) in blood pressure, a slowdown in heart rate, disruption of the conduction of excitation through the conduction system of the heart, the occurrence of arrhythmias and extrasystoles. Wherein vascular tone may not change. The slowdown in the rhythm of heart contractions when affecting the tonsils has a long latent period and has a long aftereffect.

Irritation of the tonsil nuclei causes respiratory depression and sometimes a cough reaction.

With artificial activation of the tonsil, reactions of sniffing, licking, chewing, swallowing, salivation, and changes in peristalsis appear. small intestine, and the effects occur with great latent period(up to 30-45 s after irritation). Stimulation of the tonsils against the background of active contractions of the stomach or intestines inhibits these contractions. The various effects of irritation of the tonsils are due to their connection with the hypothalamus, which regulates the functioning of internal organs.

The amygdala plays a key role in the formation emotions. In humans and animals, this subcortical brain structure is involved in the formation of both negative (fear) and positive emotions(pleasure).

The amygdala plays important role in the formation of memory associated with emotional events. Disturbances in the functioning of the amygdala cause in people various shapes pathological fear and other emotional disorders.

The amygdala is rich in glucocorticoid receptors and is therefore also particularly sensitive to stress. Overstimulation of the amygdala under conditions of depression and chronic stress is associated with increased anxiety and aggression. Conditions such as anxiety, autism, depression, post-traumatic shock and phobias are thought to be associated with abnormal functioning of the amygdala.

The amygdala has another feature. They are related to visual analyzers, mainly through the cortex, in the area of ​​the back cranial fossa and influence information processing processes in visual and arsenal structures. There are several mechanisms for this effect.

One of them is a kind of “coloring” of incoming visual information due to its own high-energy structures. Firstly, a certain emotional background is superimposed on the information traveling through visual radiation to the cortex. If at this moment the amygdala is overloaded with negative information, then the funniest story will not amuse the person, since the emotional background is not prepared for its analysis.

Secondly, the prevailing emotional background, also associated with the amygdala, affects the body as a whole. Thus, the information returned by these structures and further processed in programs forces a person to switch, for example, from contemplating nature to reading a book, creating a certain mood. After all, if you’re not in the mood, you won’t admire even the most beautiful landscape.

Damage to the amygdala in animals reduces the adequate preparation of the autonomic nervous system for the organization and implementation of behavioral reactions, leading to hypersexuality, the disappearance of fear, calmness, and inability to rage and aggression. Animals become gullible. For example, monkeys with a damaged amygdala calmly approach a viper that previously caused them horror and flight. Apparently, in case of damage to the amygdala, some innate unconditioned reflexes that implement the memory of danger disappear.

Fear is one of the strongest emotions not only in humans, but also in other animals, especially mammals. Scientists It was possible to prove that the protein stathmin is responsible for the functioning of innate and the development of acquired forms of fear. And the highest concentration of this protein is observed in the so-called amygdala- an area of ​​the brain associated with feelings of fear and anxiety. In experimental mice, the gene responsible for the production of stathmin was blocked. Such mice ignored danger - even in situations where other mice sensed it instinctively. For example, they fearlessly walked through open areas of labyrinths, although usually their relatives try to stay in what they consider to be safer, cramped nooks where they are hidden from prying eyes. If ordinary mice, when repeating a sound that had been accompanied by an electric shock the day before, froze in horror, then mice without the “fear gene” reacted to it as to an ordinary sound. At the physiological level, a lack of stathmin led to a weakening of long-term synaptic connections between neurons (such connections are believed to ensure memory). The greatest weakening was noted in the segments of the nerve networks going to the amygdala. At the same time, the experimental mice did not lose the ability to learn: they, for example, remembered the path through the maze once found no worse than ordinary mice.

The amygdala complex is a fairly large nuclear formation (in humans, about 10 x 8 x 5 mm), located deep in the anterior part of the temporal lobe above the rostral portion of the inferior horn of the lateral ventricle. The amygdala forms connections with the hypothalamus, mainly with that part of it that is involved in controlling the function of the pituitary gland. On the membrane of neurons in this part of the amygdala there are receptors for sex steroid hormones of the adrenal glands. Thanks to this, hormones circulating in the blood control the activity of these neurons, and they, in turn, can influence the hypothalamus and thus secretions from the pituitary gland (feedback), as well as participate in the forms of behavior controlled by these hormones. The amygdala also forms extensive connections with the olfactory bulb. Thanks to these connections, the sense of smell in animals is involved in the control of reproductive behavior. For example, pheromones (species-specific chemical messengers) influence sexual behavior through the olfactory system. Many animal species even have an additional olfactory system (the so-called Jacobson's organ), which transmits specialized information to the structures of the limbic system associated with sexual behavior. In humans, this system is poorly developed, but its existence cannot be completely denied. This can be supported at least by the fact that perfumes for women and men are different.

A phobia is a strong emotional mental structure. Thinking works under its influence - everything that confirms fears is inflated by the brain to nerpy proportions, and information that denies them is passed by. The amygdala turns on when danger is recognized and sends impulses to other parts of the brain. If the amygdala “sees” something harmless, it misses it, and the brain does not receive sufficient activation.
U mentally healthy person signals from the amygdala are still being processed by the frontal parts of the brain - a strategy is being developed on how to adjust behavior to avoid trouble, and how real the threat is. after this, a return signal is sent to the amygdala - to calm down. This process is called critical thinking.
If the frontal cortex is weak, immature and infantile, damaged, or there are dominants (insoluble conflicts) that distort the process of accurately assessing information, the amygdala gets a lot of will. It begins to constantly give alarm signals and causes persistent long-term circulation of excitation in the brain.

An article by American scientists was published in Current Biology, which provided the results of observations of the “most a fearless man on Earth": a woman who has the rarest genetic disorder– Urbach-Wiethe disease – completely destroyed the amygdala of her brain. This completely deprived the woman of any sense of fear.

First, Feinstein and his colleagues similarly questioned her about her past. There was not a single moment in it when she felt fear. Even when the woman was threatened with a knife and a gun, she remained calm. The researchers then asked the patient to periodically describe her emotional state in a diary. Fright was not mentioned even once in these recordings. According to the woman herself, she is not afraid of anything public speaking, no social unrest, not even death.

Scientists tried their best to scare the woman: they showed her horror films, but she only watched what was happening with interest. She just laughed at the attempt to scare her with ghosts in the ancient castle and looked with curiosity poisonous snakes. "This suggests that the amygdala operates at a very instinctive, unconscious level," Feinstein says.

The electrical activity of the tonsils is characterized by oscillations of different amplitudes and frequencies. Background rhythms can correlate with the rhythm of breathing and heart contractions.

The amygdala reacts with many of its nuclei to visual, auditory, interoceptive, olfactory, and skin irritations, and all these irritations cause a change in the activity of any of the amygdala nuclei, i.e., the amygdala nuclei are polysensory. The reaction of the nucleus to external stimulation lasts, as a rule, up to 85 ms, i.e., significantly less than the reaction to similar stimulation of the neocortex.

Neurons have pronounced spontaneous activity, which can be enhanced or inhibited by sensory stimulation. Many neurons are multimodal and multisensory and fire synchronously with the theta rhythm.

Irritation of the nuclei of the amygdala creates a pronounced parasympathetic effect on the activity of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, leads to a decrease (rarely to an increase) in blood pressure, a decrease in heart rate, disruption of the conduction of excitation through the conduction system of the heart, the occurrence of arrhythmias and extrasystoles. In this case, vascular tone may not change.

The slowdown in the rhythm of heart contractions when affecting the tonsils has a long latent period and has a long aftereffect. Irritation of the tonsil nuclei causes respiratory depression and sometimes a cough reaction.

With artificial activation of the tonsil, reactions of sniffing, licking, chewing, swallowing, salivation, and changes in small intestinal motility appear, and the effects occur with a long latent period (up to 30-45 s after irritation). Stimulation of the tonsils against the background of active contractions of the stomach or intestines inhibits these contractions.

The various effects of irritation of the tonsils are due to their connection with the hypothalamus, which regulates the functioning of internal organs.

Let’s make it clear right away that we are not talking about giving someone a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and immediately telling them how many friends they have.

In the study, psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett of Northeastern University in Boston and her colleagues conducted a study of 58 healthy adults. They asked them to fill out questionnaires that could be used to assess how total regular contacts that each study participant maintains, and get an idea of ​​his social circle. The data obtained were compared with the size of the amygdala, which scientists determined during MRI.

In a study, Feldman Barrett and colleagues found that the more extensive and complex the subject's social circle, the larger the amygdala.

This effect is independent of the age and gender of the subject, as well as his own opinion about his social communication and life satisfaction.

“We could have predicted in advance that we would get such a connection, but we got it in a very interesting way, eliminating the possibility of the influence of other factors. When preparing this article, information from Gazeta.ru was used.

We continue to build evidence base existence of invisible, but having a tremendous impact on life and mental health person, four entities in its subtle-energy design, in order to convince modern scientists and progressive thinkers of society that thanks to this sensational discovery, it is possible to find answers to countless unanswered questions and solve many hitherto unsolvable problems. Earlier, in the articles “Energy Construction” and “The Four Essences of Man. Why do contemporaries know nothing about this?” we began to consider the issue of the “well-forgotten” theory described in the AllatRa book regarding the presence of intelligent energy-informational structures in humans and confirming this numerous historical artifacts, today we will try to connect some of the achievements of scientists in the field of studying the brain with the Primordial Knowledge brought to the world by Bodhisattva Rigden Jappo. We do not particularly hope that academic science, mothballed in materialism, will instantly react and show due interest in these studies; its marking time does not bother us at all. Our goal is to give those who have reached a dead end the opportunity to get out of it, to find and connect the facts of the latest scientific achievements with the deepest knowledge about human nature. Prompt, push, guide... further, whoever is interested will develop it.

EMOTIONS, DEFINITION

People have been studying the human being as a perfect biomachine for a very long time, trying to figure out the patterns of development, all kinds of adaptive reactions, the processes of development of the body from intrauterine maturation to the processes of extinction - aging and death. The same applies to the brain. After all, according to scientists, based on official theories and versions, this is that part of our body where we actually are, as those who are aware of ourselves and are located. Moreover, the brain, according to generally accepted opinion, is the great manager of our body, the one who solves all emerging questions and tasks, draws conclusions, analyzes, gains experience, controls, and so on. A thousand experiments and analyzes have been carried out, many scientific reports, dissertations and articles have been written.

And indeed, a long journey of knowledge has been made. But, as it turned out, there is only data that essentially indicates the consequences of a person’s choice - the processes of excitation and inhibition of areas of the brain that cause certain chemical reactions in the body, which lead to the manifestation of various emotional states, that is, a response to the pathogen. But where is the man himself in all this? After all, in essence, what is brain activity and the very mechanism of the generation of emotions from the point of view of physiologists? In general, emotions and feelings today are associated with various functional states brain, with processes of excitation of certain subcortical zones and with changes in the activity of the autonomic nervous system.

The definition of emotions goes like this:

Emotions is a genetically determined nonspecific behavioral program, which is determined by a complex of nervous structures included in the limbic system (the brain of a mammal, also known as the animal mind in humans - author's note) of the brain. The limbic system is formed by the most ancient structures of the middle, intermediate and forebrain. Impulses from external influence– stimuli enter the brain through two streams. One path goes to the corresponding areas of the cerebral cortex. Here the meaning and meaning of these impulses from the stimulus are deciphered in the form of sensations and perceptions. And the second stream comes to the subcortical formations (hypothalamus, temporal tonsils, etc.), where a direct relationship of these influences to the basic needs of the body, subjectively experienced in the form of emotions, is established. That is, in simple language, here the formation of an emotional reaction in response to a stimulus occurs.

In the hypothalamus, in the subcortical region, there are special nerve structures that are centers of pleasure and suffering, aggression and calm. That is, the same emotional reactions that can be controlled using, for example, exposure to weak discharges electric current, causing excitation in the corresponding centers, which has been proven by numerous experiments. Emotions cause a number of vegetative reactions of the body (increase or decrease in heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, changes in muscle tone, etc.), which in turn leads to changes in the activity of the glands internal secretion. All this can be checked and recorded today using electroencephalograms, vocalograms (voice overtones), galvanic skin reactions (skin electrical conductivity), plethysmograms (changes in the lumen of blood vessels), miamograms (changes in muscle tone), etc.

From the point of view of official science, this is, in fact, man himself, descended from a monkey. However, in essence, what has been said explains absolutely nothing! This does not fit into the framework of our cranium. And there is a strong sense that there must be something more. And personally, I have a completely logical question: is it really that set of compensatory-adaptive reactions, emotions that spill out into the world that I am – a person? It's a rather limited and dubious assumption that the reflection observed in the mirror is me... isn't it?

AMYGDALA BODIES (ALMIDALINES) OF THE BRAIN

Let's add a little more specifics.

Scientists believe that formation of emotional reactions connected with increased work amygdala (lat. Corpus amygdoloideum) - subcortical structures of the limbic system in the depths of the temporal lobe of the brain as a result of their sensitivity to visual, auditory, interoceptive, olfactory, and skin stimuli. The amygdalae are essentially anatomically composed of several separately functioning nuclei, located close to each other and are responsible for defensive behavior, autonomic, motor reactions, emotional reactions, motivation of conditioned reflex behavior, that is, they encourage action. In fact, as official sources write, the cerebral cortex creates sensual (sensory) images, that is, to see, hear or feel something. The hippocampus, as part of the limbic system, which manages memory, stores this image and makes it possible to remember it over time. But the amygdala determines exactly what emotional feelings we experience towards the created sensory image. This is a version of official science that has no knowledge of the invisible energy structure of man. That is, in fact, according to generally accepted opinion, amygdala and there is the final link on which the emergence of emotions and subsequent reactions of the body is tied.

By expanding your knowledge, it would be possible to explain many processes occurring in the human body. For example, such a common phenomenon, when suddenly the mood changes for no reason, or without exchanging a word with a person, we suddenly feel aggression on his part, and this causes a response in us. Or we in some incomprehensible way feel the mood of a person, even sometimes completely unfamiliar to us, the emotions that he is now experiencing, although in his external behavior, facial expression, gestures and movements have not changed. How do people communicate? How do they predict, for example, events that have not yet happened? What is intuition? What is human thought? And why does she have such enormous power?

That is why I was interested in an excerpt from the description of the Chetverik meditation (in which one develops a sense of interaction with the 4 Essences of a person), where there is information about the reason for the emergence of emotions and the role of the amygdala in this process, and this really begins to explain a lot.

page 327

"Rigden: First, the meditator works with the Right Essence. During the meditation, the energy “qi” comes from the hypothalamic region diencephalon through right amygdala, located deep in the temporal lobe of the brain. Then, through a point located above the right ear, the energy goes directly to the ball-center of the Right Essence. For those who do not know the structure of their brain, I note that in the human brain there are two amygdalae, located on the right and left sides. This is a very interesting subcortical brain structure that is associated with the formation various kinds emotions.

Anastasia: Yes, today science already knows that the amygdala is responsible for the ability to read information from the faces of people around us. Thus, a person subconsciously understands how these people feel in this moment. But the mechanism for reading information is not yet completely clear to scientists.

Rigden: Of course, this is reading like many others amygdala functions, is associated with the work of the lateral Aspects of a person in his energy structure. IN physical body the functions of the amygdala are associated with autonomic emotional reactions, ensuring defensive behavior, and motivating conditioned reflex behavior. Moreover, today it has already been scientifically established that damage to the amygdala can lead to partial disappearance of structures responsible for rage and aggression, as well as for the memory of danger. In other words, this can lead to a partial disappearance of fear in a person, thereby exposing him to constant danger of which he will not be aware. There have even been attempts in medicine to treat fears and uncontrolled outbreaks aggression through surgical destruction of the amygdala. I would like to note that the goal does not always justify the means to achieve it. Victory over yourself is much more important than anything surgical intervention. Moreover, a person still will not get rid of all his fears and manifestations of the Animal nature. Actually in human body, by and large, there are no “extra details”, so you shouldn’t remove anything from it unless absolutely necessary.

And a few more words about point above the ear. In this area there are also structures (energetically associated with the human structure) that are involved in the process of perception by a person in an altered state of consciousness of spatial relations... let's say more precisely, its orientation in spaces of various dimensions. The Four Essences are also involved in this process. Although there is a certain phenomenon here. For these Essences, space and time do not exist in the form in which a resident of a three-dimensional dimension perceives them. But it is precisely thanks to the work of the Essences that a person develops an intuitively accurate sense of orientation in time and space.

So, how does internal work happen with the center of the Right Essence? Usually a person in his Everyday life does not notice how any of his Aspects are activated, but he well senses the result of such a process. When the lateral Aspects begin to work, a person’s mood can suddenly change, and for no apparent reason. A person suddenly becomes despondent, or out of the blue a feeling of fear, disappointment, melancholy, apathy or, conversely, aggression comes over him, old grievances begin to surface, and so on. Why is this happening? Because the lateral Aspects are activated, in this case the Right Aspect. Next, the Essence provokes the formation of thoughts corresponding to this emotional outburst and captures the person’s attention with them. Like a skilled manipulator, he catches him in a state of heightened receptivity, so to speak, “offering” him a choice different variants doom, but in the same emotional tonality. In other words, when the Animal nature dominates in a person, the lateral Aspects in their usual mode of operation provoke the Personality into such emotional outbursts. What do such bursts mean for the brain? This is the same code that activates certain memory blocks that store the experience of similar mental experiences, emotions, and states. Having opened these “storerooms” of memory, capturing a person’s attention with their contents, the lateral Aspects thus introduce him to negative state. Next, there is a process of strengthening the mood in this direction, as if looping around the same thoughts.”

INSTEAD OF CONCLUSION

So we have official opinion science, which says that small areas of the brain are responsible for the emergence of emotions in a person - the amygdala, located in the ear area, and as if that’s all, then science is powerless to explain what actually causes the activation of certain emotional human states. Scientists dug their heels in, came up with a bunch of explanations, and, apparently, put an end to it. However, any individual who has read the AllatRa book and tried the Quadruple meditation knows for certain that from the amygdala through the point above the ear, invisible energy channels go to the sides leading to the Lateral Animal Aspects(Right and Left), which actually provoke outbreaks of these emotionally unstable states in a person, by the way, the Right - aggression, despondency, fear, anxiety, greed, resentment, self-criticism, etc., and the Left - pride, deception, logic, temptation, cunning, deceit, lust for power and delusions of grandeur.

Summing up the interim results:

• Official science believes that for the emergence human emotions the tonsils of the brain somehow respond;
• Official science should have looked long ago into the realm of the invisible, into mysterious world feelings, where with the help of quite simple exercises, in particular, the “Chetverik” meditation (described in the book "AllatRa" on page 320) , one can feel that the Lateral Animal Essences of a person are actually responsible for the emergence of emotions, since they are directly and directly connected with these very amygdala bodies of the brain;
• The existence of four Entities is also confirmed by the collected voluminous photo bank of historical artifacts (see the previous one);
• Finally, absolutely anyone can check this out with their own eyes! All you need to do is perform the “Four” practice correctly...

And finally, we admit that knowledge about the four Essences is still “alive” in certain elite circles, and they are regularly used in the process of manipulating public consciousness. Let us also assume that world science, in certain high hierarchical circles, may have some developments and ideas regarding a theory that is secret and unknown to the broad masses, but this theory is unknown because it is deliberately frozen, again, by the same single world conspiracy, about which we constantly mention in our publications. For what? Quite logically, ignorant. ignorant people are easier to manage, eternal question authorities.

In conclusion, I would certainly like to remind you of the notorious human choice. By acquiring knowledge about the four Essences and the ability to control them, a person becomes truly Free. Rejecting the Primordial Knowledge, a person plunges back, not just into slavery, but into triple slavery:

• a slave to the global elite who controls him remotely;
• a slave to his Animal Aspects, who “feed on him” directly and live at his expense;
• slave unified system Animal mind (more on that some other time)...

The choice is always up to the individual!

Prepared by: Eva Kim (Russia) and Dato Gomarteli (Ukraine-Georgia)

Anatomical division

The amygdala is actually several separately functioning nuclei, which anatomists unite together due to the proximity of the nuclei to each other. Among these nuclei, the key ones are: the basal-lateral complex, the central-medial nuclei and the corticomedial nuclei.

Connections

In the basal-lateral complex, necessary for the production conditioned reflex fears in rats, signals from sensory systems are received as input.

The central medial nuclei are the main output for the basal lateral complex and are included in emotional excitement in rats and cats.

Pathologies

In patients whose amygdala is destroyed due to Urbach-Wiethe disease, there is complete absence fear.

Notes

Links

• Human physiology. Edited by V.M. Pokrovsky, G.F. Korotko. Amygdala

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what “Amygdala” is in other dictionaries:

- (corpus amygdaloideum), amygdaloid nucleus, amygdala, a complex complex of basal nuclei (archistriatum), involved in the implementation of a corrective influence on the activity of forebrain formations, including the cerebral cortex. Phylogenetically... ... Biological encyclopedic dictionary

- (corpus amygdaloideum; synonym amygdala nucleus (n. amygdalae) obsolete, amygdala, amygdala nuclear complex, amygdala): a complex complex of brain nuclei related to the basal ganglia: it is a cluster of gray ... ... Sexological encyclopedia

Amygdala- an almond-shaped brain structure that is part of the limbic system. Closely connected to the hypothalamus, hippocampus, cingulate cortex and septum, plays an important role in emotional behavior and motivation, especially aggressive behavior... encyclopedic Dictionary in psychology and pedagogy

- (corpus amygdaloideum, PNA; nucleus amygdalae, BNA, JNA; synonym amygdala nucleus obsolete) basal nucleus, located near the temporal pole of the cerebral hemisphere; belongs to the subcortical part of the limbic system... Large medical dictionary

AMYGDALA- The brain structure is almond-shaped, consisting of several nuclei and is integral part temporal lobe of the brain. It is part of the limbic system and is closely connected with the hypothalamus, hippocampus, cingulate gyrus and septum... Dictionary in psychology

AMYGDALA- one of the subcortical (basal) nuclei, located together with the fence outward from the lentiform nucleus; included in functional system, in the so-called limbic reticular complex; participates in the implementation of corrective influence on... ... Psychomotorics: dictionary-reference book

The amygdala, otherwise known as the amygdala, is a small collection of gray matter. This is exactly what we will talk about. The amygdala (functions, structure, location and its damage) has been studied by many scientists. However, we still don’t know everything about him. Nevertheless, enough information has already been accumulated, which is presented in this article. Of course, we will present only the basic facts related to the topic of the amygdala.

Brief information about the amygdala

It is round and is located inside each of the hemispheres of the brain (that is, there are only two). Its fibers are mostly connected to the olfactory organs. However, a number of them also approach the hypothalamus. Today it is obvious that the functions of the amygdala have certain attitude to a person’s mood, to the feelings he experiences. In addition, it is possible that they also relate to the memory of events that happened recently.

Connection of the amygdala with other parts of the central nervous system

It should be noted that the amygdala has very good “connections”. If it is damaged by a scalpel, probe or disease, or if it is stimulated during an experiment, significant emotional changes are observed. Note that the amygdala is very well located and connected to other parts of the nervous system. Thanks to this, it acts as a center for regulating our emotions. This is where all signals come from the primary sensory and motor cortex, from the occipital and parietal lobes of the brain, as well as from part of the associative cortex. Thus, it is one of the main feeling centers of our brain. The tonsils are connected to all its parts.

The structure and location of the amygdala

It is a structure that has a round shape. The amygdala is located in the cerebral hemispheres. It belongs to the limbic system (its subcortical part).

The brain has two tonsils, one in each of the two hemispheres. The amygdala is located in the brain, inside it. It is located anterior to the apex of the inferior horn. The amygdala of the brain is located posterior to the temporal pole by about 1.5-2 centimeters. They border the hippocampus.

Three groups of nuclei are included in their composition. The first is the basolateral, which refers to the cerebral cortex. The second group is corticomedial. It refers to olfactory system. The third is central, which is connected with the nuclei of the brain stem (responsible for control vegetative functions our body), as well as with the hypothalamus.

The meaning of the amygdala

The amygdala is part of the limbic system human brain, having very important. As a result of its destruction, it is observed aggressive behavior or a lethargic, apathetic state. The amygdala, through connections with the hypothalamus, influences both reproductive behavior and the endocrine system. The neurons located in them are diverse in function, form, as well as the neurochemical processes occurring in them.

Among the functions of the tonsils one can note the provision of defensive behavior, emotional, motor, autonomic reactions, as well as the motivation of conditioned reflex behavior. Undoubtedly, these structures determine a person’s mood, his instincts, and feelings.

Polysensory nuclei

The electrical activity of the amygdala is characterized by fluctuations of different frequencies and amplitudes. Background rhythms correlate with heart contractions and breathing rhythm. The tonsils are capable of responding to cutaneous, olfactory, interoceptive, auditory, and visual stimuli. In this case, these irritations cause changes in the activity of each of the amygdala nuclei. In other words, these nuclei are multisensory. Their reaction to external stimuli, as a rule, lasts up to 85 ms. This is significantly less than the reaction to the same irritations characteristic of the neocortex.

It should be noted that the spontaneous activity of neurons is very well expressed. It can be inhibited or enhanced by sensory stimulation. A significant portion of neurons are polysensory and multimodal and are synchronized with the theta rhythm.

Consequences of irritation of the tonsil nuclei

What happens when the amygdala nuclei are irritated? Such an effect will lead to a pronounced parasympathetic effect in relation to respiratory and cardiovascular systems. In addition, it will decrease blood pressure(in rare cases, it will, on the contrary, increase). Heartbeat will slow down. Extrasystoles and arrhythmias will occur. Cardiac tone may not change. The decrease in heart rate observed when affecting the amygdala is characterized by a long latent period. In addition, it has a long aftereffect. Respiratory depression is also observed when the tonsil nuclei are irritated, and sometimes a cough reaction occurs.

If you artificially activate the amygdala, reactions of chewing, licking, sniffing, salivation, and swallowing will appear; Moreover, these effects occur with a significant latent period (up to 30-45 seconds pass after irritation). The various effects that are observed in this case arise due to the connection with the hypothalamus, which is a regulator of the functioning of various internal organs.

The amygdala is also involved in the formation of memory, which is associated with events that have an emotional overtones. Disturbances in its work cause different types pathological fear, as well as other emotional disorders.

Communication with visual analyzers

The connection between the tonsils and the visual analyzers is carried out mainly through the cortex located in the area of ​​the cranial fossa (posterior). Through this connection, the amygdala influences information processing in arsenal and visual structures. There are several mechanisms for this effect. We invite you to take a closer look at them.

One of these mechanisms is a kind of “coloring” of incoming visual information. It occurs due to the presence of its own high-energy structures. The information that goes to the cortex through visual radiation is superimposed with one or another emotional background. Interestingly, if the amygdala is oversaturated with negative information at this moment, even a very funny story will not be able to cheer the person up, since the emotional background will not be prepared to analyze it.

In addition, the emotional background associated with the tonsils has an impact on the human body as a whole. For example, the information that these structures return and which is then processed in programs forces us to switch, say, from reading a book to contemplating nature, creating one mood or another. After all, if we are not in the mood, we will not read a book, even the most interesting one.

Damage to the amygdala in animals

Their damage in animals leads to the fact that autonomous nervous system becomes less capable of implementing and organizing behavioral reactions. This can lead to the disappearance of fear, hypersexuality, calmness, and the inability to aggression and rage. Animals with damaged amygdala become very trusting. Monkeys, for example, approach a viper without fear, which usually causes them to flee and be terrified. Apparently, total damage to the amygdala leads to the disappearance of some unconditioned reflexes that are present from birth, the action of which is realized by the memory of impending danger.

Stathmin and its meaning

In many animals, especially mammals, fear is one of the most strong emotions. Scientists have proven that the protein stathmin is responsible for the development of acquired types of fear and for the functioning of innate ones. Its highest concentration is observed in the amygdala. For the purpose of the experiment, scientists blocked the gene that is responsible for the production of stathmin in experimental mice. What did this lead to? Let's figure it out.

Results of experiments on mice

They began to ignore any danger, even in cases where mice instinctively sense it. For example, they ran through open areas of labyrinths, despite the fact that their relatives usually stay in places that are safer, from their point of view (they prefer tight nooks in which they are hidden from prying eyes).

One more example. Ordinary mice froze in horror when the sound was repeated, which was accompanied the day before by an electric shock. Mice lacking stathmin perceived it as normal sound. The lack of the “fear gene” at the physiological level led to the fact that the long-term synaptic connections existing between neurons were weakened (it is believed that they ensure memorization). The greatest weakening was observed in those parts of the nerve networks that go to the tonsils.

The experimental mice retained the ability to learn. For example, they remembered the path through a maze, once found, no worse than ordinary mice.