This presentation describes the function of the amygdala, a significant part of the brain that is necessary for memory and other behaviors that are key for survival. Enjoy!

1. THE BRAIN: FUNCTIONS,
JOBS, IMPORTANCE OF
THE AMYGDALA
By Lauryn A. Waddell

2. What is it?
 Almond-shaped
membrane found on
both sides of the brain
 Huge part of the
Limbic System
 Responsible for
behaviors & emotions
related to survival
 Significant for
memory

3. Where is it?
 The amygdala is located deep within the frontal
lobe along the hippocampus and adjacent to the
hypothalamus

4. What does it do?
 Involved in autonomic responses associated
with fear and hormonal secretions > “Fight or
Flight” response
 Controls the following functions:
 Arousal
 Autonomic Responses Associated with Fear
 Emotional Responses
 Hormonal Secretions
 Memory
 Learning

5. Life Without Amygdala…
 A female patient known as S.M., who lost her
amygdala to Urbach-Wiethe disease, usually
had no fear because of her missing amygdala.
However, when she, along with a set of
identical twins known as A.M. and B.G. who
are also missing both of their amygdala, was
tested by Feinstein and his team with Carbon
Dioxide (CO2), something strange
happened…

6. Life Without Amygdala (cont.)…
 When given CO2 through a face mask, all 3 had panic
attacks, shortness of breath, and fast heart rates
 When CO2 was given to the 12 controls, only 3 reacted with
panic attacks
 Feinstein and his team found that CO2 inhalation acts on
certain "interoceptive" receptors that project directly to the
brainstem and other parts that "underlie fear and panic",
whereas other fear-stimuli such as horror movies or spiders
are "exteroceptive in nature, mainly processed through visual
and auditory pathways that project to the amygdala”
 Feinsten’s simple conclusion was that a healthy amygdala
might normally serve to inhibit panic

7. Dysfunctional Amygdala…
 When one or both of the amygdala don’t
function properly, it may lead to:
 Aggression
 Fearlessness
 Short-term or long-term memory issues
 Depth and distance perception problems
 Dysfunctional amygdala are also linked to but
not caused by Autism, schizophrenia, and
anxiety

8. Sources
 http://digest.bps.org.uk/2013/02/extreme-fear-
experienced-without.html
 http://biology.about.com/od/anatomy/p/Amygd
ala.htm
 http://psych.colorado.edu/~munakata/csh/Nov
artis_paper_6-12-02.doc.