Tag

Amygdala

All articles tagged with #amygdala

The rare condition that eliminates fear sensation

Originally Published 3 months ago — by BBC

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Source: BBC

Some rare individuals, like Jordy Cernik and SM, lack the ability to feel fear due to damage or mutation affecting the amygdala, a brain region involved in processing fear, revealing that fear responses are complex and can be specific to external or internal threats, with implications for understanding survival and modern stress.

Humans prioritize avoiding losses over seeking gains in brain activity

Originally Published 4 months ago — by Medical Xpress

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Source: Medical Xpress

Research from the Weizmann Institute reveals that humans explore more aggressively to avoid losses than to seek gains, driven by increased neural noise and firing in the amygdala, which heightens uncertainty and promotes trial-and-error behavior under potential loss conditions.

Amygdala-Liver Signaling Regulates Stress-Induced Blood Sugar Changes

Originally Published 4 months ago — by Nature

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Source: Nature

The study uncovers a novel amygdala–liver pathway that rapidly regulates blood glucose during stress independently of traditional hormonal systems, involving specific neurons in the medial amygdala projecting to the hypothalamus and liver, which are activated by stress and control hepatic glucose production. Repeated stress disrupts this circuit, linking chronic stress to metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes.

Brain's Role in Recalling Emotions

Originally Published 5 months ago — by Neuroscience News

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Source: Neuroscience News

A study reveals how the amygdala and hippocampus coordinate to encode and retrieve emotional memories, with specific gamma activity patterns in the amygdala shaping hippocampal responses that are later reactivated during recall, providing insights into emotional memory vividness and potential treatments for PTSD.

Four Key Psychological Signs of Ideological Extremism

Originally Published 6 months ago — by Big Think

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Source: Big Think

The article explores four psychological markers—cognitive rigidity, emotional volatility, amygdala size, and prefrontal cortex structure—that correlate with ideological extremism, suggesting that understanding and addressing these factors could help mitigate extremism.

Gene Alters Brain Circuits, Increasing Anxiety

Originally Published 6 months ago — by Neuroscience News

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Source: Neuroscience News

Researchers discovered that loss of the autism-linked gene PTEN in specific inhibitory neurons of the amygdala disrupts local brain circuits, leading to increased fear and anxiety behaviors in animal models, without affecting social or repetitive behaviors, providing insights into the neural basis of certain ASD traits.

Thyroid Hormones Found Crucial in Fear Memory Formation

Originally Published 7 months ago — by PsyPost

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Source: PsyPost

A study reveals that thyroid hormones in the brain, particularly in the amygdala, play a crucial role in fear memory formation, with potential implications for treating trauma-related disorders like PTSD. Enhancing or blocking thyroid hormone activity affects fear memory strength, and these effects are linked to specific gene regulation, suggesting new avenues for therapeutic intervention.

Neuroscientists Discover Variability in Memory Response to Amygdala Stimulation

Originally Published 7 months ago — by PsyPost

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Source: PsyPost

A study found that electrical stimulation of the amygdala during learning can enhance long-term memory for neutral images, but the effects vary widely among individuals, influenced by baseline memory performance and brain activity, highlighting the need for personalized neuromodulation strategies.