Abstract
In this chapter, the anatomy and function of the amygdala in relationship to emotional processing are explored. It is now known that the amygdala can be activated by certain emotional stimuli, and the fearful faces paradigm has been well tested experimentally. Studies with epilepsy reveal that amygdala sclerosis often accompanies hippocampal sclerosis. Studies of patients with amygdala sclerosis show that this affects the activity to emotional stimuli of the amygdala but also the fusiform and related cortical areas distant from the amygdala. Studies of patients who have undergone temporal lobectomy show the influence of the amygdala in relation to both preoperative and postoperative affective states, especially of the nondominant hemisphere. It is concluded that further studies of the amygdala in epilepsy and other neurological disorders are valuable in studying the functions of the limbic system.
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Trimble, M. (2010). Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Seizure Disorders with Special Reference to the Amygdala. In: Miyoshi, K., Morimura, Y., Maeda, K. (eds) Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-53871-4_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-53871-4_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo
Print ISBN: 978-4-431-53870-7
Online ISBN: 978-4-431-53871-4
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