Each of two small structures deep within the temporal lobe of complex vertebrates
Human brain in the coronal orientation. Amygdalae are shown in dark red.
The amygdala (; pl. : amygdalae or amygdalas ; also corpus amygdaloideum ; Latin from Greek , ἀμυγδαλή , amygdalē , 'almond', 'tonsil'[ 1] ) is a paired nuclear complex present in the cerebral hemispheres of vertebrates . It is considered part of the limbic system .[ 2] In primates, it is located medially within the temporal lobes .[ 3] It consists of many nuclei, each made up of further subnuclei. The subdivision most commonly made is into the basolateral , central , cortical, and medial nuclei together with the intercalated cell clusters .[ 4] The amygdala has a primary role in the processing of memory , decision-making , and emotional responses (including fear, anxiety, and aggression). The amygdala was first identified and named by Karl Friedrich Burdach in 1822.[ 5]
^ "Amygdala - Define Amygdala at Dictionary.com" . Archived from the original on 18 October 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2016 .
^ Amunts K, Kedo O, Kindler M, Pieperhoff P, Mohlberg H, Shah NJ, Habel U, Schneider F, Zilles K (December 2005). "Cytoarchitectonic mapping of the human amygdala, hippocampal region and entorhinal cortex: intersubject variability and probability maps". Anatomy and Embryology . 210 (5–6): 343–52. doi :10.1007/s00429-005-0025-5 . PMID 16208455 . S2CID 6984617 .
^ University of Idaho College of Science (2004). "amygdala" . Archived from the original on 31 March 2007. Retrieved 15 March 2007 .
^ Bzdok, Danilo; Laird, Angela R.; Zilles, Karl; Fox, Peter T.; Eickhoff, Simon B. (2013). "An investigation of the structural, connectional, and functional subspecialization in the human amygdala" . Human Brain Mapping . 34 (12): 3247–3266. doi :10.1002/hbm.22138 . ISSN 1065-9471 . PMC 4801486 . PMID 22806915 .
^ Pabba M (2013). "Evolutionary development of the amygdaloid complex" . Frontiers in Neuroanatomy . 7 : 27. doi :10.3389/fnana.2013.00027 . PMC 3755265 . PMID 24009561 .