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amygdala

[ uh-mig-duh-luh ]

noun

, Anatomy.
, plural a·myg·da·lae [uh, -, mig, -d, uh, -lee].
  1. an almond-shaped part, as a tonsil.
  2. a ganglion of the limbic system adjoining the temporal lobe of the brain and involved in emotions of fear and aggression.


amygdala

/ əˈmɪɡdələ /

noun

  1. anatomy an almond-shaped part, such as a tonsil or a lobe of the cerebellum
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


amygdala

/ ə-mĭgdə-lə /

, Plural amygdalae ə-mĭgdə-lē

  1. An almond-shaped mass of gray matter in the front part of the temporal lobe of the cerebrum that is part of the limbic system and is involved in the processing and expression of emotions, especially anger and fear.


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Word History and Origins

Origin of amygdala1

before 950; < Medieval Latin: almond, tonsil, Latin: almond < Greek amygdálē; replacing Middle English amygdal, Old English amigdal almond < Latin amygdalon < Greek amýgdalon; almond
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Word History and Origins

Origin of amygdala1

C16: from Medieval Latin: almond
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Example Sentences

No need to tell us about the role the amygdala or stress hormones play in anxiety, we knew how we were wired.

This may be because of changes in your amygdala, the main area of your brain responsible for emotions like fear.

The team found that fear transfer relied on connections from the cortex to part of the amygdala, a region known to respond to fear.

For example, among a group of study participants who underwent an eight-week mindfulness class, MRIs showed their amygdalae shrank.

Kate Jeffery, a neuroscientist at University College London, explains that the amygdala—the emotional center of the brain—plays a role in spatial awareness by sending messages like, This is a place where bad things happen.

Psychopaths lack fear, conscience, and morality—functions critically subserved by the amygdala.

To answer this question we assessed amygdala functioning in 1,795 3-year-old children using fear conditioning.

One limbic structure affected by this early maldevelopment is the amygdala, which generates emotions like fear.

His aorta and amygdala do not receive this information by automatic transfer.

That suggests that “the amygdala is quite sensitive to the quality of maternal care,” says Lupien.

It derives its name from the Greek word amygdala, an almond.

The common English name is from the Latin amandola, corrupted from amygdala.

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amyeliaamygdalaceous