amygdala

noun

amyg·​da·​la ə-ˈmig-də-lə 

plural amygdalae ə-ˈmig-də-ˌlē 

-ˌlī

: the one of the four basal ganglia in each cerebral hemisphere that is part of the limbic system and consists of an almond-shaped mass of gray matter in the anterior extremity of the temporal lobe

called also amygdaloid nucleus

Examples of amygdala in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The hippocampus is near and tightly connected to the amygdala. —Arash Javanbakht, Discover Magazine, 7 Sep. 2023

In a paper published in 2015, Tye, then at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and her colleagues found those neurons in a part of the amygdala called the basolateral amygdala. —Ingrid Wickelgren, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2022

According to Northwestern Medicine, when the decision-making part of your brain senses a threat, the amygdala (the brain’s processing center for emotions) alerts the hypothalamus (the brain’s coordinating center) to initiate fight or flight. —USA TODAY, 10 July 2023

Meanwhile, fear is curtailed: the amygdala, the brain’s threat response system, quietens down. —Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 29 June 2023

Those who had been traumatized by a physical threat exhibited elevated resting neuronal activity in their right amygdala, a part of the brain associated with emotional responses, particularly fear. —Constance Sommer, Discover Magazine, 26 July 2022

The brain’s olfactory cortex, which processes smell, is a direct neighbor to the amygdala, which helps govern our most basic emotional and hormonal responses, and the two regions are heavily interconnected. —WIRED, 11 Aug. 2023

That threat activates a part of the brain called the amygdala, which serves as a center that processes both fearful and threatening stimuli. —Naomi Weinshenker, Discover Magazine, 2 Mar. 2023

Neuroscience shows a more active and better-connected amygdala (emotional center) in the brains of men who are the primary caretakers in the family. —Time, 17 June 2023

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Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin, almond, from Greek amygdalē

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

amygdala

noun

amyg·​da·​la ə-ˈmig-də-lə 

plural amygdalae -ˌlē  -ˌlī 

: the one of the four basal ganglia in each cerebral hemisphere that is part of the limbic system and consists of an almond-shaped mass of gray matter in the roof of the lateral ventricle

called also amygdaloid body, amygdaloid nucleus