Living without an Amygdala

Bringing together leading researchers, this book comprehensively covers what is known about the amygdala, with a unique focus on what happens when this key brain region is damaged or missing. Offering a truly comparative approach, the volume presents research on rats, monkeys, and humans. It reports on compelling cases of people living without an amygdala, whether due to genetic conditions, disease, or other causes. The consequences for an individuals ability to detect danger and regulate emotions--and for broader cognitive and social functions--are explored, as are lessons learned about brain pathways and plasticity. The volume delves into the role of the amygdala in psychiatric disorders and identifies important directions for future research. Illustrations include six color plates.

Bringing together leading researchers, this book comprehensively covers what is known about the amygdala, with a unique focus on what happens when this key brain region is damaged or missing. Offering a truly comparative approach, the volume presents research on rats, monkeys, and humans. It reports on compelling cases of people living without an amygdala, whether due to genetic conditions, disease, or other causes. The consequences for an individual's ability to detect danger and regulate emotions--and for broader cognitive and social functions--are explored, as are lessons learned about brain pathways and plasticity. The volume delves into the role of the amygdala in psychiatric disorders and identifies important directions for future research. Illustrations include six color plates.

1. A Tale of Survival from the World of Patient S. M., Justin S. Feinstein, Ralph Adolphs, & Daniel Tranel 2. A Synopsis of Primate Amygdala Neuroanatomy, Cynthia M. Schumann, Martha V. Vargas, & Aaron Lee 3. A Short History of the Lesion Technique for Probing Amygdala Function, David G. Amaral 4. Role of the Rodent Amygdala in Early Development, Emma Sarro & Regina M. Sullivan 5. Foraging in the Face of Fear: Novel Strategies for Evaluating Amygdala Functions in Rats, Jeansok J. Kim, June-Seek Choi, & Hongjoo J. Lee 6. Lifetime Consequences of Early Amygdala Damage in Rhesus Monkeys, Eliza Bliss-Moreau, Gilda Moadab, & David G. Amaral 7. The Effects of Neonatal Amygdala Lesions in Rhesus Monkeys Living in a Species-Typical Social Environment, Jocelyne Bachevalier, Mar Sanchez, Jessica Raper, Shannon B. Z. Stephens, & Kim Wallen 8. The Central Nucleus of the Amygdala Is a Critical Substrate for Individual Differences in Anxiety, Jonathan A. Oler, Andrew S. Fox, Alexander J. Shackman, & Ned H. Kalin 9. Monkeys without an Amygdala, Elisabeth A. Murray & Sarah E. V. Rhodes 10. Consequences of Developmental Bilateral Amygdala Lesions in Humans, Ralph Adolphs 11. Behavioral Consequences and Compensatory Adaptations after Early Bilateral Amygdala Damage in Monozygotic Twins, Alexandra Patin & René Hurlemann 12. Consequences of Selective Bilateral Lesions to the Basolateral Amygdala in Humans, Jack van Honk, David Terburg, Helena Thornton, Dan J. Stein, & Barak Morgan 13. Attending to the World without an Amygdala, Rebecca M. Todd, Adam K. Anderson, & Elizabeth A. Phelps 14. Implications for Understanding Amygdala Function in Mental Disorders, Christopher S. Monk & Daniel S. Pine Epilogue, David G. Amaral & Ralph Adolphs Index