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Amygdala: anatomy, location and function

The amygdala is an almond-shaped nuclear complex in the medial temporal lobe that is central to processing emotionally significant stimuli. It assigns emotional significance to sensory input, particularly in fear and threat processing, and influences autonomic and endocrine responses through the hypothalamus and brainstem. It also contributes to emotional memory.

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Highlighted in the model: Amygdala. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Amygdala at a glance

What it is
The amygdala is an almond-shaped nuclear complex in the medial temporal lobe that is central to processing emotionally significant stimuli.
Location
It lies in the anterior medial temporal lobe, in front of the hippocampus and just above and in front of the tip of the temporal horn of the lateral ventricle.
Function
It assigns emotional significance to sensory input, particularly in fear and threat processing, and influences autonomic and endocrine responses through the hypothalamus and brainstem. It also contributes to emotional memory.
Body system
Nervous · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA72833 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Part of the limbic system.
  • Main output pathways are the stria terminalis and the ventral amygdalofugal pathway.
  • Receives input from all sensory modalities and from the olfactory system.
  • It is supplied mainly by the anterior choroidal artery and branches of the middle cerebral artery.

Clinical relevance

Bilateral amygdala damage can impair recognition of fear and produce features of the Kluver-Bucy syndrome.

Structures next to the amygdala

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Amygdala (FMA72833). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §12.1 Basic Structure and Function of the Nervous System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.