Amygdala: Neuroanatomical and Morphophysiological Features in Terms of Neurological and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Abstract

The amygdala is one of the most discussed structures of the brain. Correlations between its level of activity, size, biochemical organization, and various pathologies are the subject of many studies, and can serve as a marker of existing or future disease. It is hypothesized that the amygdala is not just a structural unit, but includes many other regions in the brain. In this review, we present the updated neuroanatomical and physiological aspects of the amygdala, discussing its involvement in neurodegenerative and neurological diseases. The amygdala plays an important role in the processing of input signals and behavioral synthesis. Lesions in the amygdala have been shown to cause neurological disfunction of ranging severity. Abnormality in the amygdala leads to conditions such as depression, anxiety, autism, and also promotes biochemical and physiological imbalance. The amygdala collects pathological proteins, and this fact can be considered to play a big role in the progression and diagnosis of many degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Lewy body diseases, and hippocampal sclerosis. The amygdala has shown to play a crucial role as a central communication system in the brain, therefore understanding its neuroanatomical and physiological features can open a channel for targeted therapy of neurodegenerative diseases.

Diagnostic value of amygdala volume on structural magnetic resonance imaging in Alzheimer’s disease

“…The injury of amygdala can lead to agitation, irritability, anxiety, and apathy[ 9 , 10 ]. Other studies have indicated that patients with anxiety disorder, autism, phobia, and post-traumatic stress disorder had dysfunction of amygdala[ 12 , 13 ].…”

“…Clinical studies have shown that injury of the amygdala can lead to agitation, irritability, anxiety, and apathy[ 9 - 11 ]. Patients with anxiety disorder, autism, phobia, and post-traumatic stress disorder can have dysfunction of amygdala[ 12 , 13 ]. Medial temporal lobe is the earliest site of brain atrophy in AD[ 14 ].…”

Research on Frequent Itemset Mining of Imaging Genetics GWAS in Alzheimer’s Disease

“…The amygdala, which collected pathological proteins, was identified to play a crucial role in human brain as a central communication system. In addition, this was considered to affect the progression and diagnosis of many degenerative diseases, such as AD, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and Lewy body diseases [ 50 , 51 ]. In the research of Dingailu et al [ 52 ], the fusiform gyrus showed the epigenetic characteristics of AD.…”

Safety and target engagement of an oral small-molecule sequestrant in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: an open-label phase 1b/2a trial

“…Two 5-min scans were conducted at BL and EOT time points focusing on changes in regions associated with emotional behavior responses. This included regions such as the amygdala, which is crucial for emotional processing networks such as those involving anxiety 61 , and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is involved in emotional and cognitive networks 62 . Atypical activity in one or both of these regions has been observed in preclinical studies 63 and in ASD cohorts [64][65][66][67][68] .…”