UCLA

The amygdala is made up of several heterogeneous nuclei in the medial temporal lobe. It is anatomically situated to receive a wide variety of processed sensory information from both the environment and body. It also has the requisite projections to influence virtually all the behavioral, autonomic and hormonal components of stress. Because of its anatomical and physiological characteristics, the amygdala can exert feedforward control of the stress response allowing humans and other animals to respond adaptively in anticipation of a biological threat. These features can also cause stress-related pathology when this system is inappropriately engaged.