The amygdala makes critical contributions to many cognitive processes, including memory, attention, and deci sion-making. That being said, fear conditioning is an important function of the amygdala. Amygdala function in fear conditioning. The Interpretation: Since damage to the amygdala eliminates behavioral responses to threats, feelings of "fear" are products of the amygdala. Fear and the human amygdala. ... For example, the amygdala activates whenever we see a human face with an emotion. When you think of the amygdala, you should think of one word. Therefore, we conclude that the amygdala plays a very important role in our emotions. Fear, Vigilance, and Ambiguity: Initial Neuroimaging Studies of the Human Amygdala Show all authors. Paul J. Whalen. Although historically the amygdala was considered to be involved primarily in fear and other emotions related to aversive (unpleasant) stimuli, it is now known to be involved in positive emotions elicited by appetitive (rewarding) stimuli. The amygdala is a section of the brain that is responsible for detecting fear and preparing for emergency events. First Published December 1, 1998 Research Article. Here we provide a review of the animal and human literature concerning the role of the amygdala in fear conditioning, considering its potential influence over … What Happens in the Brain When We Feel Fear And why some of us just can’t get enough of it. In this Spotlight, we ask why fear evolved, what happens in the body, and why some people enjoy it. The amygdala is one of a pair (the amygdalae) of small clusters of nuclei located in the temporal lobe of the brain. There is a strong connection between the amygdala and fear conditioning. ... For example, the amygdala activates whenever we see a human … The idea that the amygdala is the home of fear in the brain is just that—an idea. Lesion and functional imaging studies in humans support a role for the amygdala in recognizing emotions in facial expressions, especially fear. See all articles by this author. This impairment appears to result from an insensitivity to the intensity of fear expressed by faces. Scientific studies of the amygdala have led to the discovery of the location of neurons in the amygdala that are responsible for fear conditioning. Paul J. Whalen 1. Fear, Vigilance, and Ambiguity: Initial Neuroimaging Studies of the Human Amygdala PaulJ.Whalen1 Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts One of physiological psycholo gy's most reproducible findings is The amygdala's historical role in processing stimuli related to threat and fear is being modified to suggest a role that is broader and more abstract. The amygdala is involved in autonomic responses associated with fear and hormonal secretions.