Cahya Ramadhan (201710330311177)

Muhammad Rizky Nur Ikhsan (201710330311196)

Amygdala and Fear

The amygdala is an almond-shaped mass of nuclei (mass of cells) located deep

within the temporal lobes of the brain. There are two amygdalae, one situated in each
brain hemisphere. The amygdala is a limbic system structure that is involved in many
of our emotions and motivations, particularly those that are related to survival. It is
involved in the processing of emotions such as fear, anger, and pleasure. The
amygdala is also responsible for determining what memories are stored and where the
memories are stored in the brain. It is thought that this determination is based on how
huge an emotional response an event evokes.

The amygdala is involved in autonomic responses associated with fear and

hormonal secretions. Scientific studies of the amygdala have led to the discovery of
the location of neurons in the amygdala that are responsible for fear conditioning. Fear
conditioning is an associative learning process by which we learn through repeated
experiences to fear something. Our experiences can cause brain circuits to change and
form new memories. For example, when we hear an unpleasant sound, the amygdala
heightens our perception of the sound. This heightened perception is deemed
distressing and memories are formed associating the sound with unpleasantness.

If the noise startles us, we have an automatic flight or fight response. This
response involves the activation of the sympathetic division of the peripheral nervous
system. Activation of the nerves of the sympathetic division results in
accelerated heart rate, dilated pupils, increase in metabolic rate, and increase
in blood flow to the muscles. This activity is coordinated by the amygdala and allows
us to respond appropriately to danger.

The amygdala receives sensory information from the thalamus and from
the cerebral cortex. The thalamus is also a limbic system structure and it connects
areas of the cerebral cortex that are involved in sensory perception and movement
with other parts of the brain and spinal cord that also have a role in sensation and
movement. The cerebral cortex processes sensory information obtained from vision,
hearing, and other senses and is involved in decision-making, problem-solving, and
planning.

1. Muhammad Rizky Nur Ikhsan (Paragraph 1)

A. A = Damage to the amygdala can cause a variety of psychological and
behavioral changes.
B. R = The amygdala helps to keep memories of events and emotions so
that individuals may be able to recognize similar events in the future.
C. E = If you have experienced dog bites, the amygdala can help in
processing the event and, therefore, increase the fear or awareness
around the dog.
D. L = So, the amygdala, when damaged, can cause many negative
psychological and social behaviors, such as loss of emotion, increased
generative activity, and compulsive habits.
2. Cahya Ramadhan (Paragraph 2)
A. A = Amygdala have an automatic flight or fight response if the
unpleasant sound startles it
B. R = Because response from the unpleasant sound involves the
activation of the sympathetic division of the peripheral nervous system
C. E = For example, nerve activation of the sympathetic division will result
in accelerated heartbeat, dilated pupils, increased metabolic rate, and
increased blood flow to the muscles.
D. L = So this respond is coordinated by the amygdala and allows us to
prevent from danger appropriately.