The amygdalae (singular: amygdala; also corpus amygdaloideum; Latin, from Greek amygdal, ‘almond’, ‘tonsil’) are two almond-shaped groups of nuclei located deep and medially within the temporal lobes of the brain in complex vertebrates, including humans. Shown in research to perform a primary role in the processing of memory, decision-making, and emotional reactions, the amygdalae are considered part of the limbic system.
This article goes on to discuss differences between male and female, left and right function. It also discusses the part of the brain to which the Amygdalae is connected. Studying these differences of development in detail should show how woman are affected by trauma differently from men.
The amygdala is larger in males than females. It not only assigns emotion to a memory but also decides where to store the memory.
Women who watched a horror film had “enhanced activity of the left, but not the right amygdala.” They had stronger emotional memory then men. The men who watched the horror film had “enhanced activity of the right, but not the left”.
The right amygdala is linked with taking action as well as being linked to negative emotions, which may help explain why males tend to respond to emotionally stressful stimuli physically. The left amygdala allows for the recall of details, but it also results in more thought rather than action in response to emotionally stressful stimuli, which may explain the absence of physical response in women.
The amygdala sends projections to the hypothalamus, the dorsomedial thalamus, the thalamic reticular nucleus, the nuclei of the trigeminal nerve and the facial nerve, the ventral tegmental area, the locus coeruleus, and the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus.
There seems to be a connection with the amygdalae and how the brain processes posttraumatic stress disorder. Multiple studies have found that the amygdalae may be responsible for the emotional reactions of PTSD patients. One study in particular found that when PTSD patients are shown pictures of faces with fearful expressions, their amygdalae tended to have a higher activation than someone without PTSD.
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