What Is the Limbic System? The limbic system is a part of the brain consisting of several components such as the hippocampus and amygdala and serving many functions within the body. While we have a ...

One of the characteristics of depression is a tendency to perceive sensory stimuli and everyday situations in an excessively negative way. But the mechanisms underpinning this 'negativity bias,' which ...

Fear is an adaptive emotion that helps us cope with threatening situations. Deep within the temporal lobe of the brain is the amygdala, the most studied brain area involved in fear. The amygdala uses ...

Activating a circuit between the amygdala and brainstem relieves pain and reduces defensive behaviors in rats, according to research recently published in JNeurosci. People with pain often experience ...

The amygdala is part of the limbic system, which regulates emotional and behavioral responses. An amygdala hijack is a fight-or-flight response to stress. To better understand what an amygdala hijack ...

My previous post, "Is Pain All In Your Head?" discussed how the same sensation can be interpreted as excitement, pain, or pressure, depending on how you interpret it. How does that work? The amygdala.

An international research team has linked genes and brain anatomy with the human propensity for risky behaviors, such as smoking, alcohol and drug use, speeding, or frequently changing sexual partners ...

In the first, you’re hiking uphill on a warm day, beads of sweat rolling down your forehead. In the second, you’ve just ...