The Human Amygdala

Building on pioneering animal studies, and making use of new, noninvasive techniques for studying the human brain, research on the human amygdala has blossomed in recent years. This comprehensive volume brings together leading authorities to synthesize current knowledge on the amygdala and its role in psychological function and dysfunction. Initial chapters discuss how animal models have paved the way for work with human subjects. Next, the book examines the amygdala's involvement in emotional processing, learning, memory, and social interaction. The final section presents key advances in understanding specific clinical disorders: anxiety disorders, depression, schizophrenia, autism, and Alzheimer's disease. Illustrations include more than 25 color plates.

This timely book allows clinicians of the nervous system, who are increasingly confronted with degenerative and psychiatric diseases, to familiarize themselves with the cerebral amygdala and the anatomical structures involved in these pathologies. Its striking photos of cerebral sections and dissections should help MRI specialists to more precisely study the detailed images provided by their constantly evolving equipment.

Bringing together leading researchers, this book comprehensively covers what is known about the amygdala, with a unique focus on what happens when this key brain region is damaged or missing. Offering a truly comparative approach, the volume presents research on rats, monkeys, and humans. It reports on compelling cases of people living without an amygdala, whether due to genetic conditions, disease, or other causes. The consequences for an individual's ability to detect danger and regulate emotions--and for broader cognitive and social functions--are explored, as are lessons learned about brain pathways and plasticity. The volume delves into the role of the amygdala in psychiatric disorders and identifies important directions for future research. Illustrations include six color plates.

Emotional Cognition gives the reader an up to date overview of the current state of emotion and cognition research that is striving for computationally explicit accounts of the relationship between these two domains. Many different areas are covered by some of the leading theorists and researchers in this area and the book crosses a range of domains, from the neurosciences through cognition and formal models to philosophy. Specific chapters consider, amongst other things, the role of emotion in decision-making, the representation and evaluation of emotive events, the relationship of affect on working memory and goal regulation. The emergence of such an integrative, computational, approach in emotion and cognition research is a unique and exciting development, one that will be of interest to established scholars as much as graduate students feeling their way in this area, and applicable to research in applied as well as purely theoretical domains. (Series B)

fMRI Neurofeedback provides a perspective on how the field of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) neurofeedback has evolved, an introduction to state-of-the-art methods used for fMRI neurofeedback, a review of published neuroscientific and clinical applications, and a discussion of relevant ethical considerations. It gives a view of the ongoing research challenges throughout and provides guidance for researchers new to the field on the practical implementation and design of fMRI neurofeedback protocols. This book is designed to be accessible to all scientists and clinicians interested in conducting fMRI neurofeedback research, addressing the variety of different knowledge gaps that readers may have given their varied backgrounds and avoiding field-specific jargon. The book, therefore, will be suitable for engineers, computer scientists, neuroscientists, psychologists, and physicians working in fMRI neurofeedback. Provides a reference on fMRI neurofeedback covering history, methods, mechanisms, clinical applications, and basic research, as well as ethical considerations Offers contributions from international experts—leading research groups are represented, including from Europe, Japan, Israel, and the United States Includes coverage of data analytic methods, study design, neuroscience mechanisms, and clinical considerations Presents a perspective on future translational development

The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

The amygdala is a central component of the limbic system, which is known to play a critical role in emotional processing of learning and memory. Over these last 20 years, major advances in techniques for examining brain activity greatly helped the scientific community to determine the nature of the contribution of the amygdala to these fundamental aspects of cognition. Combined with new conceptual breakthroughs, research data obtained in animals and humans have also provided major insights into our understanding of the processes by which amygdala dysfunction contributes to various brain disorders, such as autism or Alzheimer's disease. Although the primary goal of this book is to inform experts and newcomers of some of the latest data in the field of brain structures involved in the mechanisms underlying emotional learning and memory, we hope it will also help stimulate discussion on the functional role of the amygdala and connected brain structures in these mechanisms.