Definition and Generalities

The amygdaloid body or amygdaloid nuclear complex is an aggregate of several grey matter nuclei, of diencephalic origin, located in the anterior and medial parts of each of the two temporal lobes, connected not only to the entire limbic system but also to the sensory cortical areas, which receive and process the emotional inputs by triggering, via the thalamus, hypothalamus and brainstem, a series of reactions referred to as emotional expressions, dynamic, neuroendocrine, vegetative and hormonal, of variable intensity according to each individual and to the significance and violence of the triggering emotional factor. This amygdaloid body is controlled by the frontal brain. However, this control can bypassed at a specific moment, in cases of extreme urgency, especially when the survival of an individual is involved.