Amygdala

Known for it’s involvement in fear, the amygdala is an area that detects threats. The amygdala is shaped like almond and contains clusters of nuclei.

Structure
The amygdala is shaped like an almond, with it’s nuclei performing different functions. It is divided into 7 nuclei :


 * Central nucleus
 * Médial nucleus
 * Cortical nucleus
 * Basomédial nucleus
 * Basolatéral nucleus
 * Latéral nucleus


 * Hippocampe nucleus

Connections
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. The basolateral amygdala projects to the nucleus accumbens, including the medial shell.

The medial nucleus is involved in the sense of smell and pheromone-processing. It receives input from the olfactory bulb and olfactory cortex. The lateral amygdalae, which send impulses to the rest of the basolateral complexes and to the centromedial nuclei, receive input from the sensory systems. The centromedial nuclei are the main outputs for the basolateral complexes, and are involved in emotional arousal in rats and cats.