The amygdala is a part of the limbic system and acts as the “emotional centre” of the brain. It plays a major role in memory, decision-making and emotional responses such as fear or anger to certain environmental stimuli. Research shows that damage to the amygdala can influence the ability to experience many emotions and may also affect our ability to fear and recognize fear in others.
The ability to recognize fear is important as it helps us to stay alive by avoiding situation, people or objects that put our life in danger. When the brain detects danger, it activates the amygdala which orchestrates a rapid response. The defense mechanism alerted and we build energy to stand our ground or run away.
One of the most famous case studies regarding damage to the amygdala is SM. SM has a rare genetic condition where there was localized damage to both amygdalae. This case study tested her ability to experience fear. She was brought to a scary pet store, haunted house and was shown scary film clips. Throughout these scenarios, SM did not register any fear and this was also a reflection of her personal experience. In her daily life, SM went through many traumatic events that were life- threatening, yer she reports so not experience any fear.
From this case study, researchers say that methods that are specifically and safely designed to turn off the amygdala might be useful in treating PTSD. People with PTSD have a hyper-responsive amygdala as the events they experienced had left a big emotional imprint on their brains. However, through more research into brain processes regarding fear and the amygdala, we may be able to develop wats to target specific brain areas that activate our fear response.
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