The basolateral amygdala

Arturo Andrade
NSB 501
Functional Neuroanatomy
 OUTLINE
• BACKGROUND
• LOCATION
• CONNECTIVITY
• BEHAVIORS RELATED TO THE BLA
• SUPPORTING EVIDENCE
• NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS RELATED TO THE
BLA
 BACKGROUND
• WHERE IS THE BASOLATERAL AMYGDALA LOCATED?

• The basolateral amygdala is part of the amygdala,

which is located deep in the temporal lobe

BLA
 Connectivity of the basolateral amygdala
(BLA)
• BLA connects to the following areas:
– Infralimbic Cortex
– Hippocampus of the same hemisphere
– Hippocampus of the opposite hemisphere

– YOU NEED TO SHOW AT LEAST 4 REGIONS

– AFTER THIS THEN SHOW IN YOUR NEXT SLIDES
THE MAPS YOU GENERATED IN THE LAB WITH
BRAIN EXPLORER
 Behaviors related to the BLA
• Fear

• Anxiety

BY NOW IT MAY BE POSSIBLE THAT YOUR AREA IS

RELATED TO A TON OF BEHAVIORS, FOCUS IN 3 OF
THEM
 Evidence 1
Patient has Urbach-Wiethe disease…which destroyed both sides
of her amygdala.
As a result….she has no fear.

They tried to scare her with haunted houses, snakes, knives, etc.
Nothing worked.
“She tends to approach theArchiv
veryfürthings
pathologische Anatomie und
she should be avoiding.”
Physiologie und für klinische Medizin

REFERENCE: Urbach E and Wieth C, Archiv für pathologische Anatomie und Physiologie
und für klinische Mediz
 Evidence 2
Phobia to spiders is a type of anxiety.
Functional magnetic resonance studies show activation of the BLA when patients are
exposed to spiders

REFERENCE: Holzschneider and Mulert, Neuroimaging in anxiety disorders.

 Neurological conditions associated to the
BLA
• Anxiety disorders
– PTSD
– Specific phobias
– General anxiety disorder
– Social Phobia
– Obsessive-compulsive disorder
 REFERENCES
• Include your outside sources