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“This book consists of 18 chapters on various aspects of the amygdala written by leading researchers in the field. This volume is a valuable resource for updating one's knowledge regarding the important role the amygdala and its subdivisions play in normal and abnormal emotional functioning....The book provides the reader with a better understanding of the complexity of the structure of the amygdaloid complex and its many cortical and subcortical connections. It provides the reader with an appreciation for the multiple ways that the amygdala, in health and disease, can affect emotional/behavioral functioning....Because the amygdala plays an important role in various aspects of emotional functioning and because there is now a large and growing body of both animal and human research on amygdala-behavior relationships, 'every neuropsychologist should be a student of the amygdala.' The breadth and depth of the research on the amygdala covered in this book by experts in the field makes it the best current reference on the human amygdala and an excellent way to stimulate thinking about the role emotion plays in human behavior including its effects on everyday cognitive functioning.”

—Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology


“A fascinating read that explores contemporary understanding of the scientific and clinical role of the amygdala in attention, perception, emotion, learning, memory, decision making, motivation, mood, social functioning, fear conditioning, and psychopathology....I highly recommend this book to neuropsychologists; social, clinical, humanistic, and biological psychologists; psychiatrists; and graduate students in these fields.”

—PsycCRITIQUES


“When discussing the role of the amygdala in the brain, some have said that 'all roads lead to Rome.' This volume sheds new light on the important role that this small, almond-shaped region plays in normal processes—such as fear, positive reinforcement, memory, and social interactions—and in mental disorders. The text is consistently informed by the latest findings from imaging, animal, and genetic work. Any student of the brain and behavior will definitely enjoy this authoritative yet accessible book.”

—Mark S. George, MD, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Radiology, and Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina


“This superbly edited volume captures the exciting progress in understanding the human amygdala that has occurred over the past decade, with the aid of new developments in brain imaging technology and genomics. The book represents one of the first successful attempts to integrate ideas and findings from basic neuroscience with evidence on social and emotional functioning. It will interest a wide audience of researchers and trainees.”

—Trevor W. Robbins, PhD, FRS, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, UK


“The field's leading authorities provide state-of-the-art coverage of amygdala function and dysfunction. This well-conceived volume is a tour de force that should be considered essential reading for any neuroscientist interested in behavior and any behavioral scientist interested in brain function. Chapters will be of interest to experts but are also accessible enough for use in advanced seminars and graduate courses.”

—John T. Cacioppo, PhD, Director, Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, University of Chicago

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Table of Contents

I. From Animal Models to Human Amygdala Function

1. Neuroanatomy of the Primate Amygdala, Jennifer Freese and David G. Amaral

2. The Human Amygdala: Insights from Other Animals, Joseph E. LeDoux and Daniela Schiller

3. Measurement of Fear Inhibition in Rats, Monkeys, and Humans with or without Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Using the AX+, BX–Paradigm, Karyn M. Myers, Donna J. Toufexis, James T. Winslow, Tanja Jovanovic, Seth D. Norrholm, Erica J. Duncan, and Michael Davis

4. Amygdala Function in Positive Reinforcement: Contributions from Studies of Nonhuman Primates, Elisabeth A. Murray, Alicia Izquierdo, and Ludise Malkova

II. Human Amygdala Function

5. A Developmental Perspective on Human Amygdala Function, Nim Tottenham, Todd A. Hare, and B. J. Casey

6. Human Fear Conditioning and the Amygdala, Arne Öhman

7. Methodological Approaches to Studying the Human Amygdala, Kevin S. LaBar and Lauren H. Warren

8. The Human Amygdala and Memory, Stephan Hamann

9. The Human Amygdala and the Control of Fear, Elizabeth A. Phelps

10. The Role of the Human Amygdala in Perception and Attention, Patrik Vuilleumier

11. Individual Differences in Human Amygdala Function, Turhan Canli

12. Human Amygdala Responses to Facial Expressions of Emotion, Paul J. Whalen, F. Caroline Davis, Jonathan A. Oler, Hackjin Kim, M. Justin Kim, and Maital Neta

13. The Human Amygdala in Social Function, Tony W. Buchanan, Daniel Tranel, and Ralph Adolphs

III. Human Amygdala Dysfunction

14. The Human Amygdala in Anxiety Disorders, Lisa M. Shin, Scott L. Rauch, Roger K. Pitman, and Paul J. Whalen

15. The Human Amygdala in Schizophrenia, Daphne J. Holt and Mary L. Phillips

16. The Human Amygdala in Autism, Cynthia Mills Schumann and David G. Amaral

17. The Human Amygdala in Normal Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease, Christopher I. Wright

18. The Genetic Basis of Human Amygdala Reactivity, Ahmad R. Hariri and Daniel R. Weinberger

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About the Editors

Paul J. Whalen, PhD, is a former Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College.

Elizabeth A. Phelps, PhD, is Silver Professor of Psychology and Neural Science at New York University. Her laboratory has earned widespread acclaim for its groundbreaking research on how the human brain processes emotion, particularly as it relates to learning, memory, and decision making. Dr. Phelps is the recipient of the 21st Century Scientist Award from the James S. McDonnell Foundation and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Association for Psychological Science and the Society for Neuroethics, was President of the Society for Neuroeconomics, and is the current Editor of the journal Emotion.

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Contributors

Ralph Adolphs, PhD, Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, and Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

David G. Amaral, PhD, The M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California at Davis, Davis, California

Tony W. Buchanan, PhD, Department of Psychology, St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri

Turhan Canli, PhD, Graduate Program in Genetics and Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York

B. J. Casey, PhD, Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York

F. Caroline Davis, BA, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

Michael Davis, PhD, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia

Erica J. Duncan, MD, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, and Mental Health Service, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia

Jennifer Freese, PhD, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California

Stephan Hamann, PhD, Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia

Todd A. Hare, PhD, Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York

Ahmad R. Hariri, PhD, Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Daphne J. Holt, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

Alicia Izquierdo, PhD, Department of Psychology, California State University, Los Angeles, California

Tanja Jovanovic, PhD, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, and Mental Health Service, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia

Hackjin Kim, PhD, Department of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, Korea

M. Justin Kim, BA, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

Kevin S. LaBar, PhD, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

Joseph E. LeDoux, PhD, Center for Neural Science and Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York

Ludise Malkova, PhD, Department of Pharmacology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Elisabeth A. Murray, PhD, Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland

Karyn M. Myers, PhD, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience and Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia

Maital Neta, BA, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

Seth D. Norrholm, PhD, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, and Mental Health Service, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia

Arne Öhman, PhD, Psychology Section, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

Jonathan A. Oler, DPhil, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

Elizabeth A. Phelps, PhD, Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York

Mary L. Phillips, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Roger K. Pitman, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

Scott L. Rauch, MD, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

Daniela Schiller, PhD, Center for Neural Science and Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York

Cynthia Mills Schumann, PhD, Department of Neurosciences, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California

Lisa M. Shin, PhD, Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, and Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

Nim Tottenham, PhD, Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York

Donna J. Toufexis, PhD, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia

Daniel Tranel, PhD, Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

Patrik Vuilleumier, PhD, Laboratory for Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, Department of Neuroscience and Clinic of Neurology, University Medical Center, and Swiss National Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

Lauren H. Warren, PhD, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

Daniel R. Weinberger, MD, Clinical Studies Section, Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland

Paul J. Whalen, PhD, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

James T. Winslow, PhD, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland

Christopher I. Wright, MD, PhD, Laboratory of Aging and Emotion, Massachusetts General Hospital-East, Charlestown, Massachusetts, and Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

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Audience

Affective, cognitive, and social neuroscientists; neuropsychologists; social and clinical psychologists; and psychiatrists.

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Course Use

May serve as a supplemental text in graduate-level courses.