The Enigma of the Amygdala: On Its Contribution to Human Emotion

Abstract

Abstract Although it is widely assumed that the amygdala has an important role in human emotion, the nature of that role has remained elusive. It is also assumed that this structure has an associated contribution to cognition, but, again, this has remained difficult to define (Aggleton, 1992; Anderson, 1978). These failures seem all the more surprising when it is appreciated that there is considerable evidence from studies of other primate species and from rats showing how the amygdala plays a critical role in particular aspects of emotion and cognition (Davis, 1992; Gaffan, 1992; LeDoux, 1995; McGaugh et al., 1992). The principal problem has been transferring these findings to the human amygdala. A clear example of this problem comes from descriptions of the effects of amygdala damage in humans and in other primates. While amygdala damage in monkeys produces a pronounced loss of affective behavior and a catastrophic breakdown in social interactions, comparable changes in humans are almost never reported (Aggleton, 1992). Indeed, the effects of human amygdala damage often appear unremarkable.