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Hypnosis Impacts the Amygdala

Hypnosis Impacts the Amygdala Friday, September 11, 2009 by: Steve G. Jones, Ed.S. ... Warren explains how hypnosis affects the amygdala. When someone is in a hypnotic trance the amygdala normally shuts itself off. "...

Scientists discover neurons that remain "forever young" through life

During adolescence — long after most of the brain has finished growing — the amygdala continues to expand. ... This, according to the researchers, could help explain the rapid growth of the amygdala during adolescence. "...

Children with autism appear to lose neurons related to social and emotional behavior as they age, study finds

The amygdala is the region of the brain that regulates emotions and governs social behavior and interaction. ... They found that the number of neurons in the amygdala increased by more than 30 percent from childhood to adulthood in typically developing individuals, whereas children with ASD were found to have more neurons in their amygdala at this stage, which decreased as they got older . "...

Meditation changes the way your brain processes emotions

In the compassion meditation group, right amygdala activity also fell off in response to positive or neutral images. ... Researchers reported no significant changes in the control group or in the left amygdala of any of the study's participants. "...

How to rewire your brain to develop healthy relationships with your friends and family

“The amygdala is an automatic processor and storehouse of emotional memories. We can use our knowledge of how the amygdala works to shape our own personalities,” writes Shorey. ... Once a threat has been detected by the amygdala, adrenaline is released. But the amygdala doesn’t just receive signals from the thalamus, it gets information from the cortex as well. "...

Simple things that you can do to face your fears and rewire your brain

The same thing applies to your amygdala. Like the child who feels reassured when he sees the empty space under his bed, you can train your amygdala to think that a lot of your fears will probably never happen. ... You can do this by teaching your amygdala that your fear isn’t really a threat. "...

How you respond to risks may be how your brain is wired; people who play it safe have more neurons but less coordinated pathways

Subsequent MRI scans then revealed the sizes of their individual amygdala, the region of the brain that’s in charge of processing fear and other emotions, as well as the baseline level of activity in the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain that’s said to be in charge of decision-making. ... Kable and his team gleamed from the results that the people who take the biggest risks tended to be the ones with the larger amygdala, and fewer connections ...

"Mind-reading" neurons allow us to simulate the thought process of another person

A University of Cambridge research team found the specialized neurons in the amygdala of the brain of monkeys. ... A microelectrode registered the electrical activity of neurons in the amygdala of one of the monkeys. "...

Craving sugar? It could be caused by lack of sleep

Insomnia has long been shown to affect the activity of a brain region known as the amygdala. ... The amygdala processes emotions and is also considered the brain’s “reward center.” "...

How sleep deprivation ruins your mental health

Studies have determined that sleep deprivation increases activity in the amygdala, your brain’s “emotional rapid-response center.” ... When the amygdala is in overdrive, sleep deprivation also blocks the communication between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex, another part of the brain linked to emotional regulation. "...

Some stress is good, but not too much: Mild stress is good for the brain; too much bad for the heart

The researchers had also found that higher amygdala activity was associated with greater bone marrow activity and inflammation in the arteries. ... A sub-study focusing on patients with post-traumatic stress disorder likewise revealed that participants with the highest stress levels exhibited the highest amygdala activity. "...

How your brain and personality are affected by lack of sleep

The researchers found that the amygdala, the brain's "emotional control center," became more active in sleep-deprived subjects, and the connection between the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex was disturbed: "This was a critical insight as the the medial prefrontal cortex itself regulates amygdala function. Sleep deprivation appears to cause the amygdala to overreact to negative stimuli because it becomes disconnected from brain areas that normally moderate ...

Woman with rare condition doesn't experience fear, raises hope for PTSD sufferers

As usual, she did not exhibit fear.(2) Changes in the brain that make one unable to recognize fear Urbach-Wiethe disease leads to deposits of calcium in her brain's amygdala, which is responsible for interpreting and transmitting fear signals to other parts of the body. For example, a properly-functioning amygdala plays a role in physical response to fear such as a quickening heartbeat or sweaty palms.(1) S.M.'"...

Same pheromones that trigger sexual attraction in females also found to trigger AGGRESSION in males

Different circuits used depending on gender The scientists noted that the ESP1 signal in the amygdala took different circuits in males and females. ... This is significant because the amygdala is the part of the brain that is responsible for emotional behavior, motivation and emotions in general. "...

New Study Shows Genes may be Responsible for Placebo Effect

During both speeches, the brain activity of the patients were monitored to see if the medication affected the amygdala, a part of the brain that determines the degree of fear response. ... Out of the 25 participants who received a placebo, 10 showed reduced amygdala activity and reported feeling less anxiety the second time around. "...

Trees are good for your emotional health: Study determines living on the edge of a forest is good for your brain

The amygdala is an area of gray matter in the brain which processes memory, emotional reactions, decision-making, and survival instincts. ... The findings show that city-dwellers who lived close to the edge of a forest were more likely able to cope with stress better due to their amygdala showing overall physiological health. "...

Babies smell their mothers' fear to learn what to be afraid of

This was confirmed when the researchers gave the newborn rats a drug to block amygdala activity while exposing them to the smell of their mothers reacting to peppermint. ... According to the researchers, the amygdala plays a key role in detecting and responding to threats. "...

Autism symptoms detected in vaccinated baby monkeys

"The vaccinated primates... showed a different rate of maturation of the amygdala section of the brain than the non-vaccinated monkeys," explains SafeMinds. "Amygdala dysfunction has been long implicated in autism. The amygdala region is responsible for emotions, memory and learning. "...

Nature is necessary: The secret to a healthy life in the city is living near a park, according to research on the effects of stress on the brain

Apparently, some of the negative aspects of living in highly modernized environments can lead to a worse state of the brain’s amygdala, which affects how the brain processes stress and reacts to danger. ... City dwellers who live closer to a forest were found to be “more likely to show indications of a physiologically healthy amygdala structure” and presumably able to cope with their stress levels much better. "...

Scientists explore why fear is fun for some; the fight-or-flight chemicals are also present in happiness

The reaction to fear starts from the area in the brain called the amygdala. This almond-shaped set of neurons is responsible for processing memory, decision-making, and emotional reactions. ... Another part of the brain that interprets perceived threat is the hippocampus, which is closely connected with the amygdala. "...