title: The structural and functional connectivity of the amygdala: from normal emotion to pathological anxiety.
abstract: The dynamic interactions between the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are usefully conceptualized as a circuit that both allows us to react automatically to biologically relevant predictive stimuli as well as regulate these reactions when the situation calls for it. In this review, we will begin by discussing the role of this amygdala-mPFC circuitry in the conditioning and extinction of aversive learning in animals. We will then relate these data to emotional regulation paradigms in humans. Finally, we will consider how these processes are compromised in normal and pathological anxiety. We conclude that the capacity for efficient crosstalk between the amygdala and the mPFC, which is represented as the strength of the amygdala-mPFC circuitry, is crucial to beneficial outcomes in terms of reported anxiety.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, 6207 Moore Hall, Hanover, NH 03755, USA. justin.m.kim@dartmouth.edu
authors.forename: M Justin
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Rebecca A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Loucks
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: Annemarie C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Kimberly M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.forename: Ashley N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Marchante
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Whalen
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D005149:Facial Expression; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D012931:Social Environment; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology