Organization of the amygdala with special reference to various pathological syndromes

Our understanding of the functional organization of the amygdaloid complex has considerably increased in the last 10 years. Thus the abundance of previously unsuspected neocortical and thalamic afferents to the amygdala as well as the direct projections from the central amygdala to pontine structures involved in the coordination of autonomic and motor functions, present a challenge to the previous view that the function of the complex is largely related to that better known of the hypothalamus. In this context the possible significance of the abundant opoid systems in the central amygdala will be discussed with special reference to the morphine withdrawal syndrome. The role of the amygdala in the manifestation of limbic motor signs during seizures will be reevaluated in this context.     

Minority Group Membership and Perceptions of Self-help: Evidence from Israel

This study explores the meanings associated with the term ‘self-help’ in the general Arab population in Israel. It compares these associated meanings across various groups created by several demographic variables. The Arab population in Israel numbers nearly one million, comprising 18% of the total population of the state. The study used a random sample of 250 participants, representative of the general Arab population in Israel. Data was collected in a telephone survey which lasted 3–7 minutes. Three themes surfaced as the most prevalent meanings associated with the concept ‘self-help’: the individual meaning, which refers to one's ability to solve one's own problems and to rely on one's own strengths and resources; helping the ‘other’; and helping the needy. Significant differences in the associated meanings of the self-help concept related to level of education, marital status, and whether the respondent had heard of the self-help concept. The significance of the findings is discussed within several frames of reference. First, they are examined within the context of a particular minority culture which is constantly interacting with Israeli Jewish cultural values and is undergoing a change from traditional systems of values to modern Western ones. Second, the universal and particular attributes of the self-help phenomenon are outlined. Third, the initial developmental stages of self-help organizations within the Arab population living in Israel are discussed.