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.