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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

How to Detect Amygdala Activity with Magnetoencephalography using Source Imaging
Published on: June 3, 2013
Contributions of the amygdala to emotion processing: from animal models to human behavior
Elizabeth A Phelps1, Joseph E LeDoux
1Department of Psychology, New York University, 4-6 Washington Place, New York, New York 10003, USA. liz.phelps@nyu.edu
Abstract:
Research on the neural systems underlying emotion in animal models over the past two decades has implicated the amygdala in fear and other emotional processes. This work stimulated interest in pursuing the brain mechanisms of emotion in humans. Here, we review research on the role of the amygdala in emotional processes in both animal models and humans. The review is not exhaustive, but it highlights five major research topics that illustrate parallel roles for the amygdala in humans and other animals, including implicit emotional learning and memory, emotional modulation of memory, emotional influences on attention and perception, emotion and social behavior, and emotion inhibition and regulation.
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