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Although studies in rodents have suggested that the basolateral amygdala is vital to appraising and responding to threat, no causal evidence has previously linked functioning of a specific amygdala subregion to fear processing in humans. These investigators used behavioral tests as well as structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine five women with Urbach-Wiethe disease. This rare genetic condition damages the amygdala and is linked to high rates of comorbid anxiety disorders and panic disorder.
The MRIs showed bilateral damage due to focal calcifications, which was limited to the basolateral amygdala. Other amygdala subregions remained functionally intact.
The patients and 16 age- and IQ-matched control women underw…