Amygdala: Neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of fear

This review is devoted to neuroanatomical and neurophysiological mechanisms of Pavlovian fear conditioning with a focus on the amydgalae, two subcortical nuclear groups, as primary structures responsible for controlling conditioned fear responses, and synaptic plasticity at their afferent and efferent projections as a cellular mechanism to mediate the formation and retention of fear memory. We survey current data on anatomical organization of the amygdaloid complex, as well as on its afferent and efferent projections and their functional significance. A special consideration is given to auditory inputs to the amygdala to analyze the mechanisms of aversive conditioning to sensory (acoustic) stimuli.