Resumen
Ubicada en la profundidad de cada hemisferio del cerebro humano, una diminuta estructura neuronal con forma de almendra, la amígdala cerebral, ejerce tal influencia que trasciende las respuestas de miedo que comúnmente se le atribuyen. Dicho centro límbico ventral, con su intrincada red de conexiones neuronales, actúa regulando procesos que van desde las reacciones primarias como la agresión y la ansiedad, hasta procesos cognitivos sofisticados como el aprendizaje, la atención, la memoria e incluso las interacciones sociales y la toma de decisiones. La influencia de la amígdala cerebral se extiende a cómo se interpretan las sonrisas, la manera en que el cuerpo reacciona ante una situación de estrés y cuáles recuerdos, de índole placentera o aversiva, se graban en la memoria con mayor intensidad. Más allá de ser un simple activador del miedo, la amígdala es un modulador esencial de la vida emocional y conductual, cuya complejidad apenas se comienza a comprender para entender mejor el funcionamiento cerebral humano. De esta manera, en esta revisión, se presenta un análisis sistemático de la literatura actual relacionada con las funciones e importancia de la amígdala cerebral.Citas
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