Amygdala Damage and Fear Conditioning: A Case Study

What effect would severe amygdala damage have on fear conditioning?

Considering Eva and Garnet's experience in the bus accident, how would you expect their responses to be different when exposed to buses?

Answer:

Eva, with her damaged amygdala, would be less likely to develop a conditioned fear to buses when compared to Garnet, as the amygdala is instrumental in processing emotions and fear responses.

With Eva's amygdala being severely damaged in the bus accident, we would expect her to be less likely to develop a conditioned fear to buses. The amygdala plays a pivotal role in processing emotions, particularly fear. In the context of classical conditioning, it facilitates the formation of fears or aversions to certain stimuli. This is demonstrated in rat studies where the presence or absence of the mother resulted in different activations of the amygdala in response to learned fear or attraction.

Furthermore, studies have shown a link between PTSD and how the amygdala responds to conditioned stimuli that trigger fear and anxiety. Therefore, damage to the amygdala might interfere with Eva's ability to develop a fear-based emotional response to buses, in contrast to Garnet who was uninjured.