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Glite Dictionary
amygdaloid nucleus

amygdaloid nucleus

9.9
A small part of the brain shaped like an almond that helps control feelings and motivation
  • noun
  • /əˈmɪɡdəˌlɔɪd ˈnjuːklɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : núcleo amigdaloide
  • The amygdaloid nucleus plays a critical role in processing emotions and memory.

Examples

  • Research has shown that the amygdaloid nucleus is involved in fear responses.

  • Damage to the amygdaloid nucleus can lead to changes in emotional behavior.

  • In the present study, two amygdaloid nuclei showed increases in Fos-ir in alcohol animals: the medial and the central nuclei.

    Academic text (2016)

Synonyms

amygdala
vsamygdaloid nucleus
  • Specialized
14 9.3

A small almond-shaped part of the brain that helps process emotions like fear

includes motivation as well as emotional behavior rather than only emotion processing
corpus amygdaloideum
vsamygdaloid nucleus
  • Specialized
9.9

An almond-shaped group of brain cells in the front part of the side of the brain that helps control emotions

is described as a cluster of neurons rather than a mass of nuclei

Surface Forms

amygdaloid nucleus singular
amygdaloid nuclei plural

Morphology

amygdaloid + nucleus

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from 'amygdaloid' (almond-shaped) + 'nucleus' (a cluster of neurons), so together they denote an almond-shaped group of neuronal cell bodies. Although it's a technical neuroscience term, the semantic composition follows standard English compound formation and would be understandable to a learner who knows both constituent meanings.

Etymology

Amygdaloid nucleus is named for its shape: amygdaloid comes from a word meaning 'almond' and nucleus means a small 'core' or 'group', so the term literally describes an 'almond-shaped' group of brain cells. That's why the name fits this part of the brain that helps with feelings like fear and memory.