Which region of the brain primarily mediates emotional processing and responses?
Solution
Correct Answer: Option B
- The amygdala is the primary brain region involved in emotional processing and responses.
- It plays a crucial role in the detection of emotionally salient stimuli, particularly those related to fear and threat, and is essential for the formation of emotional memories.
- While other brain regions contribute to emotional regulation—such as the hippocampus, which is important for memory consolidation, the thalamus, which acts as a relay station for sensory information, and the hypothalamus, which regulates autonomic and hormonal responses—the amygdala directly mediates the evaluation and generation of emotional responses.
Therefore, the amygdala is considered the core structure for processing emotions in the brain.
Reference: Principles of Neural Science, 5th Edition, Chapter 28, Page 677