Work

The Amygdala and Politics

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Emotions play a central role in social interactions and associations, and they are regulated by multiple regions of the human brain. In this review, we focus primarily, almost exclusively, on the amygdala, highlighting functional and structural changes related to behavioral interactions that may occur within diverse social groups, including families, cultural associations, and political organizations, each typically structured around leaders and followers. More specifically, we examine political parties in democratic societies, after first outlining how the relationship between brain structure, particularly the amygdala, and behavior has evolved from non-human primates to humans, and how structural and behavioral changes may arise through aging or disease.

Source: Brain Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/brainsci16070709

Authors: Javier Díaz-Nido, Jesús Avila

Institutions: Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Biomedical Research Networking Center on Neurodegenerative Diseases, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red

Language: English

Topic: Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,654

Funders: Fundación Ramón Areces, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Agencia Estatal de Investigación