Show us yer Amygdala!

[Patrick]

Researchers find almond-shaped clump of nerves in brain is larger in more gregarious people

If your social life is a blur of friends and family, you might want to thank an almond-shaped clump of nerves at the base of your brain.

Researchers have found that part of the brain called the amygdala, a word derived from the Greek for almond, is larger in more sociable people than in those who lead less gregarious lives.

The finding, which held for men and women of all ages, is the first to show a link between the size of a specific brain region and the number and complexity of a person's relationships.

The amygdala is small in comparison with many other brain regions but is thought to play a central role in coordinating our ability to size people up, remember names and faces, and handle a range of social acquaintances.

Researchers at Massachusetts general hospital in Boston used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to measure the amygdalas of 58 people aged 19 to 83 and found the structure ranged in size from about 2.5 cubic millimetres to more than twice that.

As part of the study, each of the volunteers completed a questionnaire giving the number of people they met on a regular basis. They also commented on the complexity of each relationship. For example, one friend might also be a boss, meaning the person had to adapt their behaviour with the person depending on the nature of their encounter.

The team, led by psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett, found that participants with larger amygdalas typically had more people in their social lives and maintained more complex relationships.

Those with the smallest amygdalas listed fewer than five to 15 people as regular contacts, while those with the largest amygdalas counted up to 50 acquaintances in their social lives. Older volunteers tended to have smaller amygdalas and fewer people in their social group.

Could open up a whole new genre of Channel Four reality shows! "Amygdala Swap"? "Whose Amygdala is it Anyway?" "My Amygdala's Bigger than Yours!".

Doesn't say if it shrinks as you get older!

[housesparrow]

Dec 27, 2010 13:23:58 GMT Patrick said:

Doesn't say if it shrinks as you get older!

Well no.....but is there any other explanation for the fact that older volunteers had smaller ones?

Unless of course older people with large amygdala are just too busy meeting their friends to find the time to volunteer?

I'm certainly not as sociable as I once was. Parties are for eating and drinking these days.

[aubrey]

I've got a friend who I like to go out to the Three Stags with, and I don't like it so much when lots of people turn up - though I do like all the people, and I do like to see them. It just that it gets tiring when there's a lot of people.