Organization of primate amygdalo-prefrontal projections

The amygdalo-prefrontal network is thought to play an important role in fea r conditioning and other associative learning processes. We investigated am ygdalo-prefrontal connectivity data from anatomical tracing studies using a n advanced databasing approach (www.cocomac.org) and multivariate statistic s. Both amygdaloid and prefrontal cortical areas ere found to form three di stinct clusters with (i) widespread, (ii) absent, and (iii) highly specific connections, respectively. Major amygdaloid sources of projections were th e accessory basal (AB), basal (B), lateral (L) nuclei and the periamygdaloi d cortex (PAC). Major prefrontal targets were orbital areas 13 and 14, as w ell as medial areas 24 and 25. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights re served.