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The Amygdala
In reading about bipolarity in the book Owning Bipolar, I was able to see the biological connection between this disorder and trauma. In the brain, there are two main functioning parts that play out in bipolarity. The first is the prefrontal cortex (PFC) which is a more newly developed part of the brain that acts as a moral guide. It has come into play as we have evolved, living closely in relation to others in the development of societies where we need a firm understanding of what is right and wrong (for our own safety). The second part of the brain that plays a role is the amygdala, and this is in charge of producing emotions and processing emotional memories. The amygdala alerts the PFC when there is a threat, real or imagined, and the PFC makes an executive decision on how to address that threat. It is asserted that in bipolar disorder, the two parts of the brain have a disconnect (intermittently), leading in bipolar behaviours that come our in bouts of mania or depression. W...
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