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What's in a name?

In the course of my work the other day, I ran across a word that made me proud! I didn't really know what it was, what it represented, what it meant, but hey, it can't be anything but fabulous right? It has my NAME in it, after all.

Amygdala. Got a nice ring to it, don't you think? A bit gutteral, with the 'g' plopped down there in the middle. Overall, quite intriguing. I had to know more. So I did a search. This almond-shaped group of nuclei, located within the temporal lobe of the brain of humans and other complex vertebrates, is crucial for our everyday functioning. Wow! I hit the jackpot with this!

And then I found out exactly what this bit of brain matter does. It performs a "primary role in the processing and memory of" ...ironic drumroll inserted..."EMOTIONAL REACTIONS."

Go figure, Miss Emotional Basketcase has an entire section of the brain named in her honor.

(I won't even go far into what I found when I looked up another word featuring me: amyloids. Let's just say there's a whole section in Wikipedia entitled "Diseases Featuring Amyloids," including Alzheimer's, Parkinsons, Cardiac arrythmias, Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid, Rheumatoid arthritis, and Mad Cow. So proud. So very proud.)

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