Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A familial (inherited) disorder in which protein deposits (amyloid) accumulate in one or more organ systems in the body. Hereditary amyloidosis is a relatively uncommon cause of amyloidosis. The more common forms of amyloidosis are primary and secondary amyloidosis. However, hereditary amyloidosis is found worldwide. It occurs in families of nearly every ethnic background. The…

A group of diseases that result from the abnormal deposition of a protein, called amyloid, in various tissues of the body. Amyloid protein can be deposited in a localized area, and it may not be harmful or it may affect only a single tissue of the body. This form of amyloidosis is called localized amyloidosis. Amyloidosis that…

Any of a number of complex proteins that are deposited in tissues and that share selected laboratory features such as a change in the fluorescence intensity of certain aromatic dyes like Congo Red. The deposition of amyloid occurs in a number of diseases. In many of these, there is disagreement as to whether amyloid causes…

(Amyl- before a vowel.) A prefix pertaining to starch. From the Greek amylon, meaning starch.

An enzyme produced in the pancreas and salivary glands that helps in the digestion of starches. Elevation of blood amylase is common in pancreatitis.

(Amylo- before a consonant.) A prefix pertaining to starch. From the Greek amylon, meaning starch.

A small oval structure in the temporal lobe of the brain that is closely connected to the hypothalamus, the hippocampus, and the cingulate gyrus. The amygdaloid nucleus is part of the olefactory and limbic systems and plays a role in the sense of smell, motivation, and emotional behavior. It was named the amygdaloid nucleus because anatomists thought it was shaped like…

A small oval structure in the temporal lobe of the brain that is closely connected to the hypothalamus, the hippocampus, and the cingulate gyrus. The amygdaloid nucleus is part of the olefactory and limbic systems and plays a role in the sense of smell, motivation, and emotional behavior. It was named the amygdaloid nucleus because anatomists thought it was shaped like…

A small oval structure in the temporal lobe of the brain that is closely connected to the hypothalamus, the hippocampus, and the cingulate gyrus. The amygdaloid nucleus is part of the olefactory and limbic systems and plays a role in the sense of smell, motivation, and emotional behavior. It was named the amygdaloid nucleus because anatomists thought it was shaped like…

Like an almond. Almond-shaped. As the amygdaloid nucleus in the brain, a structure that anatomists thought resembled an almond. Amygdaloid is pronounced in three syllables: amyg da loid. From the Greek amydale (almond) + the Greek eidos (like).