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Oct 27, 2017 · Fear reaction starts in the brain and spreads through the body to make adjustments for the best defense, or flight reaction. The fear response starts in a region of the brain called the...
Sep 10, 2023 · If your brain decides that a fear response is justified in a particular situation, it activates a cascade of neuronal and hormonal pathways to prepare you for immediate action. Some of the fight-or-flight response – like heightened attention and threat detection – takes place in the brain.
Mar 14, 2024 · Neurobiologists uncover how stress turns into fear in the brain — in conditions such as PTSD — and a method to block it. New research published in Science identifies the brain biochemistry and neural circuitry that cause generalized fear experiences.
Sep 8, 2023 · Fear—and other mental states—are cognitive responses to the stimuli detected by the amygdala. The interactions of the various systems involved, he argues, create a working memory circuit that ...
- Overview
- The pathway between sensing danger and the fear response
- The link between overactive neuron pathways and fear-based mental health conditions
- Investigating the relationship between neuron pathways, the amygdala, and autism
- What are fear-based mental health conditions?
- Tips for managing fear and anxiety
•Fear is a natural emotion triggered by a perceived threat. However, it can also be a factor in fear-related mental health conditions.
•Scientists believe the biological processing of fear occurs in a part of the brain called the amygdala — though other brain regions like the thalamus and brainstem may also play a role.
•How this process occurs is not fully understood, but new research shows how specific molecules in separate parts of the brain gather and transmit threat cues to the amygdala, which transforms them into fear.
•Researchers suggest their findings may lead to new therapies for fear-related mental health conditions, migraine, and hypersensitivity disorders often experienced by autistic people.
Fear is a natural emotion in humans and animals that can help detect and respond to real or perceived danger.
When a person perceives a possible threat, biochemical reactions occur to prepare the body and mind to respond — known as the fight, flight, or freeze response.
To conduct the research, scientists used single-cell calcium imaging to record the CGRP neuron activity of mice exposed to threat cues that stimulated multiple senses.
Using differently colored fluorescent proteins, they were then able to track the pathways of signals leaving the thalamus — a brain region responsible for relaying sensory information — and brainstem. After identifying these pathways, researchers conducted behavioral tests on the mice to assess fear and memory.
When analyzing the data, the scientists discovered that two separate groups of CGRP neurons in the brainstem and the thalamus relay signals to the nonoverlapping area of the amygdala — forming two pathways. In addition, the CGRP neuron populations also translate threatening sensory input and communicate it with other brain networks.
The scientists also found that both pathways are involved in forming unpleasant memories, which may help an individual avoid the same threat in the future.
Study authors suggest that identifying these pathways may offer insights into treating fear-based mental health conditions.
In addition, they hope to examine if they play a role in multisensory stimuli processing issues, including migraine, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Elizabeth Fedrick, PhD, LPC and owner of Evolve Counseling and Behavioral Health Services in Phoenix, Arizona, told Medical News Today:
“While a certain amount of fear and anxiety are normal, an over-exposure to fearful or stressful events has the potential to result in causing the fear pathways to become “hyperactive.” When the fear pathways become hyperactive, this often results in the development of [..] fear-based mental health disorders.”
MNT also spoke with Sung Han, PhD, senior author of the study and assistant professor at the Salk Institute, about factors that may cause these pathways to become overactive in some people but not others.
“Genetic causes, like mutation or polymorphism of the genes specifically involved in this neuronal pathway, may intrinsically alter the signal transmission of this pathway,” Dr. Han said.
“Alternatively, acquired traumatic experiences may also alter the plasticity of this pathway. Both cases may cause hyperactivity or lower the activation threshold of these neurons, thereby making them easily activated. These people may perceive otherwise normal sensory stimuli as aversive.”
– Dr. Sung Han, senior author of the study and assistant professor at the Salk Institute
Previous research has found that autistic children with anxiety had larger right amygdala brain volumes than non-autistic children. MNT asked Dr. Han if these findings could correlate to the pathways discovered in the Salk Institute study. He said:
“We do not know since we have not investigated the correlative relationship between the enlarged amygdala and the hyperactivated central alarm pathway that we claim. We can measure the size of the amygdala in mice before and after activating this pathway artificially to test these causalities.”
Although future research may test these relationships, Dr. Han told MNT:
“Our immediate plan is to compare the activity of this central alarm system in normal and autism mouse models to examine whether mutation of autism candidate gene contributes to the hyper excitation of the central alarm network we identified.”
Although many mental health conditions may share fear as a driver, “all of the anxiety disorders stem from some underlying fear,” Dr. Bruce Bassi, MS, medical director and founder of Telepsych Health in Jacksonville, Florida told MNT.
Dr. Bassi notes that anxiety disorders predicated on fear include:
•generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
•social anxiety disorder (SAD)
•panic disorder (PD)
•obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Treatment options for fear-based mental health conditions include medications, mental health therapy, and mind-body therapies.
Dr. Bassi told MNT, “medications to target anxiety disorders work on key neurotransmitters: serotonin (SSRIs), norepinephrine (SNRIs), GABA (benzodiazepines), and the adrenergic system (beta blockers).”
“Therapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), are some of the most effective therapeutic options for treating fear-based mental health disorders,” Dr. Fedrick explained.
“Mind-body strategies attempt to help break the psychologic-physiologic cycle that can perpetuate anxiety. Biofeedback teaches individuals to learn the physical symptoms associated with anxiety. Other mind-body therapeutic techniques include EMDR and emotional freedom techniques.”
– Dr. Bruce Bassi, MS, medical director and founder of Telepsych Health
Still, Dr. Fedrick suggests that when a person experiencing anxiety and fear realizes that a real threat isn’t actually present, it can help activate the parasympathetic system — which is responsible for controlling the body’s ability to relax.
What happens in the brain with anxiety? What areas of the brain are involved in anxiety? Why do I feel anxiety in my body? How do anxiety and fear differ in the brain?
Apr 4, 2024 · There’s a good reason you feel fear creep in when you’re walking alone at night in an unfamiliar place or hear a loud and unexpected noise ring out. In those moments, your brain triggers other parts of your nervous system to set a stress response in motion throughout your body.
