The aetiology of fear and anxiety

Components of the brain’s threat circuitry – including the hippocampus, stria terminalis and its bed nucleus, amygdala, and frontal regions including the medial prefrontal cortex and insula – all interact depending on the nature and proximity of perceived threats to produce an appropriate response, ranging from avoidance to fighting.²

References:

1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fifth Edition – text revision. © American Psychiatric Association, 2022.
2. Penninx BW, Pine DS, Holmes EA, Reif A. Anxiety disorders. Lancet 2021; 397 (10277): 914–927.
3. Domschke K. Fear and anxiety-distinct or “kindred” phenomena? Biol Psychiatry Glob Open Sci 2022; 2 (4): 314–315.
4. Carey G, Viard R, Lopes R, et al. Anxiety in Parkinson’s disease is associated with changes in brain structural connectivity. J Parkinsons Dis 2023; 13 (6): 989–998.