A brain pathway that underlies the emotional behaviours critical for survival has been discovered in a new study published in The Journal of Physiology.
The new research from the University of Bristol has identified a chain of neural connections which links central survival circuits to the spinal cord, causing the body to freeze when experiencing fear.
Understanding how these central neural pathways work is a fundamental step towards developing effective treatments for emotional disorders such as anxiety, panic attacks and phobias.
An important brain region responsible for how humans and animals respond to danger is known as the periaqueductal grey (PAG), and it can trigger responses such as freezing, a high heart rate, increase in blood pressure and the desire for flight or fight.
This latest research has discovered a brain pathway leading from the PAG to a highly localised part of the cerebellum, called the pyramis. The research went on to show that the pyramis is involved in generating freezing behaviour when central survival networks are activated during innate and learnt threatening situations.
The pyramis may therefore serve as an important point of convergence for different survival networks in order to react to an emotionally challenging situation.
Dr Stella Koutsikou, first author of the study in the School of Physiology and Pharmacology at the University of Bristol, said:
“There is a growing consensus that understanding the neural circuits underlying fear behaviour is a fundamental step towards developing effective treatments for behavioural changes associated with emotional disorders.”
Professor Bridget Lumb, Professor of Systems Neuroscience, added:
“Our work introduces the novel concept that the cerebellum is a promising target for therapeutic strategies to manage dysregulation of emotional states such as panic disorders and phobias.”
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Notes for editors
Paper: ‘Neural substrates underlying fear-evoked freezing: the periaqueductal grey – cerebellar link’ by Stella Koutsikou, Jonathan J. Crook, Emma V. Earl, J. Lianne Leith, Thomas C. Watson, Bridget M. Lumb and Richard Apps (2014) in The Journal of Physiology
A copy of the paper can be downloaded from https://fluff.bris.ac.uk/fluff/u1/inpaw/kxgPdgWeIzRk36V2qaIhOgK7H/
The Journal of Physiology publishes advances in physiology which increase our understanding of how our bodies function in health and disease. http://.jp.physoc.org
Bristol Neuroscience: Bristol has one of the largest concentrations of researchers engaged in neuroscience in the UK, many of whom are internationally recognised. More information at www.bristol.ac.uk/neuroscience
Contacts
Philippa Walker, Press Officer at the University of Bristol; 0117 9288086 or Philippa.walker@bristol.ac.uk
Lucy Holmes, The Journal of Physiology; 0207 269 5727 or pressoffice@physoc.org
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