Neural Substrates of Fear Based on Animal and Human Studies

공포의 신경 기저 회로 : 동물과 인간 대상 연구를 중심으로

  • Baek, Kwangyeol (Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, KAIST) ;
  • Jeong, Jaeseung (Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, KAIST) ;
  • Park, Min-Sun (Department of Psychology, Graduate school, Sungshin Women's University) ;
  • Chae, Jeong-Ho (Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea)
  • 백광열 (KAIST 바이오 및 뇌공학과) ;
  • 정재승 (KAIST 바이오 및 뇌공학과) ;
  • 박민선 (성신여자대학교 대학원 심리학과) ;
  • 채정호 (가톨릭대학교 의과대학 정신과학교실)
  • Published : 2008.11.30

Abstract

Objectives : The neural substrate of fear is thought to be highly conserved among species including human. The purpose of this review was to address the neural substrates of fear based on recent findings obtained from animal and human studies. Methods : Recent studies on brain regions related to fear, particularly fear conditioning in rodents and humans, were extensively reviewed. Results : This paper suggests high consistency in anatomical structure and physiological mechanisms for fear perception, response, learning and modulation in animals and humans. Conclusions : Fear is manifested and modulated by well conserved neural circuits among species interconnected with the amygdala, such as the hippocampus and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Further research is required to incorporate findings from animal studies into a better understanding of neural circuitry of fear in human in a translational approach.

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