Human fear-related motor neurocircuitry

• Published in: Neuroscience 2007-11, Vol.150 (1), p.1-7
• Main Authors: Butler, T, Pan, H, Tuescher, O, Engelien, A, Goldstein, M, Epstein, J, Weisholtz, D, Root, J.C, Protopopescu, X, Cunningham-Bussel, A.C, Chang, L, Xie, X.-H, Chen, Q, Phelps, E.A, Ledoux, J.E, Stern, E, Silbersweig, D.A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; amygdala; Amygdala - blood supply; Amygdala - physiology; anxiety; basal ganglia; Basal Ganglia - blood supply; Basal Ganglia - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Mapping; Fear - psychology; Female; fMRI; freezing; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Galvanic Skin Response - physiology; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; motor cortex; Motor Cortex - blood supply; Motor Cortex - physiology; Neural Pathways - blood supply; Neural Pathways - physiology; Neurology; Oxygen - blood; Photic Stimulation - methods; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
• ISSN: 0306-4522; 1873-7544
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2007.09.048

Abstract Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and an experimental paradigm of instructed fear, we observed a striking pattern of decreased activity in primary motor cortex with increased activity in dorsal basal ganglia during anticipation of aversive electrodermal stimulation in 42 healthy participants. We interpret this pattern of activity in motor neurocircuitry in response to cognitively-induced fear in relation to evolutionarily-conserved responses to threat that may be relevant to understanding normal and pathological fear in humans.