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Fear and panic in humans with bilateral amygdala damage.

ABSTRACT: Decades of research have highlighted the amygdala's influential role in fear. We found that inhalation of 35% CO(2) evoked not only fear, but also panic attacks, in three rare patients with bilateral amygdala damage. These results indicate that the amygdala is not required for fear and panic, and make an important distinction between fear triggered by external threats from the environment versus fear triggered internally by CO(2).

SUBMITTER: Feinstein JS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3739474 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Fear and panic in humans with bilateral amygdala damage.

Feinstein Justin S JS Buzza Colin C Hurlemann Rene R Follmer Robin L RL Dahdaleh Nader S NS Coryell William H WH Welsh Michael J MJ Tranel Daniel D Wemmie John A JA

Nature neuroscience 20130203 3

Decades of research have highlighted the amygdala's influential role in fear. We found that inhalation of 35% CO(2) evoked not only fear, but also panic attacks, in three rare patients with bilateral amygdala damage. These results indicate that the amygdala is not required for fear and panic, and make an important distinction between fear triggered by external threats from the environment versus fear triggered internally by CO(2). ...[more]

PMID: 23377128

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