Amygdala (BLA / CeA)
Associative threat learning and output to arousal systems.
Anxiety anatomy emphasises amygdala-centered threat circuits, extended amygdala (BNST), insula interoception and prefrontal regulators.
Educational neuroscience context only — not medical advice, diagnosis or a substitute for emergency or clinical care. If you are in crisis, seek local emergency services or a licensed clinician.
Structures
BNST (extended amygdala)
Sustained anxiety and unpredictable threat monitoring.
Insula
Interoceptive awareness of bodily arousal.
Anterior cingulate / dACC
Conflict, error and affective pain signals.
Ventromedial / lateral PFC
Regulation, reappraisal and extinction support.
Periaqueductal grey / LC
Defensive behaviours and noradrenergic arousal.
Pathways
Thalamo-amygdala “low road”
Fast coarse threat signals to amygdala.
PFC–amygdala regulation
Top-down dampening and contextual safety.
Insula–ACC interoceptive loop
Maps bodily prediction errors that fuel worry.
HPA / autonomic effector paths
Cortisol and autonomic cascades under threat.
Landmarks
Fear conditioning
Lab model of associative threat learning.
Extinction / exposure sessions
Clinical window onto new safety learning.
CO₂ / lactate panic probes
Interoceptive challenge paradigms (research).
Worry induction tasks
Probe verbal perseveration under uncertainty.
Open atlas neighbours: amygdala, insula, ACC, prefrontal cortex.
Sources & research
- Anxiety disordersPrimer on anxiety disorders and mechanisms.DOI
- Using Neuroscience to Help Understand Fear and Anxiety: A Two-System FrameworkTwo-system framing of fear vs anxiety circuits.DOI
- Epidemiology of anxiety disorders in the 21st centuryEpidemiology of anxiety disorders.DOI
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