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Nature 454, 589-590 (31 July 2008) | doi:10.1038/454589a; Published online 30 July 2008

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Behavioural neuroscience: The circuit of fear

Pankaj Sah1 & R. Frederick Westbrook2

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Do you find it difficult to overcome an irrational fear? Blame it on the specific neural circuits hardwired in the brain that control fear recognition, and fear renewal even when fear has seemingly been overcome.

Learning to predict danger allows animals to defend themselves against harm and is crucial for survival. The neural mechanisms that subserve these functions are evolutionarily old, and their dysfunction is thought to underlie a host of anxiety disorders in humans, including post-traumatic stress and panic disorder1.

  1. Pankaj Sah is at the Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.
    Email: pankaj.sah@uq.edu.au
  2. R. Frederick Westbrook is in the School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.

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