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Journal home Advance online publication Current issue Archive Press releases Supplements Focuses Guide to authors Online submission Permissions For referees Free online issue Contact the journal Subscribe Advertising work@npg naturereprints About this site For librarians   NPG Resources Nature Nature Reviews Neuroscience Nature Cell Biology Nature Medicine Neuroscience Gateway UCSD-Nature Signaling Gateway NPG Subject areas Biotechnology Cancer Chemistry Clinical Medicine Dentistry Development Drug Discovery Earth Sciences Evolution & Ecology Genetics Immunology Materials Science Medical Research Microbiology Molecular Cell Biology Neuroscience Pharmacology Physics Browse all publications Article Nature Neuroscience  4, 437 - 441 (2001) doi:10.1038/86110 Activation of the left amygdala to a cognitive representation of fear Elizabeth A. Phelps1, Kevin J. O'Connor2, J. Christopher Gatenby3, John C. Gore3, Christian Grillon4 & Michael Davis5 1  Department of Psychology, New York University, 6 Washington Place, 8th Floor, New York, New York 10003, USA 2  Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, NE20-439, 77 Massachussetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachussetts 02139, USA 3  Department of Radiology, Yale School of Medicine, PO Box 208042, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8042, USA 4  National Institue of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Drive, Room 3N212, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA 5  Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 1639 Pierce Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA Correspondence should be addressed to Elizabeth A. Phelps liz.phelps@nyu.eduWe examined the neural substrates involved when subjects encountered an event linked verbally, but not experientially, to an aversive outcome. This instructed fear task models a primary way humans learn about the emotional nature of events. Subjects were told that one stimulus (threat) represents an aversive event (a shock may be given), whereas another (safe) represents safety (no shock will be given). Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), activation of the left amygdala was observed in response to threat versus safe conditions, which correlated with the expression of the fear response as measured by skin conductance. Additional activation observed in the insular cortex is proposed to be involved in conveying a cortical representation of fear to the amygdala. These results suggest that the neural substrates that support conditioned fear across species have a similar but somewhat different role in more abstract representations of fear in humans.  Top Abstract Previous | Next Table of contents Full text Download PDF Send to a friend Save this link Open Innovation Challenges Novel Approaches to Protecting Maize from Insect Damage Deadline: Jan 31 2010 Reward: $20,000 USD The Seeker is looking for novel approaches to protecting maize from insect damage. This Challenge re... Single-cell Analysis Platform Deadline: Dec 02 2009 Reward: $5,000 USD This Challenge is looking for novel approaches to analyzing changes at a single-cell level. This is... More Challenges Powered by: nature jobs Faculty Positions University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston, TX United States Faculty Positions University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston, TX United States More science jobs Post a job for free Figures & Tables Export citation Search buyers guide:   ADVERTISEMENT

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