Fear On The Brain

The timeline of fear is mapped in the brain as such: the thalamus collects information from your senses. When you see or hear etc a possible threat the thalamus sends the information to the sensory cortex and the amygdala. The amygdala reacts to the information by triggering the physiological response that we experience and call fear. The amygdala communicates with necessary regions of the brain to release hormones and change respiratory and motor functions. This is when the heart races, the hands shake, the body sweats etc. At the same time the information is being assessed by the cortex in greater detail. If it needs a response from the body, the amygdala has already prepared the body for action. However if the cortex perceives the information to be non-threatening and therefore no action is required, we feel a sense of relief as our body returns to normal.