Neural Substrates of Fear Based on Animal and Human Studies

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The neural substrate of fear is thought to be highly conserved among species including human. The purpose of this review was to address the neural substrates of fear based on recent findings obtained from animal and human studies. METHODS: Recent studies on brain regions related to fear, particularly fear conditioning in rodents and humans, were extensively reviewed. RESULTS: This paper suggests high consistency in anatomical structure and physiological mechanisms for fear perception, response, learning and modulation in animals and humans. CONCLUSIONS: Fear is manifested and modulated by well conserved neural circuits among species interconnected with the amygdala, such as the hippocampus and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Further research is required to incorporate findings from animal studies into a better understanding of neural circuitry of fear in human in a translational approach.