Amygdala hijack

In amygdala hijack, the amygdala drives prefrontal circuitry whenever anger or anxiety is triggered. As such disturbing emotions reach their peak, an amygdala hijack paralyzes executive functions.

The limbic system processes information milliseconds earlier than the neocortex. If the record of experiences in our memory tells the amygdala that it is a fight or flight situation, then the amygdala triggers the HPA axis sequence and hijacks our attention before any possible direction from the neocortex can be received. If, however, the amygdala does not find any match to the stimulus received with its recorded threatening situations, then it acts according to the directions received from the neocortex.

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References

• Goleman, Daniel. Davidson, A., Richard. (2017). Altered Traits Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body Chapter 7. Attention! (EPub p. 118). Garden City, NY: Avery.

Metadata

Type:🔵 Tags: Biology / Neuroscience Status:⛅️