Stress-fear-memory pathway 🧠
The stress-fear-memory pathway is a part of the limbic system and consists of four areas. The first is the amygdala, the stress or fear center. The amygdala is in communication with three other areas. First is the hypothalamus which controls all the hormones of your body, including the stress hormone cortisol. It also sends messages to your sympathetic nervous system to get ready and your vagus nerve (the calming nerve that slows everything down) to stop firing.
The third is the hippocampus which is where you consolidate memories. The amygdala and the hippocampus are reciprocal in that when your amygdala figures out that an experience is not a good one, that information ends up stored by the hippocampus. And finally the fourth area involved is the prefrontal cortex; this is the wise area of the brain that keeps you from doing stupid things again. These four brain areas together keep your emotions from overwhelming your ability to think straight and your outward behavior in check.
References
- Lustig, H., Robert. (2017). The Hacking of the American Mind The Science Behind the Corporate Takeover of Our Bodies and Brains Chapter 2. Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places (Location 445). New York, NY: Penguin Random House.
Metadata
Type:🔵 Tags: Biology / Neuroscience Status:☀️