How the brain gathers threat cues and turns them into fear
The chemical route that transforms frightening sights, sounds, and odors into the single message "Be terrified" has been discovered by Salk scientists. Neurons in two different regions of the brain can combine dangerous sensory cues into a single signal using the chemical CGRP, classify it as negative, and send it to the amygdala, which interprets it as fear. The study, which will be published in Cell Reports on August 16, 2022, may result in new treatments for hypersensitive illnesses like autism, migraines, and fibromyalgia as well as fear-related disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to senior author Sung Han, an assistant professor in Salk's Clayton Foundation Laboratories for Peptide Biology, "the brain route we uncovered functions as a central alert system." "We were thrilled to discover that negative sensory inputs from all five senses—sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch—activate the CGRP neurons. Understanding how to mana...