Lecture 4: Anxiety

• Fear response: defensive behaviours, arousal, negative emotions

  Anxiety: reactions due to anticipation of negative event
• Pathological Anxiety

  First recognised as disorders in 1980’s

  17% of our population, experienced more by women than men

  Indigenous population: 16.5% (20% in women, 12% males)
• Circuitry involved in pathological anxiety/phobias/panic disorder:

  1. Cingulate activation

  2. Amygdala/hippocampus

  3. Occipital (specific trigger)

  4. Periaqueductal grey
• Lack of serotonin in the basal ganglia, cerebral cortex, and limbic cortex/amygdala causes these areas to be overactive