The Neurobiology of Threat Impacts Your Relationships, Ann and Sue Update You on the Latest (173)

by | Apr 10, 2022 | Attachment, Brain Science, Episodes, Mindfulness, Neuroscience, Polyvagal Theory, Relationships, Trauma | 0 comments

Show Notes

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:11 — 33.1MB)

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Learning about relational science and applied attachment theory can help you keep your cool.  Stay updated in this episode learning latest about the science of threat.

This episode on the neurobiology of threat is a warm up to next time, when we air the interview with the amygdala expert, Dr. Joseph Ladoux.

Everyone responds to threat uniquely and each situation is different of course.  Ann & Sue discuss recent findings and how to apply the science to understanding how your brain works when it senses danger.  Inspired by a discussion with Dr. Joseph Ledoux (interview to be published in the next episode #174) – in today's episode, Ann and Sue are covering their take on the latest research related to fear and threat in humans.

Michelle Bobb-Parris/Getty Images

Ann and Sue blend their own personal experiences and knowledge of people, mistakes, dysregulation and basic relational neuroscience to help improve your relationships and integrate healing & change within the body.  Follow along as they take a deeper dive into Ledoux's research and break down his experiment measuring rats' fear in moments of threat and how that applies to human responses in similar instances. They also cover the misconceptions about how the amygdala is often perceived as the “fear center” of the body, and why it's important beyond caring about neuroanatomy.

As always, they also share their own not-pretty version of figuring this stuff out in real life. (Transcript provided below)

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Time Stamps for Neurobiology of Threat: 

3:24 – Discussion about Sue's interview with Joseph Ledoux

4:23 – Explanation of Joseph Ledoux's rat experiment

15:12 – Threat responses are not amoral

29:01 – Ledoux's implicit narrative

29:54 – The amygdala is not the “fear center” of the body

42:32 – The “third anchor”, memory consolidation

45:00 – Updating your own narrative

Episode Resources for Neurobiology of Threat 

Joseph Ledoux's Article – “The Emotional Brain, Fear, and the Amygdala”

Elena Paci, Charlotte Lawrenson, Jasmine Pickford, Robert A.R. Drake, Bridget M. Lumb, Richard Apps. “Cerebellar Modulation of Memory Encoding in the Periaqueductal Grey and Fear Behaviour.” eLife (First published: March 15, 2022) DOI: 10.7554/eLife.76278

“Discovery of novel brain fear mechanisms offers target for anxiety-reducing drugs” – University of Bristol, March 2022

View the Transcript Here!

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