Fear and panic in humans with bilateral amygdala damage.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Case series of patients with rare bilateral brain lesions tested with an experimental challenge
PubMed 23377128 · doi:10.1038/nn.3323
What was done
Researchers administered an inhalation challenge of 35% CO2 to three patients with bilateral amygdala damage to determine whether the amygdala is required for the induction of fear and panic.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative values or statistical tests. It reports that 35% CO2 inhalation elicited both fear and panic attacks in all three patients with bilateral amygdala damage.
Why it matters
These findings indicate that an intact amygdala is not necessary for experiencing fear and panic, establishing a functional distinction between internally generated fear responses (e.g., to hypercapnia) and fear triggered by external environmental threats.
Limits
The study is limited by an extremely small sample size (n = 3) and a lack of reported quantitative endpoints or comparator details in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Patients with bilateral amygdala lesions experience full-blown panic attacks when inhaling carbon dioxide.