Cortical networks related to sympathetic reactions

Abstract

The sympathetic nervous system is critical to coping with environmental stress such as fear. Many fears are innate and species-specific, and information on fear stimulation is sent directly from the amygdala to the autonomic center of the hypothalamus and brainstem to elicit sympathetic reactions. On the other hand, fear is learnable, and by analyzing the response to such fears, the upper hierarchical structure of the sympathetic nervous system can be examined. Recent research with human functional neuroimaging has reported that brain activities of the anterior cingulate cortex and the anterior insular cortex are related to sympathetic responses, especially the former is related to the cognitive generation and control of emotion. It is becoming clear that the functional linkage between the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex plays an important role in combining the fear and the autonomic nervous system.