Review+of+Lit+HE

“Fear- A distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined.” Fear is a chain reaction. When fear is detected in one place, it then causes the other places to react in different ways. The type of fear that is touched upon in this project is known as the Fight or Flight Response. The fight or flight response is from the sympathetic nervous system. It begins with a stressful stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that cause your heart to race, breath to quicken, and muscles to become more energized. More than 100 billion nerve cells make up a complex system of communications that are the beginning point of everything we sense. Many parts of the brain are involved in the process of fear. (How Fear Works)

The main parts that are involved in the fight or flight response are the thalamus, the sensory cortex, the hippocampus, the amygdala, and the hypothalamus. The thalamus decides where to send information about the source of fear to. It could be sent from the eyes, ears, mouth, or the actual skin. The sensory cortex deciphers the sensory data. The hippocampus is where the known memories are stored or recalled. It also processes the sets of stimuli to set up the situation. The amygdala is where the emotions are deciphered and it then figures out more about the possible source of fear. The amygdala is also where the person’s memories of fear are kept. Lastly, the hypothalamus is where the fight or flight response is turned on. It will send a “nervous signal” to the middle of the Adrenal Gland to the adrenal medulla. It will then send out adrenalin called epinephrine. (How Fear Works)

Epinephrine is a chemical signal attached to the circulatory system and it will bind together the surface of cells. If the epinephrine attaches to the liver, it will release glycogen which will then turn into glucose. Epinephrine and glucose together make a huge source of energy. Epinephrine goes to different parts of the body and has different responses based on where it goes. If it enters the lungs, it will help to increase the speed in which breaths are taken. When it goes to the cells in the heart, it will increase the heart rate. It will also go to the digestive system and it will slow down the process in which you digest your food. This will happen because when you are put in a place of fear, your body does not need to have its usual amount of focus on digesting food. Lastly it will go to the muscles of your body and make sure that blood can flow to those sections. (Anderson, Paul )

Creating fear takes place inside of the brain and it is not a conscious action. One way that is involved in creating the fear response is quick and messy. After recognizing a stimulus of the fear, the brain sends the sensory data to the thalamus. The thalamus wouldn’t have figured out if the stimulus was dangerous or not, but since it has the possibility of being dangerous, it sends a message to the amygdala. The amygdala then takes various precautions to try to protect the human. The amygdala would then send a message to the hypothalamus, telling it to begin the fight or flight response. (How Fear Works)

Another way that is potentially involved in creating the fear response is a bit more thoughtful. It begins by sending the information to the thalamus. The thalamus then sends the information to the sensory cortex, where the source of fear is trying to be interpreted. The sensory cortex understands that there is more than one possible source or the fear. It then passes the information on to the hippocampus to find the circumstances. The hippocampus does much studying of the situation and then decides the final source. It then sends a message to the amygdala and would either say that the source is dangerous or harmless. This would then determine whether or not the amygdala would tell the hypothalamus to send the fight or flight response. (How Fear Works)

=Works Cited=

Andersen, Paul. "Fight or Flight Response." Bozeman Science, 09 Jan. 2012. Web. 25 Sept. 2013. <[]>.


 * This video is credible because the author, Paul Andersen, has been teaching at Bozeman High School in Montana for nineteen years. Paul graduated from Montana State University and has a degree in Biology with Broadfield Science Certification. He also has a Masters of Science in Science Education.

"Fight or Flight." // Stress Recess: // .University of Texas, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. <[]>.


 * This is a university website, which makes it factual and reliable and many sites link to it stating it as a reliable source.

"HOW CELLS COMMUNICATE DURING THE FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE." // How Cells Communicate During the Fight or Flight Response //. The University of Utah, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. <[]>.


 * This site is reliable because it is a school website (edu) and many different sites link to it. Also, this site has its own reference list and upon researching these links, all the information matches up.

"How Fear Works." // HowStuffWorks //. How Stuff Works., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. <[]>.


 * Reliable site because many different sites are linking to it and it is used in many other pages viewed in their references

"Momentum." // Florida Science. // New York, NY: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2005. 306-15. Print


 * Science book used in class.