What is anxiety? Part 2

Vincent Van Gogh - Sorrowing Old Man (At Eternity's Gate) 1890

We go into significantly more detail regarding some of what we know about how circuits in the brain encode anxiety and fear.  This involves a discussion of how brain structures really interact with one another.  We also delve into the relationships between genetics, epigenetics, and emotion.

References used (same as last episode):

1. Waraczynski M. Toward a systems-oriented approach to the role of the extended amygdala in adaptive responding. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016 May 20. pii: S0149-7634(15)30162-7. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.05.015. [Epub ahead of print] Review. PubMed PMID: 27216212.
2. Nestler EJ. Transgenerational Epigenetic Contributions to Stress Responses: Fact or Fiction? PLoS Biol. 2016 Mar 25;14(3):e1002426. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002426. eCollection 2016 Mar. PubMed PMID: 27015088; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4807775.
3. Nestler EJ, Peña CJ, Kundakovic M, Mitchell A, Akbarian S. Epigenetic Basis of Mental Illness.Neuroscientist. 2015 Oct 8. pii: 1073858415608147. [Epub ahead of print] Review. PubMed PMID: 26450593; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4826318.
4. Anacker C, Scholz J, O'Donnell KJ, Allemang-Grand R, Diorio J, Bagot RC, Nestler EJ, Hen R, Lerch JP, Meaney MJ. Neuroanatomic Differences Associated With Stress Susceptibility and Resilience. Biol Psychiatry. 2016 May 15;79(10):840-9. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.08.009. Epub 2015 Aug 18. PubMed PMID: 26422005.
5. Dietz DM, Laplant Q, Watts EL, Hodes GE, Russo SJ, Feng J, Oosting RS, Vialou V, Nestler EJ.Paternal transmission of stress-induced pathologies. Biol Psychiatry. 2011 Sep 1;70(5):408-14. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.05.005. Epub 2011 Jun 16. PubMed PMID: 21679926; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3217197.
6. Myers B, Scheimann JR, Franco-Villanueva A, Herman JP. Ascending mechanisms of stress integration: Implications for brainstem regulation of neuroendocrine and behavioral stress responses. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016 May 18. pii: S0149-7634(16)30092-6. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.05.011. [Epub ahead of print] Review. PubMed PMID: 27208411.
7. El Zein M, Wyart V, Grèzes J. Anxiety dissociates the adaptive functions of sensory and motor response enhancements to social threats. Elife. 2015 Dec 29;4. pii: e10274. doi: 10.7554/eLife.10274. PubMed PMID: 26712157; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4868536.
8. Tovote P, Fadok JP, Lüthi A. Neuronal circuits for fear and anxiety. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2015 Jun;16(6):317-31. doi: 10.1038/nrn3945. Review. Erratum in: Nat Rev Neurosci. 2015 Jul;16(7):439. PubMed PMID: 25991441.

What is anxiety?

Edvard Munch - Anxiety, 1894

Anxiety is a very familiar emotional state for all of us, but we tend to have a fair bit of difficulty describing in words.  It's something that influences everything we do without us knowing it - and, sometimes, it can spiral out of control and control our lives.  It's also critical to living a productive life, making prudent decisions, and avoiding future suffering.

In this episode, Bo and I chat about what exactly anxiety is, how it's different from fear, and how it evolved over the course of millions of years.  Next time, we'll get more specific; how does the brain produce anxiety and fear, and how do they influence everything from creativity and parenting to addiction and aggression.  We also chat about how high levels of anxiety are heritable; is it transmitted genetically or through learned behavior?

References used:

1. Waraczynski M. Toward a systems-oriented approach to the role of the extended amygdala in adaptive responding. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016 May 20. pii: S0149-7634(15)30162-7. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.05.015. [Epub ahead of print] Review. PubMed PMID: 27216212.
2. Nestler EJ. Transgenerational Epigenetic Contributions to Stress Responses: Fact or Fiction? PLoS Biol. 2016 Mar 25;14(3):e1002426. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002426. eCollection 2016 Mar. PubMed PMID: 27015088; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4807775.
3. Nestler EJ, Peña CJ, Kundakovic M, Mitchell A, Akbarian S. Epigenetic Basis of Mental Illness.Neuroscientist. 2015 Oct 8. pii: 1073858415608147. [Epub ahead of print] Review. PubMed PMID: 26450593; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4826318.
4. Anacker C, Scholz J, O'Donnell KJ, Allemang-Grand R, Diorio J, Bagot RC, Nestler EJ, Hen R, Lerch JP, Meaney MJ. Neuroanatomic Differences Associated With Stress Susceptibility and Resilience. Biol Psychiatry. 2016 May 15;79(10):840-9. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.08.009. Epub 2015 Aug 18. PubMed PMID: 26422005.
5. Dietz DM, Laplant Q, Watts EL, Hodes GE, Russo SJ, Feng J, Oosting RS, Vialou V, Nestler EJ.Paternal transmission of stress-induced pathologies. Biol Psychiatry. 2011 Sep 1;70(5):408-14. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.05.005. Epub 2011 Jun 16. PubMed PMID: 21679926; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3217197.
6. Myers B, Scheimann JR, Franco-Villanueva A, Herman JP. Ascending mechanisms of stress integration: Implications for brainstem regulation of neuroendocrine and behavioral stress responses. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016 May 18. pii: S0149-7634(16)30092-6. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.05.011. [Epub ahead of print] Review. PubMed PMID: 27208411.
7. El Zein M, Wyart V, Grèzes J. Anxiety dissociates the adaptive functions of sensory and motor response enhancements to social threats. Elife. 2015 Dec 29;4. pii: e10274. doi: 10.7554/eLife.10274. PubMed PMID: 26712157; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4868536.
8. Tovote P, Fadok JP, Lüthi A. Neuronal circuits for fear and anxiety. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2015 Jun;16(6):317-31. doi: 10.1038/nrn3945. Review. Erratum in: Nat Rev Neurosci. 2015 Jul;16(7):439. PubMed PMID: 25991441.