Anterior insula activation to threat cues predicts fear of going to the dentist

What is it about?

Clinical definitions of phobic fear emphasize overactive amygdala responses to feared stimuli and events. However, when people that are fearful of pain anticipate a potential painful event we find that activity is heightened in the anterior insula, not the amygdala.

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Why is it important?

This suggests that different types of phobic fears, especially those involving pain and interoception, are due to overactivity in distinct neural circuits. This counters prevailing clinical views of fear and anxiety which almost exclusively focus on the amygdala.