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Always on Alert: Your Brain and the Threat Response

  • Writer: Patricia Faust
    Patricia Faust
  • Oct 10, 2019
  • 3 min read


Our brain is constantly assessing our environment. When our brain senses threat it automatically starts a cascade of brain functions that are below our level of awareness. Our brains are hard-wired to sense threat. This simply means that we inherited survival technique from our prehistoric ancestors. The perception of threat can come in any form – physical, social, workplace among others. It doesn’t matter what the perception of threat is for the brain to automatically go into fight, flight or freeze mode.


Fight, Flight or Freeze

This is what happens: The amygdala, located in the limbic system of our brain, picks up the threat and kicks off the fight or flight cascade. The first stop in this process is the prefrontal cortex where rational thinking, decision-making, executive function all take place. The prefrontal cortex doesn’t get enough oxygen and glucose in this process to function properly. So cognitive functions like rational thing and decision-making are severely impaired. It doesn’t take a lot of input for this to happen and all thinking responses are diverted back through the limbic system (amygdala).


What Happens When the Limbic System Takes Control

Without the direction of the prefrontal cortex to help with thinking and direction, your brain finds it difficult to sort through any thoughts to make good decisions. With the limbic system now in control, it is likely that you will respond more negatively to situations. You become reactive and protective. You are in the throws of the threat response, so your brain is looking diligently for more threats. Your ideas don’t seem possible to attain and the risks are always too great. You have shut yourself down.

One more disturbing action of the brain while in the threat response: you increase your chances of making links where none may exist. That is because the amygdala, in full arousal, misinterprets information coming in. If your brain senses a threat, then there are more threats of the same nature. Although these associations enable the amygdala to respond in milliseconds, the likelihood of errors increases.


Chronic Stress and the Threat Response

Now consider what chronic stress does to your brain and the threat response. When your amygdala is in overdrive for long periods of time, the stress hormones of cortisol and adrenaline in the blood become chronically high. You are functioning under a permanent sense of threat.


Now – all of these actions are below our sense of awareness. Our brain has gone into a dangerous state of functioning. It is automatic, we aren’t aware of it and our behavior and life changes. We can actually be killing neurons (brain cells) and inhibit the growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus which is important for memory formation.


What Can You Do?

Now that I have given you all of this distressing information is there anything you can do? The knowledge of this process is the initial step. When you notice you are responding with emotions rather than rational thinking you can take a step back and acknowledge the emotion. When you do this you can actually calm the limbic system. Be conscious of what sets off the limbic system into a state of arousal. Understanding these triggers can enable you to find ways to reduce the threat before the arousal takes place. Be more alert to your emotions as they begin to escalate. The more awareness you bring to an emotional response the better you will be at noticing their presence earlier. When you feel an emotional state coming on, refocus your attention on another stimulus before your emotion takes over. Finally, practice assigning words to emotional states. This actually diffuses the whole process.


The threat response is hard-wired to protect us and help us survive. It kept our prehistoric ancestors alive. Our threat survival response is working overtime in our lives because there are so many sources that can set it off. Hopefully, with this knowledge you will understand what is happening to you or to other people around you. Remember – it is automatic and we don’t even know it is happening. Learning how to work with the resulting emotional responses will redirect your brain for better outcomes.


Good luck to us all!


References:

Rock,D. (2009). Your brain at work. The impact of over-arousal, pp. 108-118. HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022.



 
 
 

Comments


We are already into June! I am not moving as fast as time apparently. I am just preparing for the “lazy, hazy days of summer”.

June is anything but lazy.  This is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month.  This month brings to light the value of living a brain healthy lifestyle, the importance of early detection, and the support that is available for those with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.

The FDA approved the blood test that detects Alzheimer’s disease and identifies what stage of the disease is present.  These tests will be available in doctor’s offices.  What does this mean?  Diagnosing Alzheimer’s was a bit of hit or miss because the methods of diagnosis were complicated and not definitive.  The primary care doctor had to figure out what specialist to refer the patient and lose more diagnostic time trying to get them an appointment.  Determining how far the disease had progressed was even more of a challenge.  With this blood test, immediate results and staging allows immediate, appropriate care to be initiated.  In the early stages of the disease a person can maintain a higher quality of life for a longer period.

The Alzheimer’s Association National Event – Outshine the Darkness of Alzheimer’s.  The Longest Day is celebrated on June 21, the summer solstice.

This is a global effort to raise funds and awareness for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, with participants choosing activities they love to do while fundraising.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15) promotes a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by highlighting the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect.

National Safety Month includes safety measures for seniors – fall prevention, safe medication use, home safety modifications. Check with you local Area Agency on Aging for information.

 

Over the past few years, I have had a friend, Carol Meyer, who has been a part of My Boomer Brain.  Carol has her own publication, InFlow that is published quarterly.  It is amazing.  InFlow Magazine - Your Digital Dose of Inspiration is just that.  She has chosen some of my blogs to publish in InFlow and I am grateful.  She wants me to extend an invitation to look at InFlow for yourself.  Here is the link and access information:

https://inflowmagazine.gumroad.com/l/Issue11

Scroll to ‘Name a fair price’

Enter ‘0’ in the ‘name a fair price’ field to get it for free

Click ‘I want this’ and follow the prompts

 

With summer just around the corner, I’m booking online and in-person presentations for July.  Topics are varied and topical, ranging from memory care, the aging brain, brain health, cognitive resilience, and many more.  If you are interested in organizing an event or want to discuss how brain health can be integrated into your community or organization, please reach out to me directly at patricia@myboomerbrain.com

 

Finally, if you are looking for more in-depth strategies and a roadmap to better health, I encourage you to explore my book, The Boomer Brain. It is a resource designed for anyone over 40 who wants to understand how lifestyle choices impact cognitive aging and what you can do to keep your brain sharp for years to come.  Find it on Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/1962133613

 

Slow down your time and enjoy the laid-back pace of summer. 

Pat

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