From ancient fears to airborne threats: fMRI insights into neural fear responses

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F67985807%3A_____%2F25%3A00641335" target="_blank" >RIV/67985807:_____/25:00641335 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/00023752:_____/25:43921634 RIV/00216208:11310/25:10505851

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106371" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106371</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106371" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106371</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

From ancient fears to airborne threats: fMRI insights into neural fear responses

Original language description

Threat perception is a fundamental aspect of human cognition, shaped by evolutionary pressures and modern environmental demands. While ancestral threats (e.g., snakes) have been shown to elicit stronger neural responses than modern threats (e.g., guns), less is known about how the brain processes airborne threats, such as depictions of individuals wearing face masks. This fMRI study investigates neural responses to ancestral, modern, and airborne threats to identify shared and distinct activation patterns. Sixty participants viewed visual stimuli from the three categories while undergoing fMRI scanning. Results showed heightened activation in the fear-processing network for all affective stimuli. In addition, activation of the ventral attention network was found for the ancestral threats. Modern threats elicited less intense responses, primarily engaging cortical regions associated with context-specific analysis. Notably, airborne threats elicited neural responses of similar intensity to ancestral threats but activated cortical regions overlapping with those for modern threats. This dual pattern highlights the brain’s capacity to integrate evolutionary biases with socially constructed threat awareness. These findings underscore the importance of recognizing airborne threats as a unique category of threat processing, with implications for public health and mental well-being.

Czech name

—

Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

30103 - Neurosciences (including psychophysiology)

Project

Result was created during the realization of more than one project. More information in the Projects tab.

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Brain and Cognition

ISSN

0278-2626

e-ISSN

1090-2147

Volume of the periodical

191

Issue of the periodical within the volume

December 2025

Country of publishing house

NL - THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

Number of pages

19

Pages from-to

106371

UT code for WoS article

001614663200001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105020881928