The Amygdala Over-Encodes a Fear Memory
Placeholder — trauma imprints an unusually strong, sensory-linked fear memory.
- Threat tag: Amygdala role (placeholder detail)
- Cortisol ↑: Stress hormones (placeholder detail)
- Sensory-bound: Memory type (placeholder detail)
- High: Encoding strength (placeholder detail)
Fear memory encoding
Placeholder — amygdala binds sounds, smells, sights to threat.
Why encoding is so strong
Placeholder — stress hormones amplify consolidation of the memory.
Prefrontal Cortex Regulation — Normally Present, Impaired in PTSD
Placeholder — PFC should contextualize and dampen fear memories over time.
- Top-down control: PFC role (placeholder detail)
- Extinction: Normal outcome (placeholder detail)
- Impaired: PTSD outcome (placeholder detail)
- vmPFC: Key region (placeholder detail)
Regulatory pathway
Placeholder — PFC sends inhibitory signals to the amygdala.
Impairment in PTSD
Placeholder — weakened connectivity blunts this dampening signal.
An Environmental Cue Resembling the Trauma Appears
Placeholder — a minor, trauma-resembling cue is encountered later.
- Sensory match: Cue type (placeholder detail)
- Low: Objective threat (placeholder detail)
- Generalized: Pattern match (placeholder detail)
- Rapid: Detection speed (placeholder detail)
Cue generalization
Placeholder — similar-enough cues re-activate the stored memory.
Rapid threat detection
Placeholder — amygdala flags the cue before conscious appraisal.
Amygdala Hyperactivates, Prefrontal Dampening Fails
Placeholder — response magnitude exceeds the actual current threat.
- Amplified: Amygdala response (placeholder detail)
- Insufficient: PFC dampening (placeholder detail)
- Disproportionate: Response fit (placeholder detail)
- Hyperarousal: Physiology (placeholder detail)
Disproportionate surge
Placeholder — small cue, outsized amygdala output.
Failed top-down brake
Placeholder — weak PFC signal cannot offset the surge.
Flashback and Hyperarousal from a Minor Cue
Placeholder — unregulated, overgeneralized fear memory drives the reaction.
- Flashback: Symptom (placeholder detail)
- Elevated: Arousal state (placeholder detail)
- Mismatched: Trigger-response fit (placeholder detail)
- Restore PFC: Treatment goal (placeholder detail)
Reaction outsizes the cue
Placeholder — reaction reflects stored trauma, not current risk.
Placeholder — restoring PFC regulation is a core treatment goal.