Sudden stress shifts human brain into survival mode (Medical
Xpress) -- In threatening situations, the brain adapts within
seconds to prepare for an appropriate response. Some regions are
temporarily suppressed. Others become more active and form
temporarily alliances for fight or flight. Noradrenaline is
driving force behind this reorganization. (Science, November
25). Almost instantly after encountering something terrifying,
the brain gears up for an adequate response. This can happen
within seconds. The resulting integrated state of body and mind
is optimized to survive threatening situations. The changes
underlying this response have not been mapped previously in this
level of detail. 'We feel the fear, our senses are sharpened,
and we create lasting memories. But our capacity for careful
deliberation is impaired so that we can respond rapidly above
all', says Erno Hermans, the first author of the paper that
appears in Science on November 25. Hermans works at the Donders
Institute for Brain, Cognition and