Some of the most convincing work implicating the amygdala in anxiety comes from brain-imaging studies. Put people in a scanner, flash various pictures, see what parts of the brain are activated in response to each. Show a scary face, and the amygdala lights up. Make the pictures subliminal—flash them for thousandths of a second, too fast to be consciously seen (and too fast to activate the visual cortex), and the amygdala lights up.* How does the functioning of the amygdala relate to anxiety? People with anxiety disorders have exaggerated startle responses, see menace that others don’t.
