Figure 1.

Two opposing models for fear. A) The two-system framework proposed by LeDoux and Pine posits that the emotional experience of fear emerges from a distinct neuronal circuit than that which is responsible for the physiological and behavioral responses to threat. The term fear only refers to the subjective, cognitive/emotional experience in response to threat. B) The central fear generator framework advances that the various responses to threat (cognitive/emotional, physiological, and behavioral) emerge from a central neuronal circuit. Here, the term fear represents an integrated response.