| In a state of fearful arousal, the locus coeruleus is stimulated thereby releasing norepinephrine, which increases emotional arousal, attention to the environment and encoding of emotionally significant memory (if the hippocampus is intact). Although increasing cognition in lower levels, it has an inhibiting effect upon cognition in higher levels. This pathway may be central in explaining the dynamics of performance anxiety. High activity of the locus coeruleus causes thought blocking which causes performance anxiety or stage fright. The locus coeruleus acts in synchrony with Corticotrophin Releasing Hormone (CRH) in the maintenance of the stress response. |
| Aggressive arousal triggers a multi-system cascade of events that are mediated by autonomic, hormonal and other systems. Avoidant arousal triggers a different multi-system cascade of events, some of which are in opposition to those triggered by aggressive arousal. Although on an emotional level this would be viewed as anxiety, on a physical level this simultaneous opposing stimulation has a negative effect upon the normal regulation of vegetative functioning (feeding, sleep, reproduction, circulation, digestion, defecation, urination, temperature regulation and respiration). This simultaneous opposing stimulation leads to different somatic symptoms and is the basis for psychosomatic illness. |