%A Dr. Stefan Bracha
%A Adam S. Bracha
%A Dr. Andrew E. Williams
%A Tyler C. Ralston
%A Jennifer M. Matsukawa
%J Clinical Autonomic Research
%T The human fear-circuitry and fear-induced 
fainting in healthy individuals 
The paleolithic-threat hypothesis 
%X The Paleolithic-Threat 
hypothesis reviewed here posits 
that habitual efferent fainting can 
be traced back to fear-induced 
allelic polymorphisms that were 
selected into some genomes of 
anatomically, mitochondrially, and 
neurally modern humans (Homo 
sapiens sapiens) in the Mid-Paleolithic because of the survival 
advantage they conferred during 
periods of inescapable threat. We 
posit that during Mid-Paleolithic 
warfare an encounter with ?a 
stranger holding a sharp object? 
was consistently associated with 
threat to life. A heritable hard-
wired or firm-wired (prepotentiated) predisposition to abruptly 
increase vagal tone and collapse 
flaccidly rather than freeze or 
attempt to flee or fight in response 
to an approaching sharp object, a 
minor injury, or the sight of blood, 
polymorphism for the hemodynamically ?paradoxical? flaccid-
immobility in response to these 
stimuli may have increased some 
non-combatants? chances of survival. This is consistent with the 
unusual age and sex pattern of 
fear-induced fainting. The Paleolithic-Threat hypothesis also predicts a link to various hypo-androgenic states (e.g. low dehydroxyepiandrosterone-sulfate. We offer 
five predictions testable via epidemiological, clinical, and ethological/primatological methods. The 
Paleolithic-Threat hypothesis has 
implications for research in the 
aftermath of man-made disasters, 
such as terrorism against civilians, 
a traumatic event in which this 
hypothesis predicts epidemics of 
fear-induced fainting
%K fainting, human evolution, war, combat, fear-circuitry, androgens, stress-induced disorders 
%P 238-241
%V 15
%D 2005
%L cogprints5035

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