---
abstract: |-
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
altloc: []
chapter: ~
commentary: ~
commref: ~
confdates: ~
conference: ~
confloc: ~
contact_email: ~
creators_id: []
creators_name:
- family: Bracha
given: Stefan
honourific: Dr.
lineage: ''
- family: Bracha
given: Adam S.
honourific: ''
lineage: ''
- family: Williams
given: Andrew E.
honourific: Dr.
lineage: ''
- family: Ralston
given: Tyler C.
honourific: ''
lineage: ''
- family: Matsukawa
given: Jennifer M.
honourific: ''
lineage: ''
date: 2005
date_type: published
datestamp: 2006-08-01
department: ~
dir: disk0/00/00/50/35
edit_lock_since: ~
edit_lock_until: ~
edit_lock_user: ~
editors_id: []
editors_name: []
eprint_status: archive
eprintid: 5035
fileinfo: /style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png;/5035/1/2005_C.A.R_review_FEAR%2DCIRCUITRY%2DDRIVEN_FAINTS.pdf
full_text_status: public
importid: ~
institution: ~
isbn: ~
ispublished: pub
issn: ~
item_issues_comment: []
item_issues_count: 0
item_issues_description: []
item_issues_id: []
item_issues_reported_by: []
item_issues_resolved_by: []
item_issues_status: []
item_issues_timestamp: []
item_issues_type: []
keywords: 'fainting, human evolution, war, combat, fear-circuitry, androgens, stress-induced disorders '
lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:56:33
latitude: ~
longitude: ~
metadata_visibility: show
note: ~
number: ~
pagerange: 238-241
pubdom: TRUE
publication: Clinical Autonomic Research
publisher: ~
refereed: TRUE
referencetext: ~
relation_type: []
relation_uri: []
reportno: ~
rev_number: 12
series: ~
source: ~
status_changed: 2007-09-12 17:06:25
subjects:
- bio-evo
- psycphs
succeeds: ~
suggestions: ~
sword_depositor: ~
sword_slug: ~
thesistype: ~
title: |-
The human fear-circuitry and fear-induced
fainting in healthy individuals
The paleolithic-threat hypothesis
type: journalp
userid: 6567
volume: 15