Brain's Fear Center: Equipped with Suffocation Sensor

The section of the human brain responsible for registering fear and panic has a built-in chemical sensor that is triggered by the terror of suffocation. Cell journal reported that studies in mice showed that the rise in acid levels in the brain when breathing carbon dioxide triggers acid-sensing channels which evoke fear behavior. Scientists are hopeful that this research will eventually help correct what goes wrong in the brain during panic attacks. The amygdala, the structure that stimulates the sympathetic nervous system for fight-or-flight.