Low roadfear(emotional stimulus)>sensory thalamus>amygdala>responsehigh roadfear>sensory thalamus>sensory cortex>medial temporal lobe>prefrontal cortex>amygdala>responselow road is a fast, but not so accurate pathway to fear. stimulus goes trough thalamus directly to amygdala, which turns on our autonomous nervous system.the high road is more accurate, but is slower. stimulus goes trough thalamus, to sensory cortex and from there to medial temporal lobe. signals are sent to both directly to amygdala and via prefrontal cortex to amygdala. because medial temporal lobe and prefrontal cortex can affect amygdalas response to stimule to an accurate and correctresponse, this road makes us respond appropriate and accureate to a stimulus.cortical and subcortical pathways in the brain bring about a fearful response (eg, to a snake on the path): information about external stimuli can reach the amygdala by way of direct pathways from the sensory thalamus to the amygdala (the low road), as well as by way of an indirect route through the cortex (the high road). the low road is shorter and faster, eliciting a stress response (heart rate and blood pressure increase, muscles contract). because the high road passes through the cortex, it can more accurately represent the stimulus but this takes more time because more connections are involved.
