Amygdala reactivity to faces at varying intensities of threat in generalized social phobia: an event-related functional MRI study.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we measured amygdala reactivity to faces varying on threat intensity in patients with generalized social phobia (GSP) and healthy controls. GSP patients exhibited greater amygdala reactivity to threat faces at high and moderate intensities. More subtle displays of social threat are sufficient to evoke a fear-related neural response.