Andrew Huberman· PhD
That those eye movements but not vertical eye movements suppress the activity of the amygdala, which is this brain region that is involved in threat detection, stress, anxiety, and fear.
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The evidence is convergent. Multiple independent sources reach the same conclusion, the underlying mechanism is well-characterized, and even the field's most cautious voices treat it as worth doing.
That those eye movements but not vertical eye movements suppress the activity of the amygdala, which is this brain region that is involved in threat detection, stress, anxiety, and fear.
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These are very stringent journals and papers showing that lateralized eye movements of the sort that I just did, and if you're just listening to this it's just moving the eyes from side to side with eyes open. That those eye movements but not vertical eye movements suppress the activity of the amygdala, which is this brain region that is involved in threat detection, stress, anxiety, and fear.
So the forward ambulation and this optic flow is the way that I ensure, based on quality, peer-reviewed data, that my amygdala activation is slightly suppressed.
What they found was essentially that when these mice walk forward and their eyes move from side to side, which is a natural consequence of moving forward, so-called "optic flow" is flowing past their eyes, many brain areas are activated, increase in their level of firing, but the amygdala in particular reduced its levels of firing.
There are now at least half a dozen quality papers published in quality, peer-reviewed journals that show that forward ambulation, walking or biking or running, in generating optic flow in particular has this incredible property of lowering activity in the amygdala and thereby reducing levels of anxiety.
Getting into a mode of forward ambulation, and especially experiencing visual flow, has a powerful effect on the nervous system. The effect it has is essentially to quiet or reduce the amount of neural activity in this brain structure called the "amygdala."
In the last five years, there have been no fewer than five journals and papers showing that lateralized eye movements of the sort that I just did-- and if you're just listening to this, it's just moving the eyes from side to side with eyes open-- that those eye movements, but not vertical eye movements, suppress the activity of the amygdala, which is this brain region that is involved in threat detection, stress, anxiety, and fear.
There's a phenomenon whereby when we generate our own forward motion, forward ambulation, visual images pass by us on our eyes, so-called optic flow, experiencing visual flow has a powerful effect on the nervous system. The effect it has is essentially to quiet or reduce the amount of neural activity in this brain structure called the amygdala.
Forward ambulation, walking or biking or running and generating optic flow in particular has this incredible property of lowering activity in the amydala and thereby reducing levels of anxiety.