Abstract

This review explores the intricate psychopathological and psychophysiological connections underlying anxiety-related behavior through a multiscale neuroscience perspective. Anxiety is conceptualized as arising from dynamic interactions among neural circuits, metabolic processes, and neuroendocrine systems that regulate stress and threat responses in both adaptive and maladaptive manners, thereby influencing vulnerability to psychopathology. Central to this framework is the bidirectional coupling of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activity with amygdala–hippocampal circuitry within forebrain threat-processing pathways, alongside modulation by the behavioral inhibition system. Dysregulation across these interacting systems provides a mechanistic foundation for the cognitive and behavioral manifestations of anxiety-related disorders. Keywords:psychopathology, psychophysiology, amygdala, anxiety disorder, emotional disorders, regulation, fear responses, stress hormones, motivational system, behavioral inhibition system.