Optimizing our responses to physical threats is of clear adaptive value, yet influences of threat perception specific to visual guidance of action have received little attention. Here, we assess effects of threat perception on a targeting task, finding improved performance for peripheral targets relative to central targets. These effects of threat were absent either when the task did not involve targeting or when targeting followed high-arousal, positive-valence stimuli. Additionally, the effects of threat showed a nasal- versus temporal-visual hemifield asymmetry and were absent when target stimuli isolated S-cone photoreceptor function. These findings suggest that the superior colliculus, which is activated following threat perception, shows clear visual-field asymmetry, receives no direct S-cone-based inputs from the retina, and forms part of a hypothesized direct brainstem-amygdala-cortex alarm system, mediates this effect.

中文翻译：

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威胁感知和针对性：脑干-杏仁核-皮质警报系统在起作用吗？

优化我们对物理威胁的响应具有明显的适应性价值，但是针对视觉行动的威胁感知的影响却很少受到关注。在这里，我们评估威胁感知对目标任务的影响，发现外围目标相对于中心目标的性能有所提高。当任务不涉及目标时或在高刺激性，正价刺激后进行目标打击时，就不会出现威胁的这些影响。此外，威胁的影响显示出鼻-相对于时间-视觉半场不对称，当目标刺激分离出S-锥体感光细胞功能时则不存在。这些发现表明，受到威胁感知后激活的上丘，显示出清晰的视野不对称性，没有从视网膜直接接收基于S-cone的输入，