To facilitate the fastest possible response to a threatening stimulus such the as a snake, the thalamus takes on a security/ protection function and directs associated neural images right to the amygdala, bypassing the slower route including the visual cortex
Lateral amygdala receives the visual information and transfers it to the central amygdala
The central amygdala stimulates relevant brain areas that initiate freezing response, blood pressure modifications, stress hormone release, and the startle reflex