"In a pair of twin sisters, a rare disease had damaged the brain’s structures believed necessary to feel fear. But an injection of a drug [isoproterenol] could nevertheless make them anxious." The results suggest that the amygdala isn’t the only part of the brain involved in fear and anxiety. Determining the additional systems involved could provide key neural targets for future anxiety treatments.
News coverage of the research:
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/brain-holds-more-one-road-fear?tgt=nr
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2082072-fearless-twins-reveal-how-our-bodies-affect-our-emotions/
Full Citation: S. Khalsa et al. Panic anxiety in humans with bilateral amygdala lesions: Pharmacological induction via cardiorespiratory interoceptive pathways. Journal of Neuroscience. Vol. 36, March 23, 2016. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4109-15.2016
| |