Scientists Discovered a 'Fear Switch' in The Brain, And How to Turn It Off

  • 📰 ScienceAlert
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 41 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 20%
  • Publisher: 68%

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News,United States Headlines

The Best in Science News and Amazing Breakthroughs

The hair rising on the back of your neck, the gelid pool in the pit of your stomach, the flutter in your heart when a shadow shifts.. But it's also an extremely useful emotion – an instinctive response to danger that can ultimately increase our odds of survival when situations take a turn for the worse.

In a bid to better understand fear and how it works, a team led by neurobiologist Hui-Quan Li of the University of California San Diego has mapped the changes in brain chemistry and neural signaling in mice receiving hefty frights – and, even better, figured out how to stop it. An image of some of the neurons, shown in cyan, with tracers of the neuronal connections in magenta and yellow.

Those that received a strong shock also tended to freeze in a different environment, demonstrating an overgeneralized response. A look inside their brains showed what prompted this overzealous fear response.They found that a severe fright sort of flipped a switch in the neurons, changing the neurotransmission mechanism from glutamate, which excites neurons, to, which inhibits neuronal activity.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 63. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Scientists Just Discovered a New Type of MagnetismIn an atomically thin stack of semiconductors, a mechanism unseen in any natural substance causes electrons’ spins to align.
Source: WIREDScience - 🏆 385. / 55 Read more »

Scientists just discovered a massive reservoir of helium beneath MinnesotaSascha is a U.K.-based trainee staff writer at Live Science. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Southampton in England and a master’s degree in science communication from Imperial College London. Her work has appeared in The Guardian and the health website Zoe.
Source: LiveScience - 🏆 538. / 51 Read more »

Scientists Have Discovered That These Monkeys Follow Different Social “Norms” and Respond to “Peer Pressure”Science, Space and Technology News 2024
Source: SciTechDaily1 - 🏆 84. / 68 Read more »

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef suffers ‘extensive’ coral bleaching, as scientists fear seventh mass bleaching eventThe southern Great Barrier Reef is suffering from extensive coral bleaching due to heat stress, the reef’s managers said Wednesday, raising fears that a seventh mass bleaching event could be unfolding across the vast, ecologically important site.
Source: cnnbrk - 🏆 393. / 55 Read more »

The Wise Man's Fear, Softspoken, Fear Culture, Adrift On River StyxThe Wise Man's Fear, Softspoken, Fear Culture, Adrift On River Styx at The Foundry:
Source: ClevelandScene - 🏆 383. / 55 Read more »

Brand New 21-Foot Snake Discovered: 'Biggest of All Anacondas'Digital destination for sophisticated men & women. Live your best life with expert tips and news on health, food, sex, relationships, fashion and lifestyle.
Source: BestLifeOnline - 🏆 533. / 51 Read more »