New strategies for helping children process negative emotions
Spending time outdoors and helping to control fears can help children process their negative emotions.... Read More...
fear
Death: can our final moment be euphoric?
Study sheds light on the process of death and questions if people experience a state of euphoria during their final moments.... Read More...
What makes fear decrease?
Fear and physiological tension can be reduced by the mere presence of another person, even if the person is unknown and does not offer support.... Read More...
Horror movies manipulate brain activity expertly to enhance excitement
Neuroimaging reveals areas of the brain associated with visual and auditory processing are more active when anxiety slowly increases during horror movies. After a shocking scene, brain areas associated with emotional processing, threat evaluation, and decision making increase in activity. ... Read More...
With these neurons, extinguishing fear is its own reward
Fear extinction memories and feelings of reward are both stored in neurons that express the Ppp1r1b gene in the posterior of the basolateral amygdala.... Read More...
T. gondii cat parasite reduces general anxiety in infected mice, not just fear of feline predators
Mice infected with the Toxoplasma gondii parasite showed no selective reduction in fear of feline predators. Findings reveal chronic T. gondii infection reduces anxiety and risk-aversion while increasing curiosity and exploratory behaviors.... Read More...
Mindfulness makes it easier to forget your fears
Daily training with a mindfulness app has lasting effects on extinction learning.... Read More...
A new link between fear, imitation, and antisocial behavior in children
Children who exhibit less fear and desire for social connection, and who engage less in imitative behaviors, are more likely to develop callous-unemotional traits which may later lead to antisocial behaviors.... Read More...
How our dreams prepare us to face our fears
Study identified the neural correlates of fear during dreaming and reports similar areas are activated when experiencing fear during wakeful states.... Read More...
How brain injury can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder
Traumatic brain injury caused five times as many neurons in the amygdala to be active during white noise exposure in rats. Altered sensory processing within subcortical sensory-emotional networks following TBI impacts the facilitation of traumatic memory and may contribute to the development of PTSD.... Read More...
Emotional trauma and fear most likely cause of ‘Havana Syndrome’
Study reports the mysterious symptoms suffered by diplomats in Havana during 2016 and 2017 may have been caused by emotional trauma and fear. The authors claim Havana Syndrome is akin to "shell shock" symptoms, associated with war trauma.... Read More...
Molecular link between chronic pain and depression revealed
Inhibitory inputs to the neural circuit between the dorsolateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (dlBNST) to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) increase when a person is in chronic pain. This alteration is mediated by enhanced corticotropin-releasing factor signaling within the dlBNST, leading to suppression of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. The result is depressive mood and anhedonia associated with chronic pain.... Read More...