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fear

·January 2, 2024·12 min read

Unlocking the Brain’s Fear Code: Memory, Behavior, and the Brain

Researchers investigate fear memories and their impact on behavior in various environments. Their study uncovers the concept of fear engrams, shedding light on the physical representation of memory in the brain.

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·November 7, 2023·5 min read

Oral Contraceptives’ Effect on Brain’s Fear Center

Researchers discovered that oral contraceptives may thin the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in women, potentially influencing emotion regulation, especially fear responses. The study examined both current and former users of combined oral contraceptives (COCs), finding that the cortical thinning appears to be reversible after discontinuing use.

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·July 13, 2023·5 min read

Eyeing Fear: Neurons That Drive Visual Aversion Uncovered

Scientists have unearthed a cluster of neurons, which control our urge to avert our gaze from frightening situations. The team studied fruit fly brains and found these neurons release a chemical, tachykinin, that triggers aversion towards perceived threats.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 22, 2023·4 min read

Neuroscience vs Victim Blaming: Unraveling Fear-Induced Immobility in Court

A new perspective challenges the traditional victim-blaming narrative in sexual assault cases. The researchers discuss neuroscientific evidence which supports the notion of victims becoming 'frozen' due to fear and threat.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 23, 2023·3 min read

Oxytocin Plays a Role in the Most Basic Form of Empathy

Study reveals how the "love hormone" oxytocin plays a critical role in the formation of emotional contagion.

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·February 18, 2023·2 min read

In Vivo Synaptic Dynamics in Various Memory States

Researchers have identified the in-vivo dynamics of synapses that underlie fear memory formation and extinction in the living brain.

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·January 29, 2023·4 min read

Fear of Public Places Is Common in Adults With Epilepsy

Phobic and agoraphobic symptoms are common in those with epilepsy and result in a poorer quality of life.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·December 5, 2022·5 min read

Fearlessness Can Be Learned

Mice lacking a specific serotonin receptor unlearn fear faster than those with the receptor. The findings open the door to the development of new treatments for PTSD and other disorders associated with fear.

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·November 9, 2022·3 min read

Evening People Show Enhanced Fear Acquisition, Which May Increase the Risk to Develop Anxiety

The vulnerability of those with evening chronotypes to anxiety, PTSD, and related disorders may be mediated by altered fear acquisition.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 26, 2022·6 min read

How Early Fears Play a Role in Future Anxiety and Depression

Behavioral inhibition at 12 to 24 months of age was associated with an increased risk of developing depression, more so than anxiety, during later life. This is especially true for inhibited children who showed blunted activity in the ventral striatum during adolescence.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 25, 2022·9 min read

Where Do Fears Come From?

Exposure therapy for fears and phobias may only have a 50% success rate because fear memories outlast competing safety memories learned from therapy. Researchers investigate the genesis of fear memories and have developed a new mathematical model to help strengthen exposure therapies.