FeaturedNeuroscience·November 16, 2023·6 min readBrain Pathway for Rapid Threat Response FoundA new study identifies a brain pathway responsible for rapid-threat detection, inspired by the "boiling frog" metaphor. Fruit flies were used as a model to understand how animals respond to rapid environmental changes.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·February 11, 2019·5 min readBrain Cells that Modulate Behavioral Response to Threats IdentifiedResearchers implicate neurons within the dorsolateral septum in the regulation of fearful behaviors in mice.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·January 11, 2019·5 min readSleeping Though a Fire Alarm: Benzodiazepines Prevent Ability to Wake in Response to ThreatResearchers report popular benzodiazepine sleep medications, such as Ambien and Halcion, caused test subjects to sleep through fire alarm drills. However, a newly developed class of sleeping medications perverse the ability to wake in response to threat.Read More
Auditory NeuroscienceFeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·December 7, 2018·4 min readBeing Yelled At: Our Brain on Alert in a FlashResearchers report our brain is on high alert while listening to voices, finding we respond much faster to vocal aggression than normal or happy voices. The reason, researchers say, could be that our attention is more focused on threatening voices to help us recognize the location of a potential threat.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·September 11, 2018·5 min readHow Do We Make Snap Decisions?Researchers look at what happens in the brain when we make snap decisions under stress.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceNeuroscience VideosPsychology·March 6, 2018·5 min readBrain Has Separate ‘Fear Circuits’ for Dealing with Immediate and Distant ThreatsAccording to a new PNAS study, two areas of the brain are responsible for fear processing.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·September 11, 2017·3 min readChildhood Maltreatment May Change Brain’s Response to ThreatResearchers report people who experienced emotional abuse and neglect as children exhibited increased amygdala activity in anticipation of a mild electrical shock. The findings suggest early life stress could have an impact on the perception of distant threat.Read More
FeaturedPsychology·November 7, 2014·2 min readResponse to Threat Reduced by Reminders of AffectionA new study reports being shown images of others being cared for and loved reduces the brain's response to threat.Read More