fear
[Correspondence] Who will fear the Commission on Global Governance for Health?
The Lancet–University of Oslo Commission on Global Governance for Health, in collaboration with the Harvard Global Health Institute (Nov 5, p 1612), must be welcomed. Indeed, scrutiny is mandatory because too many governments exhibit little concern for their citizens' health. For example, the Netherlands is flying in the face of best evidence for reducing the tobacco burden.
Study extends the 'ecology of fear' to fear of parasites
The ecology of fear, like other concepts from predator-prey theory, also extends to parasites, new research suggests. Raccoons and squirrels would give up food, the study demonstrated, if the area was infested with larval ticks. At some level, they are weighing the value of the abandoned food against the risk of being parasitized.
If you're afraid of spiders, they seem bigger: Phobia's effect on perception of feared object allows fear to persist
The more afraid a person is of a spider, the bigger that individual perceives the spider to be, new research suggests. In the context of a fear of spiders, this warped perception doesn't necessarily interfere with daily living. But for individuals who are afraid of needles, for example, the conviction that needles are larger than they really are could lead people who fear injections to avoid getting the health care they need.
The amygdala and fear are not the same thing
In a 2007 episode of the television show Boston Legal, a character claimed to have figured out that a cop was racist because his amygdala activated – displaying fear, when they showed him pictures of black people.
Consolidation of Remote Fear Memories Involves Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH) Receptor Type 1-Mediated Enhancement of AMPA Receptor GluR1 Signaling in the Dentate Gyrus
Consolidation of Remote Fear Memories Involves Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH) Receptor Type 1-Mediated Enhancement of AMPA Receptor GluR1 Signaling in the Dentate Gyrus
Neuropsychopharmacology 37,
787 (February 2012). doi:10.1038/npp.2011.256
Authors: Christoph K Thoeringer, Kathrin Henes, Matthias Eder, Maik Dahlhoff, Wolfgang Wurst, Florian Holsboer, Jan M Deussing, Sven Moosmang
& Carsten T Wotjak
Concussive Brain Injury Enhances Fear Learning and Excitatory Processes in the Amygdala
Background:
Mild traumatic brain injury (cerebral concussion) results in cognitive and emotional dysfunction. These injuries are a significant risk factor for the development of anxiety disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder. However, because physically traumatic events typically occur in a highly emotional context, it is unknown whether traumatic brain injury itself is a cause of augmented fear and anxiety.
Methods:
Rats were trained with one of five fear-conditioning procedures (n = 105) 2 days after concussive brain trauma.
Risk variant for schizophrenia in the neurogranin gene impacts on hippocampus activation during contextual fear conditioning
Risk variant for schizophrenia in the neurogranin gene impacts on hippocampus activation during contextual fear conditioning
Molecular Psychiatry 16,
1072 (November 2011). doi:10.1038/mp.2011.66
Authors: S T Pohlack, F Nees, M Ruttorf, S H Witt, V Nieratschker, M Rietschel
& H Flor
Lower effective connectivity between amygdala and parietal regions in response to fearful faces in schizophrenia
Publication year: 2011Source: Schizophrenia Research, Available online 22 October 2011Prerona Mukherjee, Heather C. Whalley, James W. McKirdy, Andrew M. McIntosh, Eve C. Johnstone, ...
Seeking answers to treat the fear of childbirth
One of five Norwegian women suffers from a fear of childbirth. This fear increases health risks to mother and child, results in more planned and emergency Caesarean sections and consumes substantial resources at hospitals. Now researchers are looking for the causes.