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Woman who cannot feel fear may help in treating PTSD
BBC ^
| 17 Dec 2010A woman who cannot feel afraid because of a missing structure in her brain could help sci
Posted on 12/17/2010 11:13:23 AM PST by FourPeas
A woman who cannot feel afraid because of a missing structure in her brain could help scientists discover treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Research published in Current Biology showed the woman felt no fear in a variety of scary situations.
These included exposure to snakes and spiders, horror films and a "haunted house".
The woman feels other emotions but said as an adult, she had never felt afraid.
She is the first known case of someone who is unable to process fear.
Researchers at the University of Iowa said her inability to feel frightened was because she is missing a structure in her brain called the amygdala.
[snip]
This could be useful in treating patients suffering from PTSD - such as soldiers who have been serving in conflict areas.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Military/Veterans; Science
KEYWORDS: amygdala; fear; ptsd
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1
posted on
12/17/2010 11:13:27 AM PST
by
FourPeas
To: FourPeas
Put her alone in a room with Reid and Pelosi and see how she responds. I'll bet stark raving terror.
2
posted on
12/17/2010 11:16:05 AM PST
by
JPG
(Sarah dedicated her new book to Trig: "I'm glad you're here.")
To: FourPeas
A woman who cannot feel afraid because of a missing structure in her brain........and then she met The Laz.
....and this is her now.
3
posted on
12/17/2010 11:16:28 AM PST
by
Lazamataz
(Only 19 days of Democrat fascism left!)
To: FourPeas
I wonder what the woman’s life is like? Is she successful because she doesn’t have fear holding her back...or is she a failure because of making risky decisions that most people would be afraid to make?
4
posted on
12/17/2010 11:17:40 AM PST
by
Nea Wood
(Silly liberal . . . paychecks are for workers!)
To: FourPeas
“Woman who cannot feel fear”
####
Sarah Palin.
5
posted on
12/17/2010 11:18:54 AM PST
by
EyeGuy
(RaceMarxist Obama: The Politics of Vengeance)
To: FourPeas
Missing amygdala? I always thought daredevels were missing something. Fear is a basic, useful instinct. In small doses of course. Take the natural fear of falling, it keeps you from getting too close to the edge of the cliff.
6
posted on
12/17/2010 11:21:19 AM PST
by
Spitzensparkin1
(Arrest and deport all illegal aliens. Americans demand our jobs back! Whooorah, Arizona!)
To: Nea Wood
Those are interesting questions. Her level of success may also be affected by whether it was a traumatic event(s) that caused her to not have an amygdala.
7
posted on
12/17/2010 11:25:27 AM PST
by
FourPeas
(From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Ja 3:10)
To: FourPeas
Not capable of feeling fear, eh?
If she can ride as a passenger in a 1963 Chevy Biscayne with bald tires, bad brakes, blown shocks and a defective power steering pump while a one-armed, one-eyed paraplegic who is high on mescaline tries to drive it through a tight, downhill, declining radius, off-camber curve with a 1,200 foot drop just off the edge of pavement, on a polished concrete road surface covered with oil-soaked black ice... ...at 80 mph... ... at night... ...with only one, dimly burning, misaligned headlight to show the way...
...and HONESTLY say she felt no fear, THEN I will believe she is not capable of feeling fear.
8
posted on
12/17/2010 11:29:45 AM PST
by
WayneS
(Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)
To: FourPeas; Revolting cat!; JoeProBono; Slings and Arrows
A woman who cannot feel afraid because of a missing structure in her brain could help scientists discover treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Everything she owns is covered in these stickers.
9
posted on
12/17/2010 11:31:37 AM PST
by
a fool in paradise
(The establishment clause isn't just against my OWN government establishing state religion in America)
To: FourPeas
This could be useful in treating patients suffering from PTSD - such as soldiers who have been serving in conflict areas. Why not just remove their amygdalas?
;-)
10
posted on
12/17/2010 11:32:05 AM PST
by
WayneS
(Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)
To: WayneS
Stop.
You had me at "mescaline".
To: WayneS
If she can ride as a passenger in a 1963 Chevy Biscayne with bald tires, bad brakes, blown shocks and a defective power steering pump while a one-armed, one-eyed paraplegic who is high on mescaline tries to drive it through a tight, downhill, declining radius, off-camber curve with a 1,200 foot drop just off the edge of pavement, on a polished concrete road surface covered with oil-soaked black ice... ...at 80 mph... ... at night... ...with only one, dimly burning, misaligned headlight to show the way...
12
posted on
12/17/2010 11:33:35 AM PST
by
a fool in paradise
(The establishment clause isn't just against my OWN government establishing state religion in America)
To: WayneS
Or use acupuncture/pressure to block the transmitter.
13
posted on
12/17/2010 11:34:34 AM PST
by
a fool in paradise
(The establishment clause isn't just against my OWN government establishing state religion in America)
To: WayneS
If removing the amygdala helps with PTSD, there would be the complication of losing the "good" fear that helps humans stay out of truly dangerous situations.
14
posted on
12/17/2010 11:36:14 AM PST
by
FourPeas
(From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Ja 3:10)
To: FourPeas
As a person who lives her live constantly in the state of fear and nervousness, I wonder what it’s like to never feel afraid. In my world, that would be utopia. I’m sure there’s a down side to it somewhere, but I can’t figure out what it could be.
15
posted on
12/17/2010 11:36:49 AM PST
by
murron
(Proud Mom of a Marine Vet)
To: a fool in paradise
To: FourPeas
17
posted on
12/17/2010 11:39:28 AM PST
by
Allegra
(I painted fuchsia stripes on my elbows.)
To: WayneS
I've known people who've experienced a temporary form of this. One who is normally deathly afraid of heights, but had to be stopped from climbing on a 2nd floor railing just to see what it was like. The person wasn't suicidal, or impaired by any chemical substances. They simply were not afraid of things they knew should scare them and had scared them in the past.
18
posted on
12/17/2010 11:41:19 AM PST
by
FourPeas
(From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Ja 3:10)
To: murron
Continuous anxiety stinks. I hope you’re able to find something to help you with it someday.
19
posted on
12/17/2010 11:42:54 AM PST
by
FourPeas
(From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Ja 3:10)
To: WayneS
When the stars line up like that, you gotta know you'll survive the ride down the mountain, because whatever is at the bottom is going to be much, much worse.
/johnny
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