21 December 2010

No Fear ~ Open Loop without the Amygdala...

Humans, Like Animals, Behave Fearlessly Without the Amygdala writes Sindya Bhanoo in the NYTimes about...
"Patient SM, because of a rare condition called lipoid proteinosis, has holes where her amygdala would normally reside. Researchers found that she, like the monkeys, has no fear of creatures like snakes and spiders, which ordinarily alarm most people. But while this behavior is relatively benign, the researchers also found that SM put her life at risk. In one instance, she walked through a park alone at night and was attacked by a man with a knife. “The following day, she again walked through the same park,”
This validates experiments done in animals repeatedly where sense of fear vanishes when the amygdala is gone. Fascinating implications for therapeutics in fearful humans!

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