WIKIMEDIA, AMBER RIEDER, JENNA TRAYNOR, AND GEOFFREY B HALLThe almond-sized brain structure called the amygdala has been thought to be essential for experiencing fear. People with amygdala damage may go through life without feeling frightened by spiders, horror films, or even life-threatening trauma. But scientists have found a way to make three women with damaged amygdalae panic, Nature reported.
The researchers, who published their work in Nature Neuroscience on Sunday (February 3), came upon their discovery by surprise. For years, they had been studying a 44-year-old woman with Urbach-Wiethe disease, a genetic disorder that can cause skin problems and hardening of brain tissue. She had not reported feeling fear since childhood. But when the researchers had her breathe air with elevated levels of carbon dioxide gas—which causes no real danger, but can trigger a sensation of suffocation—she unexpectedly panicked.
The scientists then tested a pair of twins with amygdalae wasted by Urbach-Wiethe disease to see whether they would panic when exposed to carbon dioxide-rich air. They, too, experienced unaccustomed panic.
Interestingly, the three women experienced more panic than healthy volunteers, which do not always ...
