Scaring Those Who Have No Fear

Scientists found a way to cause panic attacks in women with amygdala damage.

| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share

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 ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Keywords

Meet the Author

  • Kate Yandell

    This person does not yet have a bio.
Share
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

sartorius logo
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo

Products

Tecan Logo

Tecan introduces Veya: bringing digital, scalable automation to labs worldwide

Explore a Concise Guide to Optimizing Viral Transduction

A Visual Guide to Lentiviral Gene Delivery

Takara Bio
Inventia Life Science

Inventia Life Science Launches RASTRUM™ Allegro to Revolutionize High-Throughput 3D Cell Culture for Drug Discovery and Disease Research

An illustration of differently shaped viruses.

Detecting Novel Viruses Using a Comprehensive Enrichment Panel

Twist Bio