New Brain Pathway Controlling Fear Memories and Behavior Discovered

Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) dicovered a new pathway that controls fear memories and behavior in the mouse brain, offering mechanistic insight into how anxiety disorders may arise.

It is known that the amygdala is responsible for processing memory, decision-making, and emotional reactions. This covers fear memories and fear learning. This latest discovery which is published in Nature, extends the understanding further by finding out what are the controlling factors in and of the amygdala.

The researchers note that the processing of fear is stored within a distinct region of the brain. They found neuron circuit (called the PVT and CeL; see image) that controls fear. Disrupting the circuit results in a huge reduction of fear and strengthening it does the opposite. They also note that the chemical messenger used to transmit and control the fear emotion is BDNF, a molecule already associated with anxiety disorders.

The discovery of the neural circuit can be the basis for new therapies for treatment of anxiety disorders.

Studies Show That Brown Eyes Are Perceived To Be More Trustworthy Than Blue Eyes

A study on how the color of the eyes influence perception of trustworthiness showed that people tend to trust brown eyed people over the blue eyed.

The human brain interprets another person's face and expression to identify origin, emotional tendencies, health qualities, and some social information. This is called face perception. How the brain interprets the face would dictate how to socially interact with the person.

Face perception is domain specific, heritable and independent of the person's cognitive abilities. But it is influenced by environment, ethnicity, and to some extent, culture.

This process is highly adaptive in any social environment, especially for distinguishing a friend from a foe. Face perception provides information on the person's level of trustworthiness which helps the person succeed socially, economically, and in terms of extending his race, reproductively.

The amygdala (the part of the brain that is responsible for the "fight or flight" response) reacts to the information and sends the appropriate signal whether the person can be trusted or not. People with bilateral amygdala damage have problems judging a person's face and ultimately the person's trustworthiness.

The brain picks up many features of the face to process face perception. One part of the face that seems to have influence over how the face is interpreted are the eyes.