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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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To: FourPeas

My 96-year-old Granny has no fear. She’s not missing her “whatchamacallit” though. She just has the strongest faith in Christ Jesus I have ever witnessed.


21 posted on 12/17/2010 11:46:39 AM PST by BuckeyeTexan (There are those that break and bend. I'm the other kind.)
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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...

When were you in New Mexico?

22 posted on 12/17/2010 11:46:55 AM PST by Slings and Arrows (You can't have IngSoc without an Emmanuel Goldstein.)
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To: Spitzensparkin1
Most daredevils/thrill-seekers DO feel fear, it is what drives them to “push the envelope”.

Dopamine is the brains “Good boy!” chemical, and it doles it out to you when you do things it likes as the “carrot” to encourage such behaviors.

There is much human variation in the number of repeats within the dopamine receptor. A short number of repeats and you are sensitive to dopamine, a long number of repeats and your are less sensitive to dopamine.

Thrill-seekers usually have less sensitivity to dopamine, so they always have to go a little further and faster to get the same thrill.

But they DO experience the thrill.

I think someone like her, who feels no fear at all, would be BORED by jumping out of a plane or taking a corner at 120 mph.

23 posted on 12/17/2010 11:49:00 AM PST by allmendream (Tea Party did not send the GOP to D.C. to negotiate the terms of our surrender to socialism.)
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To: Slings and Arrows

As much as I would like to tell you, I am not at liberty to divulge that information. The statute of limitations has not yet run out.

;-)


24 posted on 12/17/2010 11:53:49 AM PST by WayneS (Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)
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To: JRandomFreeper

Yup!


25 posted on 12/17/2010 11:55:00 AM PST by WayneS (Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)
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To: a fool in paradise

Outstanding, and very apropos, reference!


26 posted on 12/17/2010 12:04:08 PM PST by sima_yi ( Reporting live from the People's Republic of Boulder)
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To: FourPeas
This could be useful in treating patients suffering from PTSD - such as soldiers who have been serving in conflict areas.

There is absolutely no truth to the rumor that the government is conducting medical experiments on soldiers to create a super warrior.

27 posted on 12/17/2010 12:11:22 PM PST by sportutegrl
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To: sportutegrl

Are you sure about that? I saw a movie recently that said they were.


28 posted on 12/17/2010 12:19:59 PM PST by altura
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To: Nea Wood

I wouldn’t let this woman have a driver’s license. Seriously.


29 posted on 12/17/2010 12:22:22 PM PST by buccaneer81 (ECOMCON)
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To: FourPeas

https://www.gavindebecker.com/index.php/resources/book/the_gift_of_fear/

The Gift of Fear - a great book.


30 posted on 12/17/2010 12:30:09 PM PST by sodpoodle (Despair; man's surrender. Laughter; God 's redemption.)
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To: sodpoodle

Now that you mention it, I read about that book somewhere else and it looked interesting. Maybe someone will give me a giftcard to Books-a-Million for Christmas....


31 posted on 12/17/2010 12:39:04 PM PST by FourPeas (From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Ja 3:10)
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To: sportutegrl

Certainly not.

And there’s NO need to look any further in to it, either.


32 posted on 12/17/2010 12:48:30 PM PST by WayneS (Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)
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To: murron

The downside is you take risks that can hurt you, and wind up hurting or killing you. You don’t die afraid, but you still die.


33 posted on 12/17/2010 12:51:44 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)
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To: FourPeas
Liquid courage will accomplish the same end... Sharks Wary of Drunk Serbs (Macedoniaonline ^ | Thursday, 16 December 2010)

The Serbian hero was too drunk to remember what had happened, though one of his friends who witnessed the incident explained it all for the Belgrade based media. Dragan Stevic was dubbed by the Egyptian media as "Shark El Sheikh" and thanked him for saving their tourist season...

“Dragan climbed on the jumping board, told me to hold his beer and simply ran to jump. There was no time for me to react or to try to stop him, he just went for it” says Milovan. “Dragan jumped high and plunged down to the sea, but didn’t make as much splash as we thought he would”, explained Milovan.

The reason could be because Dragan Stevic ended up jumping straight on the shark which was lurking near the beach, probably looking for its next victim. Dragan had nailed it right in the head, killing it instantly. The Egyptian police found the shark washed out on the beach that morning (pictured above).

34 posted on 12/17/2010 12:58:43 PM PST by a fool in paradise (The establishment clause isn't just against my OWN government establishing state religion in America)
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Comment #35 Removed by Moderator

To: sodpoodle

Barring the anti-gun rant at the end...yeah, it’s not bad.


36 posted on 12/17/2010 1:59:02 PM PST by absalom01 (You should do your duty in all things. You can never do more, you should never wish to do less.)
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To: a fool in paradise
No Fear but Some Loathing.

≤}B^)

37 posted on 12/17/2010 2:48:49 PM PST by Erasmus (Personal goal: Have a bigger carbon footprint than Tony Robbins.)
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To: EyeGuy
"“Woman who cannot feel fear” ####

Sarah Palin."

This is as it should be. I believe I heard somewhere that the phrase, "Fear not!" or its similar words, "Be not afraid!" appears in the Bible something like 365 times. If so, it might help explain righteous fearlessness.

38 posted on 12/17/2010 3:16:20 PM PST by redhead (Where do I get my RINO hunting license?)
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To: Secret Agent Man

“The downside is you take risks that can hurt you, and wind up hurting or killing you. You don?t die afraid, but you still die.”

That’s an interesting statement. I wonder where fear and logic combine to make one safe. She may not feel fear, but may be highly intelligent and logical.
I wouldn’t waste my money on roller coasters for her. Wonder if she’s fun in the sack?


39 posted on 12/17/2010 3:27:29 PM PST by goseminoles
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To: FourPeas
Born without fear? That's the first requirement to be a Green Lantern...


40 posted on 12/17/2010 5:48:01 PM PST by GreenLanternCorps ("Barack Obama" is Swahili for "Jimmy Carter".)
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