Submission + - The woman who cannot feel fear
lee1 writes: "Being threatened with a knife and held at gunpoint did not frighten her.
Neither horror films nor haunted houses scare her. She handles dangerous
snakes without concern, and had to be restrained from reaching out to
touch a tarantula, because she was overcome with curiosity. She has
experienced fear as a child and knows that she should be afraid, but
simply is not. She is the first known case of someone who is unable to
process fear. Researcher Justin Feinstein at the University of Iowa
said "Because she is missing her amygdala, she is also missing the
ability to detect and avoid danger in the world [...] It is quite
remarkable that she is still alive." The researchers hope that by
studying the woman they can learn more about how the brain processes
fear, which might prove useful in treating patients suffering from post
traumatic stress disorder, whose lives, according to Feinstein, are
"marred by fear and they are often-times unable to even leave their home
due to the ever-present feeling of danger." By studying this unique
subject, researchers hope to develop therapies that selectively target
the brain areas that can sometimes allow fear to take over."
Neither horror films nor haunted houses scare her. She handles dangerous
snakes without concern, and had to be restrained from reaching out to
touch a tarantula, because she was overcome with curiosity. She has
experienced fear as a child and knows that she should be afraid, but
simply is not. She is the first known case of someone who is unable to
process fear. Researcher Justin Feinstein at the University of Iowa
said "Because she is missing her amygdala, she is also missing the
ability to detect and avoid danger in the world [...] It is quite
remarkable that she is still alive." The researchers hope that by
studying the woman they can learn more about how the brain processes
fear, which might prove useful in treating patients suffering from post
traumatic stress disorder, whose lives, according to Feinstein, are
"marred by fear and they are often-times unable to even leave their home
due to the ever-present feeling of danger." By studying this unique
subject, researchers hope to develop therapies that selectively target
the brain areas that can sometimes allow fear to take over."