Brain-damaged woman feels no fear

[Bandito]

A 44-year-old woman who doesn't experience fear has led to the discovery of where that fright factor lives in the human brain.
Researchers put out their best foot to try to scare the patient, who they refer to as "SM" in their write-up in the most recent issue of the journal Current Biology. Haunted houses, where monsters tried to evoke an avoidance reaction, instead evoked curiosity; spiders and snakes didn't do the trick; and a battery of scary film clips entertained SM.


Source. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40702031/ns/health-womens_health/?GT1=43001)

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Spam from Rosa trashed. Any more of the same from anyone else will endure the same fate.

Carry on.

[Impulse97]

Very interesting.

I just wonder if the US government will find a military use for this. Think about it, if they can destroy or disable this region in soldiers, then they have a military that will go anywhere or do anything for them. Fearless, these armies can fight on for extended periods and further Imperialism...not cool.:hammersickle::trotski::hammersickle:

[Rosa Lichtenstein]

For any of those interested, the discussion continues here:

http://www.revleft.com/vb/re-science-meridian-t146733/index.html

[Sir Comradical]

Very interesting.

I just wonder if the US government will find a military use for this. Think about it, if they can destroy or disable this region in soldiers, then they have a military that will go anywhere or do anything for them. Fearless, these armies can fight on for extended periods and further Imperialism...not cool.:hammersickle::trotski::hammersickle:

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Genetically modified soldiers who don't feel fear. However, they may still be rational in which case they won't take the massive risks demanded of them.

[revolution inaction]

Very interesting.

I just wonder if the US government will find a military use for this. Think about it, if they can destroy or disable this region in soldiers, then they have a military that will go anywhere or do anything for them. Fearless, these armies can fight on for extended periods and further Imperialism...not cool.:hammersickle::trotski::hammersickle:

they would have no fear of anything the army did to them for disobeying orders either :D

[Mannimarco]

The new soviet man shall know no fear!

This woman is the vanguard of the soviet future!

[Luís Henrique]

A 44-year-old woman who doesn't experience fear has led to the discovery of where that fright factor lives in the human brain. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40702031/ns/health-womens_health/?GT1=43001)

This assumes too much, I think.

The damaged area could be the place of the brain where fright is located. Or it could be just a connection between two different areas which need to be connected to produce fright.

And it could well be that the damaged area is the place where fright was located, in the particular case of this woman.

In fact, as far as I am informed, the (old) idea that there is a direct, biunivocal correspondence between brain areas and specific mental abilities is quite discredited. Brain seems to fuction in a different way, much more decentralised than the quote above suggests.

Luís Henrique