CBC The Passion and the Fury
The Emotional Brain: Fear (DVD)
Anxiety Disorders (phobias)
The body’s response to fear is the same as the fight or flight response; it is the most primitive
emotion
Biological Aspects of Phobias
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The amygdala (a small, tight cluster of neurons in the brain) is the control center in the
brain for fear or sensing danger
Neurotransmitters send messages to stop unnecessary functions when fear is
experienced
Cortisol is released (the fear hormone) note that this is the same hormone that is
released when you activate the flight/fight response)
Adrenaline is released to get blood to the muscles
Evolutionary aspect of fear; it is necessary for survival
David Amaril
Purpose: To determine the role of the amygdala in the fear response
Procedure: Two groups of monkeys were used one which had their amygdala disconnected
from the rest of their brain
The monkeys were exposed to a fear object (such as a snake) with food and non fear objects
with food
Results: The monkeys without the amygdala took the food regardless of whether the food was
presented with a fear object or not
The monkeys with the amygdala did not take the food and showed signs of fear when the food
was presented with the fear object
It was determined that the amygdala is the body’s danger detector
This adds to our understanding of the biological/evolutionary explanation for the development
of phobias
Richard Davidson
University of Wisconsin
Davidson performed functional MRI’s to determine which parts of the brain are activated when
afraid. He exposed those with phobias to images that make them afraid and neutral (eg. Fish)
images.
He discovered that the focus of the activation is the amygdala and the response bypasses other
parts of the brain
It is an intense emotional reaction which occurs rapidly making it difficult to engage other
processes (such as cognitive) or to keep emotions in check.
Treatment of Phobias
Biological (Taylor)
Rat studies have shown that prazosin protects the individual from the natural fear response and
exaggerated responses are reduced.
The case study in the DVD shows Tammy who took the drug. This allowed her to cope with the
debilitating fears she had after the 9/11 attacks.
Biological (Davis)
The use of the drug D-Cycloserine helps a new protective memory override the old fear
memory. The use of this drug speeds up the use of cognitive behavioural therapy or other
treatment.
The case study in the DVD
Acrophobic (a fear of heights)
She took the drug in combination with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
The use of the drug allowed her to be able to undergo virtual reality therapy and finally
progress to real fear situations. This is called systematic desensitization (described in the
handouts). Her treatment was successful.
Genetic Link for diagnosing and treatment: Twin Study (Bradwejn)
Research on children to measure anxiety levels and determine if there is a biological/genetic
predisposition to developing phobias.
Twins were exposed to a series of problems whose difficulty increased. When the child was
experiencing anxiety, cortisol was released (the stress hormone). This measure can be an
indication of an early sign of vulnerability.
Those determined to be vulnerable can then be treated to prevent the development of phobias
using counselling and cognitive therapy.
Biological factors and Sociocultural Treatment Dr. Ester Sternberg
Sternberg investigated the impact on rats with high levels of cortisone and low levels of
cortisone to determine the response to her pups (babies). The mother with the low levels of
cortisone had an appropriate response to the pups when they were spread around the outside
of the cage.
The mother with the high levels of cortisone did not display an appropriate response when
babies were spread around the outside of the cage.
Some of the babies were switched to see if nurture can change gene chemistry.
Sternberg discovered that the maternal behaviour affected the babies’ response and that the
environment can influence the pup response.
Gender Differences (Larry Cahill)
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Women are more prone to anxiety disorders than men
Men and women use opposite sides of their brain when the emotional situations when
their amygdala is activated
Research that shows that men and women respond differently to emotional situations
Ran a single study
11 men and 11 women
Watched identical films and had their brains scanned in the same way
Men and women use opposite sides of their brain when their amygdala is activated