A pill that gives cowards courage could be in the pipeline.Scientists have pinpointed an area of the brain that is vital in overcoming fear. A drug that activates these brain cells could help people face their phobias, from spiders to heights to public speaking.
Researchers looked at how the brain reacts to ophidiophobia – fear of snakes. Volunteers with and without a fear of snakes had their brains scanned as they watched either a cuddly toy bear or a live snake move past them on a conveyer belt. A touch of a button brought the bear or snake closer – or moved them away. A region called the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, which helps us process emotions, lit up when those who were scared of snakes exhibited bravery by moving the snake closer to them. And the bigger their fear of snakes, the greater the activity in the region, the journal Neuron reports. Researcher Dr Yadin Dudai, of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, said the results had shone a light on the basis of courage. They also ‘point to the possibility of manipulating subgenual anterior cingulate cortex activity in therapeutic intervention in disorders involving a failure to overcome fear’. (Daily Mail)