Tag: Neurobiology

Anti-anxiety medication limits empathetic behavior in rats

UChicago neuroscientist Peggy Mason studies empathy–specifically how rats (and presumably other mammals like humans) show empathy toward each other. But in a new study, rats that were given anti-anxiety medications didn’t free a companion in distress, showing that they have to be able to feel the anxiety of their fellow rats to help out. Learn more At Forefront of Medicine: Website: http://www.uchicagomedicine.org Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/uchicagomed Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/uchicagomed Make an appointment today at 888-824-0200.

19. Aggression III

(May 14, 2010) Robert Sapolsky continues his neurobiological exploration of human aggression. He discusses correlations between neurotransmitter prevalence and aggression levels, aggressive activity differences from genetic variance, societal factors and application, amplification from alcohol, and crime and punishment.Stanford University:
Stanford University
Stanford Department of Biology: http://biology.stanford.edu/Stanford University Channel on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/stanford

Stanford neurobiologists use VR to explore responses to stress, anxiety, and fear

Andrew Huberman of Stanford University School of Medicine is studying the neuroscience of how what we see influences our emotions, especially fear. Using virtual reality (VR), he exposes study participants to terrifying scenarios, including attack encounters with sharks, spiders, and a pit bull, and stepping off a very high, narrow plank. Huberman, an associate professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford, measures participant responses with sensors attached to their skin, by monitoring their pupil diameters, and by simply asking participants to say what they’re feeling. He aims to test techniques that, if successful, could help people with phobias, generalized anxiety syndrome, or post-traumatic stress disorder recover their composure in situations that trigger fear.Read the Stanford Medicine Magazine article: http://stanmed.stanford.edu.