One path that fear takes in the brain discovered
Key nerve cells that carry threats from the eyes turn seeing into action, mouse study shows
A zap of blue light to the brain can make a mouse flee or freeze. By exciting select nerve cells, scientists have for the first time identified and hijacked a neural pathway that carries threatening information from the eyes to the brain.
The results, published in the June 26 Science, may help scientists better understand how the brain handles fear. That understanding may ultimately lead to ways to help people with abnormal responses to fear, such as those with post-traumatic stress disorder, says study coauthor Peng Cao of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.