Researchers have discovered that the fear of the unknown may be linked to an unusual enlargement of a brain region that is responsible for decision making and motor control. Photo / 123RF
Researchers have discovered that the fear of the unknown may be linked to an unusual enlargement of a brain region that is responsible for decision making and motor control. Photo / 123RF
No one knows what the future holds, but many people are unable to cope with the uncertainty.
However, researchers have discovered that the fear of the unknown may be linked to an unusual enlargement of a brain region that is responsible for decision making and motor control.
The team believes the findings could help specialists predict those at risk of developing anxiety disorder or OCD later in life, allowing intervention to occur before symptoms arise.
The breakthrough discovery was made by Justin Kim, PhD, of Dartmouth College and his colleagues, reports Daily Mail.
"Uncertainty and ambiguity of potential future threats are central to understanding the generation of anxiety and anxiety disorders," said lead author Justin Kim, PhD, of Dartmouth College.
"Our research suggests a relationship between an individual's ability to deal with this uncertainty and the volume of gray matter within a specific area of the brain."
During their investigation, the team discovered that those who struggle to cope with uncertainty may have an unusually large striatum, which is a major basal ganglia recipient of the cortex in the forebrain.
To reach this result, Kim and his colleagues conducted MRI scans on 61 students following a survey that measured their ability to tolerate the uncertainty of future negative events.
The team analyzed the scans and compared them with the intolerance of uncertainty scores, which showed the size of the striatum was linked with intolerance of uncertainty.
"People who had difficulty tolerating an uncertain future had a relatively enlarged striatum," said Kim.
"What surprised us was that it was only the striatum and not other parts of the brain we examined."
Previous studies have found similar results in those who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and general anxiety - there was increased volumes of gray matter in the striatum.
However, the recent study was the first time these findings have been associated with intolerance of uncertainty in the absence of a confirmed diagnosis, according to Kim.
"Our findings demonstrate that the relationship between increased striatal volumes and intolerance of uncertainty can be observed in healthy individuals," he said.
"Having a relatively enlarged volume of the striatum may be associated with how intolerant you are when facing an uncertain future, but it does not mean you have OCD or generalized anxiety disorder."
While the striatum has been primarily known for its role in motor function, animal studies have also suggested that it plays a role in how we predict whether or not we will receive a reward for a particular behavior while learning new tasks, according to Kim.
"To put it another way, the striatum encodes how predictable and expected a reward is - a higher form of reward processing compared to simply responding to a reward.
"Given that an important component of intolerance of uncertainty is a desire for predictability, our findings offer a biological marker related to our need for predictability," he said.
Kim and his colleagues have suggested that analyzing the volume of the striatum in young adults, can be used to predict their risk of developing an anxiety disorder or OCD later in life.
More important, he said, the findings could serve as a starting point for treating symptoms specific to these disorders by monitoring the striatum and tracking its volume over the course of treatment.
Turmeric prevents fear being stored in the brain, study claims
A spice commonly used in curry could help erase bad memories, according to a study. Photo / 123RF
Curcumin, a bright-yellow compound found in the root of the Indian spice turmeric, prevented new fear memories being stored in the brain.
A spice commonly used in curry could help erase bad memories, according to a study.
Curcumin, a bright-yellow compound found in the root of the Indian spice turmeric, prevented new fear memories being stored in the brain, and also removed pre-existing fear memories, researchers found.
It is hoped that the findings will help develop treatments for people suffering with psychological disorders.
Psychologists from the City University of New York trained rats to become scared when they heard a particular sound. Scientists assumed the creatures were frightened when they froze.
Hours later, when the same sound was played to the rats, those who had been given ordinary food froze.
Yet the rats fed the curcumin-rich diet didn't freeze, suggesting their fearful memories had been erased.
Professor Glenn Schafe, who led the study, said: "This suggests that people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological disorders that are characterized by fearful memories may benefit substantially from a curcumin-enriched diet."
