She's Afraid of Nothing, This Woman

Got fear? You're not SM, the focus of a decades-long study of a woman who is otherwise normal but has a specific psychological impairment that makes her impervious to fear. She doesn't feel it. She doesn't recognize the need for it. It's just not on her brain's radar.

We know all this because of the recent publication of a study in the medical journal Current Biology. The study lists several instances of tests done on the woman to detect any sort of fear awareness. All were negative.

The woman's amygdala is damaged, and researchers say that the case proves the importance of that part of the brain in telling us to run and hide when confronted with something frightening.

Among the tests done on this woman:

• exposure to snakes and spiders — she loved it
• bombardment with a deafening horn whenever a blue square appeared on a screen — she never learned
• a tour through a haunted house — so not interested in running screaming from the house.

Scientists are a bit divided as to the benefits and/or detriments of such a condition. Obviously, the lack of fear can help in certain situations, where one needs to be especially brave. However, not feeling fear when confronted with a gang of heavily armed thugs intent on doing you bodily harm could be counterproductive. Sometimes, embracing fear can lead to sensible actions.

The woman scores well on other tests, including intelligence, language, and memory. She feels things other than fear. It's just that one part of her DNA that doesn't work in the same way as yours and mine.

Will this discovery lead to legions of amygdala-altering surgeries? 'Fraid not, researchers say.