Scientists(don't tell republicans) working with mice have found that by removing a single gene they can turn normally cautious animals into daring ones, mice that are more willing to explore unknown territory and less intimidated by sights and sounds that they have learned can be dangerous.
The surprising discovery, being reported today in the journal Cell, opens a new window on how fear works in the brain, experts said.
Gene therapy to create daredevil warriors is likely to remain the province of screenwriters, but the new findings may help researchers design novel drugs to treat a wide array of conditions, from disabling anxiety in social settings to the sudden flights of poisoned memory that can persist in the wake of a disaster, an attack or the horror of combat.
The discovery may well prove applicable to humans, the experts said, because the brain system that registers fear is similar in all mammals. Moreover, the genetic change did not appear to affect the animals' development in other ways.
"Potential clinical applications could be quite important" for people with "fear-related mental disorders," said Dr. Gleb Shumyatsky, an assistant professor of genetics at Rutgers, who led a team that included investigators from Columbia, Harvard, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/18/science/18brave.html?hp&ex=1132290000&en=bc69aaa36e2fee00&ei=5094&partner=homepage
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