A lady who is unable to suffer fear because of an absent structure in her brain may possibly assist scientists discover treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Research released in Current Biology revealed the woman did not feel afraid in a variety of frightening circumstances.

These incorporated exposure to spiders and snakes, scary films and a Disney style “haunted house”.

The woman can feel other emotions but said since reaching adulthood, she has never felt afraid.

She is the world’s first case of someone who is unable to feel fear.

Researchers at the University of Iowa said her incapacity to feel frightened was due to her missing a arrangement in her brain known as the amygdala.

The structure has long been related to emotional development – experiments in animals have revealed that removing it makes them fearless.

This is the first case in human though.

No Fear

The lady was subjected to fear as a child and is fully aware that some situations should be scary.

She has previously been help up at gunpoint, and threatened with a knife, so has been in situations that should induce fear. And yet she did not feel any fear.

Researchers at the University of Iowa, observed the woman in a variety of situations that would usually be expected to cause fear/

This included watching horror films, visiting a well known “haunted house” as well as visiting a local pet store, to handle snakes as well as a tarantula.

The woman showed no signs of fear in any situation and had to be held back from touching the tarantula, as the risk of being bitten was too high.

She was asked why she wanted to touch something that she knew was dangerous, and she replied that she was just curious.

The lead researcher on the project, Justin Feinstein commented: “Because she is missing her amygdala, she is also missing the ability to detect and avoid danger in the world. It is quite remarkable that she is still alive.”

The research was perused by Adam Perkins, a postdoctoral researcher, at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, who is a specialist in researching the fundamental aspects of fear and anxiety.

He commented that the research was interesting because it implied that the amygdale is the basis of fear, and the most important part of the human brain in generating feelings of fear/anxiety instead of all emotions.

Following this research, it is hoped that scientists can begin to understand how the brain processes fear.

A very useful development for patients suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, such as soldiers.

Mr Feinstein furthered “Their lives are marred by fear and they are often-times unable to even leave their home due to the ever-present feeling of danger. By studying the woman, researchers hope to create treatments that selectively target the brain areas that can sometimes allow fear to take over.”