The Skeptics Society & Skeptic magazine

Episode Notes for
Fear Itself

IN THIS EPISODE of MonsterTalk, we interview Dr. Kerry Ressler. Dr. Ressler’s lab researches the biological basis of fear, including work to discover the molecular, neural-circuitry and cellular aspects of how fear manifests in the brain. In this interview we discuss the positive nature of fear, the pathology of fear and the evolutionary role of fear.

Dr. Kerry Ressler in Ressler Lab

Recommended reading from Dr. Ressler

• The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life
• Anxious: Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety
• Implications of memory modulation for post-traumatic stress and fear disorders
• How the neurocircuitry and genetics of fear inhibition may inform our understanding of PTSD
• “The Role of the Amygdala in Fear and Anxiety”

Music

• Monstertalk Theme: Monster by Peach Stealing Monkeys

The views expressed on this program are not necessarily the views of the Skeptics Society or Skeptic magazine.