Anxiety Content

The Roots of Fear: Understanding the Amygdala

Andy Fell — October 30, 2024 - 10:50am

Treating anxiety, depression and other disorders may depend on the amygdala, a part of the brain that controls strong emotional reactions, especially fear. But a deep understanding of this structure has been lacking. Now scientists at the University of California, Davis have identified new clusters of cells with differing patterns of gene expression in the amygdala of humans and non-human primates. The work could lead to more targeted treatments for disorders such as anxiety that affect tens of millions of people.

How Uncertainty Builds Anxiety

Andy Fell — June 25, 2024 - 11:45am

Alfred Hitchcock observed that “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.” A common way to build suspense in a movie scene is for the audience to know something bad is going to happen, but not when it is going to happen. But how does uncertainty work to ratchet up our anxiety? In a recent paper in the journal Computational Psychiatry, researchers at the University of California, Davis, Department of Psychology take a deeper look into what builds fear.

Common Household Noises May Be Stressing Your Dog

Amy M Quinton — November 09, 2021 - 10:00am

51�ԹϺ�� Davis researchers have found that common household noises may be making dogs anxious. Owners may be underestimating their dog's stress.

Media Advisory: 51�ԹϺ�� Davis LIVE on Mobility, Economics and Society

Amy E Rafferty — August 10, 2020 - 2:34pm

In this week’s 51�ԹϺ�� Davis LIVE: COVID-19, an engineer and an environmental economist will talk about the profound impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on mobility and travel. Some people transitioned to work-from-home situations, while other essential workers had to continue showing up for work in person — and many people have lost their jobs entirely.

Media Advisory: 51�ԹϺ�� Davis LIVE on Children, Anxiety and Going Back to School

Andy Fell — July 27, 2020 - 5:59pm

In this week’s 51�ԹϺ�� Davis LIVE: COVID-19 two psychologists from the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis MIND Institute will discuss how children and parents can manage the stress and anxiety of going back to school this fall.

A new school year is always an exciting and stressful time for children and parents alike, and this year there is the added stress of coronavirus — whether children are headed to real classrooms with new safety precautions, or to online classrooms with their own stress points.

The guests:

Feeling Anxious? Why a Cat May Be Your Purr-fect Companion

Amy M Quinton — June 11, 2020 - 11:00am

The COVID-19 pandemic may have many people feeling anxious. But if you happen to own a cat, they may be benefiting from your anxiety. A new study from researchers at the University of California, Davis, and California State University, East Bay, finds that the more neurotic and anxious cat owners are, the more trust and affection they have for their cat. The study was published in the journal Anthrozoös.

Brain Molecule Identified as Key in Anxiety Model

Andy Fell — August 14, 2019 - 11:36am

Boosting a single molecule in the brain can change “dispositional anxiety,” the tendency to perceive many situations as threatening, in nonhuman primates, researchers from the University of California, Davis, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found. The molecule, neurotrophin-3, stimulates neurons to grow and make new connections.

Oxytocin Turns Up the Volume of Your Social Environment

Andy Fell — September 20, 2017 - 9:27am

Before you shop for the “cuddle” hormone oxytocin to relieve stress and enhance your social life, read this: A new study from the University of California, Davis, suggests that sometimes, blocking the action of oxytocin in the brain may be a better option. The results are published online in the journal Biological Psychiatry.