Researchers Discover 'Anxiety Cells' In The Brain

Note as I had stated this OP is highly speculative based on studies from mice.

What I have done is I have provided references of evidences that support its possibility in the future, e.g.

  1. A thesis argument to its possibility.
  2. The potential of the HCP
  3. The current ongoing practices of modulating anxieties, Buddhism, psychology, neurosciences, etc.
  4. Others

Pris,

No room for doubt? You have “QED” issues, QED :slight_smile: .

#-o … Okay, but you should understand that such criticisms from you, due to the general rejections of your speculative claims, are conversely compliments, because it means that I haven’t followed you into what I perceive as a rabbit hole.

HCP is the new phrenology; and phrenology has been largely disproved.
I would ask if there is any other place in the brain other than in the amygdala where anxiety can be expressed?
Anxiety in the brain generally indicates something is physically wrong, It does not indicate some free floating disposition that affects everyone negatively. It is more like an impetus to adapt and to survive, which is the brain’s job of tending to homeostasis. Anxiety is a prod for survival behavior. There are some who do “go gently into that good night” without experiencing the horror of death-imposed religious anxiety. Fear of death and of what may become of the I after death is a type of cowardice.
“Thou art that” is a Sanskrit saying. After death you will become an intimate part of matter in its dance with energy. In fact you already are that now in life.

That’s the magical future where everything works exactly as you conceive it in your head, everything is “done properly” and there are never any problems. :laughing:

One can’t argue with a fantasy.

Tat Tvam Asi

If I say,
DNA wise, ALL humans [normal] have two legs and two hands, where is the room for doubt here.
The above is the same for the elements of the DNA driven existential crisis I referred to.

That is your discretion.

Whatever ‘talks’ is ultimately valid arguments.

Wow!! The above is one of the worst rhetoric against HCP which is genuine Science. Don’t insult your own intelligence.

If you do a search re Human Connectome Project - Scholarly Articles, you get 14,400 results.

Note the Human Connectome Project is done along the same approach as the Human Genome Project which is already completed.

Other than chemicals, note the parts of the brain [bolded] that contribute to anxiety.

You got it wrong.

Anxiety is related to the physical and mental but ultimately anxiety is triggered consciously or subconsciously if there is a threat of death, premature and otherwise, i.e. to ensure survival.

Note I have stated before, the fear of death is generally suppressed in normal people to ensure people are not paralyzed by such fears so they can go about in their daily life.

But the suppression is not 100% and it caused seepage within the subconscious mind that manifest the death anxiety which compel the majority into religions. The fact is >90% of ‘normal’ humans are religious.
Many of these religions are driven by the fear of what may become of the I after physical death - you call them cowards?? They are ‘normal’ people.

True whatever is the physical body [molecules, atoms, etc] and waves generated will dissipate and spread all over the Universe.
But note there are loads of counter views to the above, i.e. there is no real self ‘the you or I’ to start with that become part of the universe.
The idea of an absolute “I” or “I AM” [Descartes’ sum] is an illusion and an impossibility.

The present thinking of the idea of “I” or “I AM” and the insistence it survives somewhat after physical death in the unknown future is purely psychological.
Note there is a serious conflation here when you in your present state is fearing what will happen in the future which is unknown and speculated without grounds.

Side effects are still possible but they will be closely monitored.
I point you have not taken into account is the current trend of the exponential expansion of knowledge and technology in the various advance fields plus the increasing average intelligence and wisdom of humans.
If you keep up to date with the above, you will have the optimism like I have. It is only unlikely if you are a hardcore pessimist like Iambigous.

It’s not a question of pessimism/optimism or trends.

You are simply avoiding counterarguments and problems with your thesis by shifting to some undefined point in the future when everything is “resolved”. And you assume that the resolution will support your current position. Of course, you can never be shown to be wrong because the future is unknown and inaccessible. If someone disagrees, then you label him a pessimist.

That’s not a philosophy discussion.

It’s a decent sci fi story, complete with the this is how it could be imagination.
The HCP articles are not impressive and admit of other possibilities than noted connections. Your argument is ad populum.

duplicate

Note philosophy discussions is most critical for the future, i.e. the next second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year, years, 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, 50 years, 75 years, 100 years. The above ‘about the future’ has to be based on past/current knowledge and trends of what had really happened.

Note I have not shifted to some undefined point in the future, but I have narrowed the possible realization to within 50-100 years and it could be earlier.

I have always been relying on the current trend of the exponential expansion of knowledge and technology in many fields of new knowledge.
Note the advances in the neurosciences, genomics, etc. in the last 20 years that has enabled new frontiers in other fields of knowledge to be expanded, e.g. medical, psychology, psychiatry, etc.
In terms of technological trend, note Moore’s Law in IT - do you think this trend of “doubling” [if not 2x, then 1.75x] will stop suddenly in the future?

  1. One area you can counter my argument is to show the trends I am forecasting are not feasible at all, e.g. the Human Connectome Project. Show me this HCP project and brain mapping of the human brain is impossible?
  2. Show me the exponential expansion of knowledge will stop soon?
    Show me even if 2 if real, it is impossible to link anxiety cells to religions and nothing can be done about it.

On the other hand, I have proven the ‘idea of God’ was a fake and illusory [for psychological reasons] from the start till the present, and God exists will be an impossibility in the future and eternally.

Where did you read about the HCP articles?
Obviously there will be limitations and barriers within the HCP but mapping of the brain is a long term and ongoing project.

I suggest you do more research on the HCP.
humanconnectome.org/study/h … p-data.php

You have proven no such thing.

The important question is not “can it be done?” , it’s “ought it be done?”.

If you want to prove something useful, then prove that the “modulated” non-religious that you envision are actually better human beings than the religious of today. Prove that the technology won’t be abused.

We have drugs and therapies now. Ought they be used to “treat” religious beliefs? Ought they be used to “treat” atheistic beliefs? Political beliefs? What other “diseases”?

Who decides who and what ought to be “treated”?

Ok,noted ‘ought’.

I have argued elsewhere, in addition to the expansion of knowledge and intelligence [IQ], there must be a quantum leap in the moral competence of the average human being.
All humans are born with a faculty of morality which is evolving and has evolved very slowly throughout the history of mankind. Note my argument re the legal abolishment of Chattel Slavery in contrast to say 100 years ago.

Through the mapping of the brain, it will also facilitate the increase and expedite the moral quotient of the average person.
If the current average moral quotient [MQ] is say X, then by the time we work on religiosity and theism, the MQ must be at least 2X or more. Thus if the current average MQ is 100 then it must be 200 or more by 50 years time.
By then the average IQ should be increased, so is the wisdom quotient, the spiritual quotient and other relevant measurements has to increase.

Completely beside the point.

In other words we have to have a Brave New World in order to accomplish the objectives of the HCP.
Believe me there are decent criticisms of the project on the web. I just never learned how to cut and paste. One critic noted that we cannot even trace the neuron connections in a nematode and yet we expect to trace the 100 billion connections in the human nervous system. Another noted that the project amounts to trying to figure out how a computer works by studying its wiring diagrams. And yet another noted that what is considered to be a connection might amount to something else. In short, from the number of critical articles about the HCP, it is a least noteworthy that a number of scientists doubt that it can be done.
If it can be done, the moral question would be why? as Phyllo notes. If the goal is to rid the world of religions, that will never be done.

theguardian.com/science/neu … ome-review

50 years or even 30 years ago, who would not have doubts the Human Genome Project [HGP] can be completed.
Despite the doubts [skepticism, condemnations, ] from pessimists of the likes of you, some persistent scientists took the challenge in baby steps and the Human Genome Project was completed in 2003.
As for application and utility from this HGP, progress as expected is slow and scientists are treading carefully against the grains of ethics.

The Human Connectome Project will progress along the same line as the Human Genome Project [HGP] but the HCP will be perhaps 5 times more difficult than the Genome Project. Neuroscientists are continually taking baby steps up a very steep learning curve.

Someone is lying.
The connectome of the nematode has already been mapped completely.

Progress has also been made, i.e.

Why scientists are optimistic in tracing all the neurons in the brain is because the neurons are very physical things like wires but they are very very fine.
Since they have already done for the nematode, now working on the fruit flies and other living things, it is a matter of time that the human brain will be fully or sufficiently mapped.

As for ethics and morality, humanity are also progressing in their moral competence and there is already an evidence of the ongoing trend of moral progress within humanity.

It is not exactly ‘getting rid of religion’ but when there is sufficient progress in the HCP, more people will understand the roots of religion and link religions [SOME] to the terrible evils and violence and people will slowly gravitate toward the non-theistic alternatives without any evil baggage.

This article was written in 2012 - 21 Sep 2012 15.00 BST.

Since then there has been much progress with mapping of the human brain.
This HCP project is like Mt. Everest, the North and South Pole, and the various frontiers that has drawn humans to conquer them.

Since we have done the connectome for the nematode, it is a matter of time it will be done for the human brain.

Wonder why do you jumped and creeped into the defensive, skeptic and pessimistic hole?
I believe it has to do with the existential crisis in you ticking subliminally.