Continual Fear Linked to Genetic Alterations in the Brain

The Texas researchers exposed small brown mice to fear, of greater intensity than the normal course. The Mice was made to face an aggressive opponent in a cage, a large white mouse, and was invariably pushed into a corner.

Researchers later separated the cage with a perforated glass for 24 hours, keeping the little mouse away from any sort of physical danger, though the fearful mouse was able to see and smell the opponent. This experiment was repeated for 10 days, with each small mouse meeting a new opponent.

It was found that the mice, when exposed to fear, turned out to be cowardly and daunted. A month later, they still backed off fearfully, even from ostensibly friendly mice.