Emotions such as fear, are essential biological functions that are necessary in order to survive. Emotional stress triggers autonomic-physiological responses including going pale and increased body and brain temperature.

Better understanding of how these emotionally significant stimuli bring forth behavioural and physiological changes could have a profound impact on how we deal with issues of the mind and brain.

Flinders University Senior Lecturer Dr Yoichiro Otsuka, together with Nagoya University’s Professor Akihiro Yamanaka, will use seed grant funding from Flinders Foundation to help explain the brain circuitry connecting our emotions or mood to fundamental bodily functions.

Their aim is to advance our knowledge of brain fear circuitry and contribute to our understanding of higher brain functions relevant to mind and brain disorders.

This research is made possible thanks to generous donations from the community.

Project title: The role of midbrain GABAergic neurons connecting mood to dynamic physiological response

Lead researcher: Dr Yoichiro Otsuka