PSY1922: The Anxious Brain

Anxiety is core to human existence; all of us have experienced it to some degree. But what exactly is anxiety? Why does it affect some more than others? And why have recent decades been called “the age of anxiety?” Of the many approaches to answering these questions, in this course we will begin with the human brain. The purpose of this course is to use neuroscience to better understand the human experience of anxiety. By the end of the course, students should be able to: 1) define anxiety in terms of its mental, physiological, and behavioral components; 2) identify the brain processes involved in the expression and inhibition of anxiety; and 3) explain mechanisms by which existing treatments for anxiety are effective. In the long term, students will be able to make connections between neuroscience and real-world instances of anxiety. Previous knowledge of neuroscience or psychology is not required.

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