Discovery Lecture set to focus on mechanisms of fear

by Melissa Stamm | Posted on Thursday, Sep. 20, 2012 — 11:00 AM

Psychiatrist and fear researcher Kerry Ressler, M.D., Ph.D., will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on Thursday, Sept. 27.

Kerry Ressler, M.D., Ph.D.

His talk, “Fear from Mice to Men: Implications for PTSD and Other Disorders of Fear and Anxiety,” will begin at 4 p.m., in 208 Light Hall.

Ressler is an associate professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.

Using mouse models, Ressler investigates the molecular and cellular mechanisms of fear and the processes by which fear can be “unlearned” (called fear extinction).

His work in this area has informed the development of a potential therapy for humans with anxiety and other fear-based disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), phobias and panic disorder.

The lecture is sponsored by the Vanderbilt Medical Scientist Training Program.

For a complete schedule of the Flexner Discovery Lecture series and archived video of previous lectures, go to www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/discoveryseries.

Contact:
Melissa Stamm, (615) 322-4747
melissa.stamm@vanderbilt.edu