The scent of the excrement of carnivores such as foxes can scare mice. Therefore, Japanese researchers have synthesized a "fear odor" that can cause intense fear in laboratory rats.
A research team led by Takao Kobayakawa, a researcher at Kansai Medical University in Japan, found that newborn experimental mice tend to avoid natural enemies such as cats and foxes, as well as the structure of odorous substances in fox excrement. After smelling the substance, the experimental mice showed stronger rejection after smelling the "fear odor" emitted by the substance. Researchers are worried about the smell of this spice, because they let 10 experimental mice smell the spice and make the experimental mice feel pain. Next, the research team designed two channels, a channel for smelling spices and a channel for emitting an "unpleasant smell", placing food at the end of the channel and studying the channel used by experimental rats. done. As a result, 7 experimental rats passed the scent aroma, while 3 experimental rats did not want to pass any aroma. This shows that "trained" fears can almost never catch up with inherent fears.
The results were published in the new online edition of the American "Cell" magazine. Kobayakawa Takao said: "Experimental mice cannot pass through channels with a "fear smell". This shows that when experimental mice encounter the same fear, it will give priority to primitive fear." It is expected that it will be used in rodent repellents. Development, how the brain processes information related to fear and is useful in the development of treatments for fear-related mental illnesses.