{"title":"Better Communication With the Public: Understanding Science Phobia and Mistrust as Neurobiological Phenomena.","authors":"Nina F Schor","doi":"10.1212/WNL.0000000000213862","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Much has been written recently about science mistrust and illiteracy and consequent phobia of recommendations and interventions that have grown out of that science. Both reinforcing and reversing these phenomena depend on strategies aimed at brain networks that generate them. The neurogenesis of specific phobias involves a network that includes the amygdala and the hypothalamus and their connection through the stria terminalis. Decreased GABAergic inhibition of this circuit results in limbic activation and induction of fear pathways. The neurogenesis of mistrust involves suppression of a network that includes the central amygdala and the shell of the nucleus accumbens, both of which are rich in oxytocin receptors and yield dopaminergic output. Oxytocin signaling mediates trust, whereas, at least in men, dihydrotestosterone signaling mediates mistrust. The possibility of involvement of these limbic circuits in both science phobia and mistrust may underlie the high efficacy of emotionally focused communication in reinforcing them. Yet, recent efforts to reverse science phobia and mistrust have more often involved intellectually focused communication. Assuming limbic network origins of science phobia and mistrust, this commentary presents and discusses the use of emotionally focused communication and explicit, public identification of manipulative techniques and innuendo to influence the prevalence of these phenomena.</p>","PeriodicalId":19256,"journal":{"name":"Neurology","volume":"105 2","pages":"e213862"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12202130/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Neurology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000213862","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/6/26 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CLINICAL NEUROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Much has been written recently about science mistrust and illiteracy and consequent phobia of recommendations and interventions that have grown out of that science. Both reinforcing and reversing these phenomena depend on strategies aimed at brain networks that generate them. The neurogenesis of specific phobias involves a network that includes the amygdala and the hypothalamus and their connection through the stria terminalis. Decreased GABAergic inhibition of this circuit results in limbic activation and induction of fear pathways. The neurogenesis of mistrust involves suppression of a network that includes the central amygdala and the shell of the nucleus accumbens, both of which are rich in oxytocin receptors and yield dopaminergic output. Oxytocin signaling mediates trust, whereas, at least in men, dihydrotestosterone signaling mediates mistrust. The possibility of involvement of these limbic circuits in both science phobia and mistrust may underlie the high efficacy of emotionally focused communication in reinforcing them. Yet, recent efforts to reverse science phobia and mistrust have more often involved intellectually focused communication. Assuming limbic network origins of science phobia and mistrust, this commentary presents and discusses the use of emotionally focused communication and explicit, public identification of manipulative techniques and innuendo to influence the prevalence of these phenomena.
期刊介绍:
Neurology, the official journal of the American Academy of Neurology, aspires to be the premier peer-reviewed journal for clinical neurology research. Its mission is to publish exceptional peer-reviewed original research articles, editorials, and reviews to improve patient care, education, clinical research, and professionalism in neurology.
As the leading clinical neurology journal worldwide, Neurology targets physicians specializing in nervous system diseases and conditions. It aims to advance the field by presenting new basic and clinical research that influences neurological practice. The journal is a leading source of cutting-edge, peer-reviewed information for the neurology community worldwide. Editorial content includes Research, Clinical/Scientific Notes, Views, Historical Neurology, NeuroImages, Humanities, Letters, and position papers from the American Academy of Neurology. The online version is considered the definitive version, encompassing all available content.
Neurology is indexed in prestigious databases such as MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Biological Abstracts®, PsycINFO®, Current Contents®, Web of Science®, CrossRef, and Google Scholar.