Father has no fear after operation removes adrenaline gland
I read the article titled "Father has no fear after operation removes adrenaline gland" by James Dunn. This article follows Jordy Cernik, a 42 year-old former army recruit and father who had his adrenal glands surgically removed because of medical complications. Mr. Cernik had a condition known as Cushing's syndrome, which caused an abnormal influx of Cortisol, a steroid that aids in the regulation of metabolism and immune response, to be produced. In order to treat this condition, Mr. Cernik had to have several procedures and surgeries conducted. One of these was the removal of his adrenal glands, which made him completely incapable of producing adrenaline. After this, Cernik, who was formerly afraid of heights, noticed that he was unable to feel the "fight or flight" sensations that he once did when doing extreme activities such as skydiving or riding on rollercoasters. The absence of a fear response in Mr. Cernik has permitted him to partake in various activities that he wouldn't have even dreamed of doing prior to the removal of his adrenal glands. He has become braver, and somewhat of a "daredevil" now. (Dunn, 2017). This, however, was not without consequence. The adrenaline response is very essential to many situations one may encounter in life, and even important to survival. Along with having to take many different drugs throughout the day to deal with his condition, Cernik has also reported struggling with motivation and drive, which are key parts of daily activities. Although the absence of fear in Cernik has been reported as a "double-edged sword" (Dunn,2017), the phenomenon of his condition is nothing short of incredible, and emphasizes the close relationship between adrenaline and the sensation of fear.
Not only did this article seem very interesting to me because of the story, but it also had many aspects that were missing to it. While it was true that Cernik wasn't producing adrenaline and therefore adrenal responses anymore because of his surgery, I feel like his condition wasn't so much the absence of fear as it was the simple absence of a fight-for-flight response to threatening stimuli. The concept of fear goes beyond the chemical components and bodily reaction to stimuli. It is a much more complicated feeling, and has several bodily processes involved. Another key aspect which I found to be missing was Cernik's amygdala, which was not mentioned once throughout the article. Fear responses, negative emotions, and the like are processed and generated by the amygdala. As learned in class discussion, individuals or animals who suffer damage to the area are unusually fearless and trusting. This, in my opinion, is what true "fearlessness" would be. While Cernik lacked an adrenal response to threatening situations post-surgery, I believe that as long as his amygdala remained in-tact and unaffected, he would be able to still experience fear that is unrelated to direct stimuli.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4418714/Father-two-42-no-fear-operation.html
Not only did this article seem very interesting to me because of the story, but it also had many aspects that were missing to it. While it was true that Cernik wasn't producing adrenaline and therefore adrenal responses anymore because of his surgery, I feel like his condition wasn't so much the absence of fear as it was the simple absence of a fight-for-flight response to threatening stimuli. The concept of fear goes beyond the chemical components and bodily reaction to stimuli. It is a much more complicated feeling, and has several bodily processes involved. Another key aspect which I found to be missing was Cernik's amygdala, which was not mentioned once throughout the article. Fear responses, negative emotions, and the like are processed and generated by the amygdala. As learned in class discussion, individuals or animals who suffer damage to the area are unusually fearless and trusting. This, in my opinion, is what true "fearlessness" would be. While Cernik lacked an adrenal response to threatening situations post-surgery, I believe that as long as his amygdala remained in-tact and unaffected, he would be able to still experience fear that is unrelated to direct stimuli.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4418714/Father-two-42-no-fear-operation.html
This is a very interesting article. I wonder if the absence of reaction to fearful stimuli will decrease his chances of survival if placed in a dangerous situation. As far as not being afraid of things that people usually are afraid of such as heights and flying, that can be a benefit of not having a fear response. I do think that overall fight or flight should be experienced and I believe that Cernik's life will be diminished in some ways because he does not go through fight or flight. He won't be able to feel physiological symptoms that come with stress. From knowledge from class, fight or flight can cause distorted thinking by being in "survival" mode. I wonder if perception changes or stays the same as before the surgery. Without adrenaline, motivation and drive, how safe/productive would Cernik's environment be? I'm interested to hear other peoples thoughts on this.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I could not imagine living without a fight or flight response. Cernik's ability to respond to threats will be greatly impaired. If he were in a dangerous situation, his body wouldn't produce adrenaline. Cernik would not get a burst of energy he needs to get away from a potentially harmful situation. It would be much harder for him to get away from danger, let alone realize that he is in threat. However, the procedure was worth this risk to him in order to stop the excessive cortisol pumping through his body.
ReplyDeleteThis article does raise a lot of questions. You make a good point by mentioning that the article didn't reference the amygdala. My understanding of the fight or flight response is (roughly) that it starts in the amygdala which signals to the hypothalamus which activates the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenal glands release adrenaline. Then once the adrenaline is released the fight or flight response is felt. This makes me wonder though, is the feeling of fear limited to the fight or flight response? Because I would think that body must still recognize the emotion producing stimulus as something to be afraid of even though he doesn't feel the same physical response; or are we dependent on that response to feel fear? I'm not sure. Also the feeling of fear or anxiety that goes a long with he fight or flight response goes beyond just things that are literally dangerous, so I wonder how this procedure has impacted his personal relationships. Also I wonder how his memory of fearful situations would be impacted.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that having no fear at all can be a double edged sword. while reading this article I began wondering however how he would react in more serious situations, I know that he said he has no fear when faced with things such as heights however most of the time when we are up high we are not really in danger at all. But what if a lion escaped from a zoo and he was standing face to face with this lion I wonder if he would still feel no fear or if his brains ability to recognize the situation would still produce a fear in his thoughts and an urgency in his actions.
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