Researchers found that the stress neurotransmitter norepinephrine, or noradrenaline, in the brain facilitates fear processing by stimulating neurons in the amygdala to generate a pattern of electrical discharges. This pattern changes the frequency of brain wave oscillation to an aroused state that promotes the formation of fear memories. Jeffrey Tasker, professor of cell and molecular biology and holder of the Catherine and Hunter Pierson Chair in Neuroscience, and Xin Fu, PhD student, led this research.

Researchers from Tulane School of Medicine authored a study in the Journal of Cell Biology that suggests some cancer cells survive chemotherapy by eating their neighboring tumor cells. The study suggests the act of cannibalism provides the treated cancer cells with energy to stay alive and initiate tumor relapse after the course of treatment is complete.