In mice, anxiety isn’t all in the head. It can start in the heart

In high-risk contexts, a racing heart can make a formerly relaxed mouse nervous

A photo of a small brown mouse running across a gray floor.

In scary situations — such as being faced with a big human shoe — a mouse might behave fearfully and its heart might race. Now, scientists have used light over a mouse’s heart to make the animal behave fearfully, no big shoe required.

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When you’re stressed and anxious, you might feel your heart race.