When Tarantula Venom Comes from a Misnamed Spider: The Importance of Taxonomic Accuracy in Theraphosid Toxinology

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  When Tarantula Venom Comes from a Misnamed Spider: The Importance of Taxonomic Accuracy in Theraphosid Toxinology I am very happy to share my most recent publication in Toxicon. This is a particularly meaningful publication for me because it brings together two areas that have become an important part of my work and personal interests: tarantulas and toxinology. At first glance, taxonomy and venom research may seem like two very different fields. In reality, they are closely connected. Before we can properly study the venom of a spider, we need to know which spider we are actually studying. Why the Name Matters A scientific name is much more than a label attached to an animal. It connects that animal to everything we report about it, including its biology, distribution, behavior, venom, toxins, and even its potential medical importance. When a tarantula is incorrectly identified, or when an outdated name continues to be used without considering changes in taxonomy, the problem ca...

SpiDa-MRI, behavioral and (f)MRI data of adults with fear of spiders

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SpiDa-MRI, behavioral and (f)MRI data of adults with fear of spiders

    Abstract

Neuroimaging has greatly improved our understanding of phobic mechanisms. To expand on these advancements, we present data on the heterogeneity of neural patterns in spider phobia combined with various psychological dimensions of spider phobia, using spider-relevant stimuli of various intensities. Specifically, we have created a database in which 49 spider-fearful individuals viewed 225 spider-relevant images in the fMRI scanner and performed behavioral avoidance tasks before and after the fMRI scan. For each participant, the database consists of the neuroimaging part, which includes an anatomical scan, 5 passive-viewing and 2 resting-state functional runs in both raw and preprocessed form, along with associated quality control reports. Additionally, a behavioral section includes self-report questionnaires and avoidance tasks collected in pre- and post-sessions. The dataset is well suited for investigating neural mechanisms of phobias, brain-behavior correlations, and also contributes to the existing phobic neuroimaging datasets with spider-fearful samples.


SpiDa-MRI, behavioral and (f)MRI data of adults with fear of spiders Mengfan Zhang, Alexander Karner, Kathrin Kostorz, Sophia Shea, David Steyrl, Filip Melinscak, Ronald Sladky, Cindy Sumaly Lor, Frank Scharnowski 

bioRxiv 2024.02.07.578564; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.02.07.578564