An unidentified British man that underwent brain surgery to get rid of his fear of spiders wound up hating music, instead.

Brain scans showed the unidentified patient had been suffering from seizures. It revealed damage to the left portion of the amygdala, an almond-shaped part of the brain that is the center of fear and pleasure.

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Doctors said the damage to the man's amygdala caused his severe and sudden seizures, also called "sarcoidosis." This condition can damage the skin, lungs and the brain.

Doctors successfully removed the damaged part of the patient's amygdala, but there were side effects to the procedure.

The 44-year-old British man developed a remarkably unusual distaste for music. His Arachnophobia, however, was no longer a problem. The surgery also had no effect on his other fears.

Dr. Nick Medford from the Brighton and Sussex Medical School observed the man and performed various tests. Dr. Medford's findings were published on Neurocase: The Neural Basis of Cognition.

Dr. Medford believes the operation may have eliminated some of the neutral pathways involved in panic-type fear response, or unreasonable fears. Other parts of the amygdala that were involved in generalized fear were kept intact.

This is the first time a specific phobia has been suppressed by an operation on the amygdala.

Dr. Medford thinks the operation will help researchers learn more from other patients that have undergone a similar surgical procedure.

He added this surgical procedure is common for patients that suffer from severe epilepsy.

TagsArachnophobia, fear of spider, brain surgery, amygdala removal