Researchers at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine have found a way topharmacologically induce a sense of security or fearlessness in the brain of rats.
In a series of experiments they describe in the magazineScience, the study authors found that by administering thebrain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNFIn the prefrontal cortex of the brain, rats are prevented from expressing fear of a sound that had previously been associated with an electric shock. The process, known technically as “extinction”, does not erase the memories associated with fear, but creates a new memory responsible for the feeling of security.
This finding could give rise to new treatments for individuals suffering from anxiety disorders, which mainly originate from the inability to eliminate or reduce fear.
Memory of fear
Memories are formed by altering the connections between neurons, a process known assynaptic plasticity. The critical brain structures for extinction memory are the infralimbic prefrontal cortex (CIL) and the hippocampus. People with anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder have smaller than normal hippocampus and CIL. “Our findings suggest that increasing BDNF in these circuits can alleviate anxiety, stress, and perhaps other related disorders such as addictions,” explained study co-author Jamie Peters.
