Research Hit: Discovery of Brain Mechanism for Overcoming Fear

New research finds a pathway and mechanism leads to natural fear extinction

Fear extinction sounds great — is this really possible?

Well, yes we have all experienced this in many ways. We are all born with some natural fears such as from loud noises and fast approaching objects — these are “hard-wired”.

However, with time and experience we can, and do, overcome these, at least in some circumstances. Think of the joy people experience with loud fireworks, not fear (in contrast to many dogs), or of a baseball batter hitting a fast moving object coming almost directly at them.

Isn’t that just getting use to something?

Yes, but what is precisely the mechanism because if we can understand this better, we may be able to target various fear disorders.

What is happening in the brain then?

This research by Sara Mederos et al., of the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre in the UK, found that two regions are critical to this but, and this is important, their role changed with learning.

Go on!

They simulated this fear learning in mice by using an increasing size shadow on the ground which would normally be…