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You can learn fearlessness: A new study on fear and anxiety
08.09.2023 14:50
Updated: 13.05.2024 21:23
Fearlessness can be natural, but it can also be learned - that's what the newest research shows.
While it still needs more research, it sounds pretty promising - so it can potentially help people with PTSD and anxiety in the future.
Let's find out more about it.
A surprising discovery
The researchers were studying how a specific part of our brain, called serotonin, affects fear and anxiety.
They found that mice without a particular serotonin receptor learned to unlearn their fear faster than normal mice.
This discovery could explain how drugs used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affect our brains.
More about fears
When someone has PTSD, even everyday things can trigger their fear.
For example, a loud sound might remind them of a scary experience, and they'll feel very scared even though there's no real danger.
The researchers used mice to study this. They taught the mice to associate a sound with a mild electric shock.
The next day, when they played the sound without the shock, the normal mice froze in fear, but the mice without the serotonin receptor learned much faster that the sound wasn't a danger.
They looked at the brain activity in these mice and found changes in two parts of the brain: one where serotonin is produced and another connected to the amygdala, a brain area related to emotions.
Why it's helpful
This study could help us understand how medications used for PTSD work.
Some drugs regulate serotonin, and the changes they cause in the brain might be similar to what the researchers found in the mice without the serotonin receptor.
In the future, this research might lead to better treatments for people with PTSD, helping them overcome their fears more effectively.
