New breakthrough .. Discover responsible to discourage fear!

Scientists have discovered the part of the brain that discourages fear in a scientific breakthrough that can help treat post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological issues.

The University of Texas team identified A & M, a nucleus area called "nucleus reuniens", that masked fear in the rat. Before that, "nucleus reuniens" was considered as a transmitter of sensory information sent from the periphery of the brain to the cortex.

"The result is that parts of the brain are important for the inhibitory function of fear, which can be a way to develop new drugs and treatments for mental disorders," said lead researcher Steven Marin, a psychologist and brain specialist. at the University of Texas.

© Nature Communications

In the study, published in Nature Communications, scientists presented mice with noise associated with slight shocks in their feet to create fear. They then subjected the mice to repeated noises to suppress their fear. They then inhibited the activity of the nucleus and discovered that the mice were unable to suppress the fear.

They then began to selectively inhibit neurons in the cerebral cortex, linked to the "nucleus reuniens" region, which also prevented mice from suppressing fear.

© Nature Communications

Scientists now hope to translate this scientific breakthrough into mice in order to develop a more targeted treatment of mental disorders in humans.

Currently, mental disorders are treated with drugs that target all nerve cells in the brain.

The PTSD can be treated with what is called "exposure", a behavioral therapy technique used in anxiety treatments. Although effective, this type of treatment can cause relapses.

Source: RT