- Scientists from Columbia University in New York have discovered neurons that prevent the formation of fearful memories in the hippocampus
- Fear suppressing interneurons have so far only been found in mice
- Researchers hope study could be the first step in developing new treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety attacks
By
Sarah Griffiths
12:36 EST, 21 February 2014
|
12:36 EST, 21 February 2014
Fear is an important mechanism for keeping us safe, but in a world where certain situations and places can make us feel frightened instantly, a way of supressing scary feelings could make daily life more enjoyable.
Now scientists have discovered neurons that prevent the formation of fearful memories in a region of the brain called the hippocampus.
At this stage, the neurons have only been pinpointed in mice, but it is hoped that the research could be the first small step in treating crippling conditions in humans, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
Scientists examined individual neurons (illustrated) in the brains of mice and discovered interneurons – inhibitory cells which are essential for the creation of fearful memories and sending them to the correct part of the brain
Plenty of people experience a sense of dread in locations attached to bad memories and scientists have found that the inhibitory neurons stop a context or place being contaminated with fear so that a memory seems neutral.
Attila Losonczy, from Columbia University in New York studied how the hippocampus stores memories of a specific context and set out to find out more how a memory can be separated from a bad experience, according to the study published in Science.
Together with his team, he examined individual neurons in the brains of mice and discovered interneurons – inhibitory cells which are essential for the creation of fearful memories as well as sending them to the correct part of the brain.
Scientists think the study could help them understand how people link fear to certain situations and locations, which could mean that one day there might be a new treatment for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (illustrated by stock image) and anxiety attacks
SCIENTISTS PROVE FEAR CAN BE INHERITED THROUGH GENES
The smell of fear can be inherited genetically and can be passed on for two generations, scientists have proved.
For the first time researchers at Emory School of Medicine in Georgia have shown that if mice are taught to fear a smell this triggers chemical changes in their sperm.
These changes then alter the makeup of their children and grandchildren’s brains, causing them to fear the same smell.
If the same is true of humans it could completely change the way we think about adult behaviour, and how we treat conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
Kerry Ressler, professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences, said: ‘Knowing how the experiences of parents influence their descendants helps us to understand psychiatric disorders that may have a trans-generational basis, and possibly to design therapeutic strategies.’
Dr Losonczy told the BBC’s Science in
Action: ‘These cells are activated by the unpleasant salient
event and they act somewhat like a filter. They may function to block
out unwanted information related to this strong, salient event.’
‘This way, the hippocampus can process and store contextual information reliably and independently without the potentially detrimental interference from this [unpleasant] salient event,’ he added.
Mice were conditioned to show fear in a certain context and were later observed to link the environment with the scary event.
However, when the researchers deactivated the creatures’ inhibitor neurons they were no longer frightened, showing that the interneurons are responsible for encoding fearful memories before they are passed on to other areas of the brain.
Dr Losonczy said: ‘The next time this aversive stimulus is not present, we should still be able to remember the context correctly.’
Scientists think the study could help them understand how people link fear to certain situations and locations, which could mean that one day there might be a new treatment for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety attacks, which can be triggered by memories of certain places and situations.
Dr Losonczy said: ‘If we understand how the circuits in our brain influence memory under normal conditions, we can then try to understand what actually went wrong during psychiatric disorders.’
When the researchers deactivated the mice’s inhibitor neurons they were no longer frightened by a scary scenario, showing that interneurons are responsible for encoding fearful memories before they are passed on to other areas of the brain. Mouse hippocampus nerve cells are pictured
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