All articles tagged with #fear responses
A study reveals that evolution fine-tunes instinctive fear responses by adjusting the sensitivity of the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG) in the brain, leading forest mice to escape quickly and open-field mice to freeze, demonstrating how survival behaviors are adapted through modifications in existing neural pathways rather than new ones.
Researchers have discovered that by temporarily increasing brain malleability and simultaneously desensitizing fear memories, they could control fear responses in mice. This was achieved by inhibiting the Acan gene, which decreases the presence of the protein Aggrecan, responsible for solidifying and reducing malleability in the brain. The findings could lead to potential new avenues for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults, potentially enhancing the success of exposure therapies.