Fighting Fear

Fear is something basic and primal in all of us. And it can have a very real impact on our lives—just ask people with severe phobias or PTSD. That’s why we go to great lengths, therapy, medication, or even using AI, in order to purge the source of the fear from our bodies.

Now, a new study may help in eliminating certain fears. Chinese scientists have been able to reduce fear response times by combining traditional fear extinction training and transplantation of embryonic interneurons into the brain.

In their study, the researchers first conditioned fear into mice by exposing them to sound and then shock. This creates fear when the sound is heard, exhibited by freezing behavior. Researchers then conducted fear extinction training, basically playing the sound without delivering the shock. The freezing response times were reduced.