Recent neuroscience research has identified specific regions in the mouse brain that are crucial for suppressing instinctive fear responses. In an experiment, mice exhibited immediate fear when presented with a simulated predatory threat, but could learn to understand the threat was not dangerous. This learning process involved two brain regions, one of which is essential for learning to suppress fear, while only one is responsible for recalling the behavior afterward. The insights gained have implications for developing therapeutic strategies for anxiety and PTSD in humans.
When researchers silenced the parts of the cerebral cortex that analyze visual stimuli, the mice did not learn to suppress fear, suggesting this area is essential for fear response suppression.
The study revealed that two brain regions work together to learn fear suppression, but surprisingly, only one is involved in recalling the learned behavior.
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