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Exploring the Depths of Fear: Insights on Evolution, Emotion, and Memory

Delve into the world of fear to unravel its evolutionary significance, emotional impact, and memory mechanisms. Discover the brain pathways, study of fear in psychiatric disorders, and neural changes. Learn about fear extinction for therapy and PTSD insights.

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Exploring the Depths of Fear: Insights on Evolution, Emotion, and Memory

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  1. Michael S. FanselowDepartment of PsychologyUCLA The What, Why, Where, When & How of FEAR http://www.psych.ucla.edu/fanselowlab/

  2. What is FEAR? • First step is to understand that fear evolved because it is good for us. • It evolved because behaving in certain ways protects us in times of danger. • Fear is a Functional Behavior System and its physical basis is the parts of the nervous system that recognize danger and generate defensive behaviors.

  3. Why study FEAR? • Example of how evolution crafted our behavior. • Powerful Emotion-Psychiatric Disorders • Model System for Learning

  4. Pavlovian Conditioning Food Unconditional Stimulus Shock Bell Conditional Stimulus Tone Salivate Conditional Response Fear (freeze) Salivate Unconditional Response Pain (jump)

  5. Why study FEAR? • Example of how evolution crafted our behavior. • Powerful Emotion-Psychiatric Disorders • Model System for Learning • Insight into memory & its failure--how long does a fear memory last?

  6. 1 week 1.3 years novel Train: Context-->Shock Pairing

  7. Fear: a memory that lasts forever (or at least >1.3 years in the adult rat) 80 70 60 Freezing (%) 50 40 30 20 10 1.3 years 1 Week Novel Gale et al., 2004. J. Neurosci.,24, 3810-3815.

  8. Why study FEAR? • Example of how evolution crafted our behavior. • Powerful Emotion-Psychiatric Disorders • Model System for Learning • Insight into memory & its failure • How experience changes the brain

  9. Where is FEAR? • We now know the circuit or pathway from sense organs to muscles. • A critical part of the brain is a small almond shaped area in the medial temporal lobe called the amygdala.

  10. Normally you need the amygdala to either learn or express fear 80 60 40 20 Freezing (%) Muscimol ACSF

  11. How does experience change my brain?

  12. NMDA-Receptor Was glutamate released? Did my cell fire? Hey nucleus, turn on genes that will give me some more AMPA receptors AMPA-Receptor Unconditional Stimuli Conditional Stimuli (releases glutamate)

  13. Unconditional Stimuli NMDA-Receptor Was glutamate released? Did my cell fire? Conditional Stimuli (releases glutamate) Hey nucleus, turn on genes that will give me some more AMPA receptors AMPA-Receptor When I see glutamate, I tell my cell to FIRE!

  14. When is FEAR a problem? • When the level of fear is inappropriate to the threat. • Endorphins (natural morphine like chemicals) • When we become afraid in inappropriate situations

  15. What's next? • Treatment: Extinction teaches the brain not to fear. • Beginning to understand the neural mechanisms of extinction--so we can facilitate behavioral therapy. • Understand how conditions like Post-traumatic Stress Disorder change how the fear system functions. • How the brain can compensate for damage.

  16. Thanks! Michael S. FanselowDepartment of PsychologyUCLA The What, Why, Where, When & How of FEAR http://www.psych.ucla.edu/fanselowlab/

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