Neurologists learn how to block fear

Neurologists have learned how to prevent fear reactions by electrical stimulation of the ventromedial area of the prefrontal cortex.

Currently, the most effective treatments for anxiety, stress or trauma-related mental disorders involve exposing patients to their individual fear cues, such as dogs, if a person is afraid of them. However, such therapy is not always effective in getting rid of fear, noted researchers from Greifswald University, whose article was published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

The ventromedial area of the prefrontal cortex is involved in processing fear-inducing stimuli. According to scientists, if this area is stimulated, then the person more effectively get rid of a phobia.

The study involved 40 students who were divided into two groups. The first group received electric stimulation, the second group did not, but the participants did not know about it.

The researchers used electric shocks to the participants' hands as stimulation designed to elicit a fear response while a certain image was shown. The researchers then conducted sessions in which both images were presented without the electric shocks. At the same time, the participants' brains were stimulated. This was necessary in order for the participants to get rid of the fear.

Fear reactions were recorded using small electrodes that recorded eye muscle activity under the left eye. Researchers also asked participants to rate on an 11-point scale how much they expected to be electrocuted at certain moments.

As it turned out, physiological fear reactions were reduced in the group subjected to electrical brain stimulation. In the second group, fear reactions persisted.

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