In a discovery that could be the
beginning of the end for phobias,
neuroscientists might have worked
out how to silence the gene that
feeds fear.
believe the breakthrough could help
to loosen the grip of fear-related
memories, which are involved in
phobias and conditions such as post-
traumatic stress disorder.
The research, involving Australian
neuroscientists, identified a gene
regulation mechanism that's
associated with fear extinction - a
normal learning process thought to be
critical for getting rid of fear when
the response is no longer required.
When this fear extinction process
doesn't occur, it can lead to anxiety
disorders.
But the good news is, it now looks
like we may be able to turn it on
again by modifying DNA expression,
according to the paper published in
the Proceeding of the National
Academy of Sciences .
“Rather than being static, the way
genes function is incredibly dynamic
and can be altered by our daily life
experiences, with emotionally
relevant events having a pronounced
impact,” said Dr Timonthy Bredy
from the University of Queensland's
Brain Institute in a press release.
By working out how this switch can
be triggered without changing the
underlying genetic sequence, the
scientists hope to be able to develop
future anxiety and phobia treatments.
This is all part of the fascinating field
of science known as epigenetics, and
is the first comprehensive analysis of
how fear extinction is influenced by
modifying DNA.
We don't want to get too excited just
yet, but imagine what a word
without irrational fears would look
like…
Hopefully not too much like this.
Source: The University of Queensland
This article was originally published here.
