The impact of motherhood on fear extinction in rats

这个项目的目的是确定母性是如何改变雌性大鼠恐惧调节的机制的，这是一个荷尔蒙显著变化的时期。目前关于恐惧调节的理论是有限的，因为它们是从关注男性的研究中衍生出来的，但最近的研究表明，性激素影响恐惧调节。该项目的预期结果将有助于开发一种更具生态有效性的恐惧调节模型，该模型考虑到女性性激素和生殖体验的波动。这应该为减少恐惧和防止焦虑提供独特的见解。

This project aims to identify how motherhood, a time of significant hormonal flux, alters the mechanisms underlying fear regulation in female rats. Current theories of fear regulation are limited because they have been derived from studies that have focused on males but recent work suggests that sex hormones influence fear regulation. The expected outcomes of this project will help to develop a more ecologically valid model of fear regulation that accounts for fluctuations in female sex hormones and reproductive experience. This should provide unique insights into fear reduction and protection against anxiety.