BRAIN SYSTEMS INVOLVED IN THE INHIBITION OF FEAR

描述(改编自《摘要》)：一次创伤性经历可以 导致夸大和过度泛化的恐惧的发展，如 在创伤后应激障碍(PTSD)中观察到。建议的目标是 研究是为了确定大脑结构和神经递质 参与减少恐惧和扰乱减少恐惧 像创伤后应激障碍这样的情况。条件性恐惧将在这些研究中进行衡量 使用恐惧强化的惊吓反应，其中 声音引起的惊吓反射在一个 刺激以前与电击成对。恐惧的减少--强化 惊吓将通过巴甫洛夫条件抑制程序进行评估。 将进行两个实验来确定 条件性抑制剂。第一个将涉及已知结构的损伤 部分回路调节恐惧强化的惊吓并测量其 对先前获得的条件抑制的影响。第二 实验将检验条件性抑制对化学成分的影响。 激活了恐惧强化。总而言之，这些实验将摆脱 对调节减少恐惧的神经回路有很大的了解， 为制定治疗以疾病为特征的疾病的策略提供基础 通过夸张的恐惧反应。

DESCRIPTION (adapted from the Abstract): A single traumatic experience can result in the development of exaggerated and overgeneralized fear, as observed in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The goals of the proposed research are to identify the brain structures and neurotransmitters that are involved in the reduction of fear and the disruption of fear reduction in conditions like PTSD. Conditioned fear will be measured in these studies using the fear-potentiated startle response in which the amplitude of an acoustically elicited startle reflect is augmented in the presence of a stimuli previously paired with shock. The reduction of fear-potentiated startle will be assessed with a Pavlovian conditioned inhibition procedure. Two experiments will be conducted to identify the locus of action of the conditioned inhibitor. The first will involve lesions of structures known part of the circuitry mediating fear-potentiated startle and measuring their effects on previously acquired conditioned inhibition. The second experiment will examine the effects of conditioned inhibition on chemically activated fear-potentiation. Together, these experiments will shed substantial light on the neural circuitry mediating fear reduction, providing a basis for developing strategies to treat disorders characterized by exaggerated fear responses.