Silencing Genes Linked with Fear Could Help People Cope with Phobia, Researchers Say

Researchers say that controlling genes associated with fear could help manage crippling anxieties in people with phobia.

The study was conducted by neuroscientists from the University of Queensland's Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) and colleagues.

Dr Timothy Bredy, one of the study authors said that the team has discovered a mechanism of gene regulation linked with an inhibitory learning process called fear extinction.

Fear extinction is a form of learning that results in the weakening of a learned fear. Problems with this mechanism are associated with anxieties.

Previous research has shown that inhibiting a protein called NMDA (N-methyl D-asparate) in amygdale stops fear extinction. In other words, using a substance that could increase levels of the protein could stimulate the process. Coupling the action of NMDA along with behavioral therapy can speed-up the process by which people learn to let go of certain fears.

In the present study, researchers looked at the genes that were controlling fear extinction.

"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," Dr Bredy said.

According to researchers, understanding the genes that control fear could lead to therapeutics that could help people cope with anxieties.

"This may be achieved through the selective enhancement of memory for fear extinction by targeting genes that are subject to this novel mode of epigenetic regulation," Bredy said.

Xiang Li, a PhD candidate, said that fear extinction is an important example of behavioral adaptation.

"What is most exciting is that we have revealed an epigenetic state that appears to be quite specific for fear extinction," Li said in a news release.

The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.