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Michael S. Fanselow Department of Psychology UCLA

Michael S. Fanselow Department of Psychology UCLA. The What, Why, Where, When & How of FEAR. http://www.psych.ucla.edu/fanselowlab/. What is FEAR?. First step is to understand that fear evolved because it is good for us.

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Michael S. Fanselow Department of Psychology UCLA

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  1. Michael S. FanselowDepartment of PsychologyUCLA The What, Why, Where, When & How of FEAR http://www.psych.ucla.edu/fanselowlab/

  2. What is FEAR? • First step is to understand that fear evolved because it is good for us. • It evolved because behaving in certain ways protects us in times of danger. • Fear is a Functional Behavior System and its physical basis is the parts of the nervous system that recognize danger and generate defensive behaviors.

  3. Why study FEAR? • Example of how evolution crafted our behavior. • Powerful Emotion-Psychiatric Disorders • Model System for Learning

  4. Pavlovian Conditioning Food Unconditional Stimulus Shock Bell Conditional Stimulus Tone Salivate Conditional Response Fear (freeze) Salivate Unconditional Response Pain (jump)

  5. Why study FEAR? • Example of how evolution crafted our behavior. • Powerful Emotion-Psychiatric Disorders • Model System for Learning • Insight into memory & its failure--how long does a fear memory last?

  6. 1 week 1.3 years novel Train: Context-->Shock Pairing

  7. Fear: a memory that lasts forever (or at least >1.3 years in the adult rat) 80 70 60 Freezing (%) 50 40 30 20 10 1.3 years 1 Week Novel Gale et al., 2004. J. Neurosci.,24, 3810-3815.

  8. Why study FEAR? • Example of how evolution crafted our behavior. • Powerful Emotion-Psychiatric Disorders • Model System for Learning • Insight into memory & its failure • How experience changes the brain

  9. Where is FEAR? • We now know the circuit or pathway from sense organs to muscles. • A critical part of the brain is a small almond shaped area in the medial temporal lobe called the amygdala.

  10. Normally you need the amygdala to either learn or express fear 80 60 40 20 Freezing (%) Muscimol ACSF

  11. How does experience change my brain?

  12. NMDA-Receptor Was glutamate released? Did my cell fire? Hey nucleus, turn on genes that will give me some more AMPA receptors AMPA-Receptor Unconditional Stimuli Conditional Stimuli (releases glutamate)

  13. Unconditional Stimuli NMDA-Receptor Was glutamate released? Did my cell fire? Conditional Stimuli (releases glutamate) Hey nucleus, turn on genes that will give me some more AMPA receptors AMPA-Receptor When I see glutamate, I tell my cell to FIRE!

  14. When is FEAR a problem? • When the level of fear is inappropriate to the threat. • Endorphins (natural morphine like chemicals) • When we become afraid in inappropriate situations

  15. What's next? • Treatment: Extinction teaches the brain not to fear. • Beginning to understand the neural mechanisms of extinction--so we can facilitate behavioral therapy. • Understand how conditions like Post-traumatic Stress Disorder change how the fear system functions. • How the brain can compensate for damage.

  16. Thanks! Michael S. FanselowDepartment of PsychologyUCLA The What, Why, Where, When & How of FEAR http://www.psych.ucla.edu/fanselowlab/

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