Science discovers the 'culprit' that makes fear ingrained in our minds

Neuroscientists say fear memories form in the brain's amygdala

A team of neuroscientists from Tulane University School of Science and Engineering, Louisiana, and Tufts University School of Medicine, Massachusetts (USA) studied the formation of fear memories in the emotional centers of the brain. - amygdala - and discovered a mechanism.

Norepinephrine, also known as noradrenaline, is a chemical made by certain nerve cells and adrenal glands. It can act as a neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger used by nerve cells) and a hormone (a chemical that moves in the blood and controls the activity of cells or other agency).

Norepinephrine is secreted by the adrenal glands in response to stress and low blood pressure. The scientists found it also facilitates fear processing in the brain.

By stimulating a certain number of inhibitory cells in the amygdala, a pattern of repeated flare-ups was created. This pattern of bursting electrical activity changes the frequency of brainwave oscillations in the amygdala from a resting state to an excited state, promoting the formation of fear memories.

The study was led by Jeffrey Tasker, a professor of molecular and cellular biology at Tulane University, and was published recently in the journal Nature Communications.

Mr. Tasker gave the example of experiencing an armed robbery. If you get robbed with a gun, your brain releases a flood of the stress neurotransmitter norepinephrine, he said.

This changes the pattern of discharges in specific emotional circuits in your brain - concentrated in the amygdala - thereby shifting the brain into a highly aroused state, facilitating memory formation. . It's the kind of fear memory that keeps you from forgetting traumatic experiences.