Extinguishing the memory of fear, with a drug that changes the epigenome

hippocampus
Image via National Geographic. Credit: Dr A.Irving/University of Dundee via Wellcome Images

A hurricane, a car accident, a roadside bomb, a rape — an estimated 50 to 60 percent of Americans experience extreme stress at some point in their lives. About 8 percent will be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

One of the only effective treatments for PTSD is ‘exposure therapy,’ in which people are repeatedly exposed to their fear in a safe context. This treatment works partly because of how our brain encodes memories. Whenever we actively recall a memory, it becomes vulnerable to modification.

About half of people who get exposure therapy for PTSD get better, and half don’t. A mouse study published in Cell throws the spotlight on a drug that acts in concert with exposure therapy to help extinguish fear memories by changing the epigenome.

Read the full, original story: Drug Tweaks Epigenome to Erase Fear Memories

{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }}
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }}
{{ options.labels.newReviewButton }}
{{ userData.canReview.message }}
screenshot at  pm

Are pesticide residues on food something to worry about?

In 1962, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring drew attention to pesticides and their possible dangers to humans, birds, mammals and the ...
glp menu logo outlined

Newsletter Subscription

* indicates required
Email Lists
glp menu logo outlined

Get news on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox.