Scientists discover brain mechanism that overlaps fear and safety memories

Scientists observed brain activity in mice using augmented reality to discover how fear affects memory processing, ScienceDaily reported. The research revealed that fear can cause the brain to blur the line between danger and safety instead of distinguishing them clearly. [1]

According to ScienceDaily, memories of threatening and harmless environments began to overlap during the tests. Researchers suggested this overlap acts as a survival mechanism that allows faster responses to danger by adopting a safe rather than sorry approach. [1]

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental disorder that develops after an individual experiences a traumatic event, such as warfare, domestic violence, or natural disasters. Symptoms include disturbing thoughts, mental distress from trauma cues, and an heightened fight-or-flight response that lasts for more than a month after the event. [2]

As HEROIC BREAKING NEWS reported earlier, progress is being made in treating post-traumatic stress disorder. Regulators recently cleared a personalized brain stimulation treatment that uses magnetic stimulation and brain mapping, which achieved a 68 percent remission rate in clinical trials. [4]