Critical role of the hormone oxytocin in fear extinction discovered

A new neuroscience study conducted in Japan has revealed that the hormone oxytocin, known for trust and social bonding, plays a critical role in the brain's mechanism of perceiving that danger has passed and leaving fear behind.

The Focal Point of the Research

In the new neuroscience research conducted in Japan, the paraventricular thalamus region, which coordinates stress, motivation, and emotional responses, was placed under the lens.

Genetically Modified Mice

In experiments conducted on mice modified through genetic engineering methods, the functions of a specific group of neurons carrying oxytocin receptors in this region were examined.

Social Interaction and Fear Extinction

It was determined that this specific group of neurons controls both social interaction and the fear extinction mechanism.

Effects of Neuronal Suppression

In the experiments, when the oxytocin-sensitive neurons in the paraventricular thalamus region were suppressed by chemical methods, it was observed that the mice's desire to establish social contact with unfamiliar animals dropped significantly.

Fear Conditioning and Freezing Response

In fear conditioning tests carried out, an environment where animals were given mild electric shocks was introduced, and even though the environment was made safe and the shocks were cut off, it was determined that mice with suppressed neurons had difficulty learning that the danger was over.

Different Neural Circuits of Oxytocin

Experts emphasized that oxytocin does not create the same uniform trust effect in every region of the brain, and that depending on neural circuits, it sometimes shapes social rapprochement and sometimes danger analysis.