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UC Irvine researchers(1) have identified(2) the brain mechanism(3) that switches off traumatic(4) feelings associated with(5) bad memories, a finding that could lead to the development of drugs to treat panic disorders(6).

Scientists from UCI and the University of Muenster in Germany found that a small brain protein(7) called neuropeptide S(8) is involved in(9) erasing(10) traumatic responses to adverse(11) memories by working on a tiny group of neurons(12) inside the amygdala(13) where those memories are stored.

“The exciting part of this study is that we have discovered a completely new process that regulates(14) the adverse(15) responses to bad memories,” said Rainer Reinscheid, pharmacology(16) and pharmaceutical sciences(17) associate professor(18) at UCI. “These findings can help the development of new drugs to treat conditions in which people are haunted by(19) persistent(20) fears, such as posttraumatic stress disorder(21) or other panic disorders.” The study appears in the July 31 issue of Neuron.

In tests, scientists exposed mice to situations that caused adverse memories. The scientists saw that when NPS receptors(22) in amygdala neurons are blocked(23), the traumatic responses to bad memories persisted(24) longer. In turn(25), when scientists treated(26) the mice with compounds(27) activating(28) these receptors, traumatic responses disappeared faster.

After a traumatic experience, environmental(29) cues(30) often become associated with the bad experience and re-exposure(31) to the same environment can trigger(32) fearful emotions or even panic attacks(33), according to(34) Reinscheid.

Other research has shown that forgetting such negative experiences may require “new learning(35),” such as re-exposure to the place where the original experience occurred but this time without any harmful consequences(36).