A unique area in the brain’s center that governs fear memory processes at multiple timeframes and in multiple ways, suggesting the prospect that faulty interactions in the brain’s cerebellar-survival network may underpin fear-related diseases and co-morbidities.

Anxiety levels were already high prior to the pandemic, with one in every five of us suffering from it.

However, the figures have risen to one in three in the last few years, which is unsurprising.

Coping with anxiety is difficult, and managing it is nearly impossible at times. So any new information on how the brain deals with it is welcome.

By finding an anxiety center in the brain, Bristol University researchers have created a window into our knowledge.

They claim that discovering a crucial channel there gives them hope for a novel pharmacological target for treating anxiety and psychological illnesses, which impact 264 million people globally.

Existing anxiety-relieving medications aren’t beneficial for everyone and frequently cause unpleasant side effects.

Understanding the brain networks and mechanisms that underpin fear and anxiety could pave the way for novel therapeutic options.

The Bristol neuroscientists focused their research on the cerebellum, which is located at the back of the brain.

It’s linked to a number of survival-related brain regions, including the PAG (periaqueductal grey), a structure that coordinates survival processes, including “freezing” behavior when you’re terrified.

Researchers discovered that when fear is felt, the PAG can develop a “fear memory” that is accompanied by freezing – a behavioral indicator of fear.

To put it another way, the cerebellum stores a fear memory, which it can revisit and replay. To me, this sounds like post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Bristol team demonstrated that manipulating the cerebellar-PAG connection reduces fear-conditioned freezing in mice.

“Importantly,” the findings of the study, according to lead authors Dr. Charlotte Lawrenson and Dr. Elena Paci, “show that the cerebellum is part of the brain’s survival network that ­regulates fear memory processes at multiple timescales and in multiple ways; raising the ­possibility that dysfunctional ­interactions in the brain’s cerebellar-survival network may underlie fear-related disorders and co-morbidities.”

This is a game-changer in our understanding of anxiety. We’ve always assumed it’s caused by stress hormones and generated in deep brain centers like the amygdala.

The discovery of a new location for anxiety in the cerebellum opens up new possibilities for medications and therapy.

Because the cerebellum is involved in the fear/anxiety network, it presents a unique therapeutic target for psychological disorders such as PTSD.

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