Brain circuits that control fear, threat responses, and over-arousal
Official title: Neuronal circuits regulating aversive salience, defensive behavior, and hyperarousal
Funded at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care · NIH-11204581 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at how brain signals help tag threats and shape exaggerated fear and over-alertness in people with anxiety or trauma-related problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Orleans, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2024 |
| Project end | September 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX006434-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11204581 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with anxiety disorders, PTSD, or persistent exaggerated fear or hyperarousal would be the kinds of patients most likely to benefit from advances stemming from this research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients seeking immediate treatment or those whose symptoms are due to non-psychiatric medical conditions are unlikely to receive direct or immediate benefits from this basic neuroscience work.
What this research studies
Researchers will examine how specific nerve cells that release acetylcholine connect brain regions involved in fear and arousal, especially the basal forebrain, amygdala, and frontal cortex. In lab experiments they will use targeted viral and recording tools to turn on or off those pathways and measure how animals learn to recognize mild versus strong threats and how they form persistent, traumatic memories. The team will track neuronal activity during fear learning and test how manipulating these circuits changes defensive behavior and hyperarousal. The goal is to map the steps in the brain that may go wrong in anxiety and stress-related conditions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal brain circuit targets for new therapies to reduce excessive fear and hyperarousal in anxiety and PTSD.
How similar studies have gone: Prior animal studies support a role for cholinergic inputs and amygdala circuits in fear learning, but translating these findings into effective human treatments remains largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
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Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care
New Orleans, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fadok, Jonathan P — Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care
- Study coordinator: Fadok, Jonathan P
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.