How brain circuits form linked memories that trigger fear
Official title: Cortical Networks Encoding Higher-Order Memories that Elicit Fear
Funded at University of Vermont & St Agric College · NIH-11256768 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are testing how brain circuits create fear-linked memories so we can better understand and help people with PTSD.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Vermont & St Agric College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Burlington, United States) |
| Project start | July 8, 2024 |
| Project end | January 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $377,221 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH134787-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11256768 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with PTSD who experience flashbacks or persistent intrusive memories would be the eventual candidates most likely to benefit from follow-up clinical work.
✕Less likely to help
Patients looking for immediate new treatments or those without trauma-related intrusive memories are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this basic animal research.
What this research studies
From a patient's point of view, the team is trying to understand why some reminders that were never directly present during a traumatic event can still trigger intense fear. They will use chemogenetics and live electrical recordings in freely moving rats to study how networks across the cortex encode and later retrieve these higher-order fear memories. By manipulating and measuring activity in specific cortical circuits, they aim to identify the network signals that are necessary for creating and recalling linked fear memories. Those findings could guide future work to develop treatments that target the brain circuits behind intrusive memories.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new brain targets or strategies to prevent or reduce intrusive fear memories in PTSD.
How similar studies have gone: Previous animal studies have successfully mapped core fear circuits, but applying these approaches to higher-order linked fear memories is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Vermont & St Agric College
Burlington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Todd, Travis — University of Vermont & St Agric College
- Study coordinator: Todd, Travis
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Ketamine to boost fear extinction and memory on PTSD patients
A study testing whether ketamine can help people with PTSD better relearn and forget fear when given in a guided treatment plan.
-
Metabolic effects of PFAS exposure in the Cape Fear Basin (GenX Exposure Study)
This NIH grant studies how PFAS chemicals in drinking water may affect metabolism and weight-related health in adults and children living along the Cape Fear River.
-
Inflammation and fear learning in PTSD
This study looks at how a temporary inflammatory challenge affects fear extinction in people with and without PTSD to better understand how PTSD could be treated.
-
Sleep-based brain wiring of fear memory in the amygdala
A study in people or animals will look at how sleep helps the amygdala store fear memories by using advanced brain imaging and genetic tools to understand memory changes.
-
Spatial circuits in the prefrontal cortex that control fear and discrimination
Researchers are exploring how different parts of the prefrontal cortex help decide when to feel fear or not, with the goal of better understanding anxiety-related conditions.
-
Understanding and improving fear and safety learning in OCD
A study at Yale will test brain-based methods to help adults with OCD improve safety learning and fear extinction during therapy.
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.