Contextual Fear Conditioning
There are various types of conditioning experiments that have been used across scientific disciplines, nearly everyone has heard of Pavlov’s dogs, and classical conditioning. A different type of conditioning exercise comes in the form of fear conditioning where mice or rats are placed in an unfamiliar environment, and subjected to an aversive stimulus, such as a mild shock to the foot. After typically just one session, there is a long-lasting change in the animals behavior when presented with this novel environment. This type of conditioning is called “contextual fear conditioning”. Whenever the mice or rats are subjected to this environment associated with the shock, they “freeze”. The act of freezing shows access to a “state dependent memory” based on the context of their current situation. A state dependent memory is a memory that can only be accessed or triggered by the current mind state of the organisms. This discovery based on mouse models is now being seen as a use for humans against PTSD in the form of Exposure Therapy.
EXPOSURE THERAPY
Exposure therapy is the act of exposing a patient to a source of their anxiety, in a similar context, without any intention to create danger or ability to harm the patient physically. This therapy relies on state dependent memory to access memories that the patient’s brain may have withheld in an attempt to protect them, which later could lead to an underlying cause of the individual’s PTSD. Examples include virtual reality scenarios, such as swimming in the ocean for someone who was attacked by a shark, driving through a battleground for a combat veteran, or something as seemingly innocuous as petting a dog for another individual. The point is to access these memories by manipulating the brain into this specific arousal state. By repeated exposure to these situations, it helps take the power that these situations have to cause stress and gives it back to the individual.
Is It For Everyone?
Right now, while everyone suffering from anxiety, or PTSD can be treated by exposure therapy to some point, it is important to note it is not as effective for some groups of people. For example, it has been found that combat veterans do not respond as well to treatment as other groups who have undergone trauma. Sexual assault traumatized individuals demonstrated the most positive outcome from their treatments. With the premium that is now being placed on mental health, and the support that can be garnered for individuals seeking treatment for PTSD, anxiety disorders, and depression; exposure therapy and it’s future evolution could play an important role in the treatment of mental health disorders.