Neuron. 2019 Apr 3;102(1):60-74. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.03.017.

Deconstructing the Gestalt: Mechanisms of Fear, Threat, and Trauma Memory Encoding.

Maddox SA1, Hartmann J1, Ross RA1, Ressler KJ2.

Author information

1

Neurobiology of Fear Laboratory, Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

2

Neurobiology of Fear Laboratory, Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: kressler@mclean.harvard.edu.

Abstract

Threat processing is central to understanding debilitating fear- and trauma-related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Progress has been made in understanding the neural circuits underlying the "engram" of threat or fear memory formation that complements a decades-old appreciation of the neurobiology of fear and threat involving hub structures such as the amygdala. In this review, we examine key recent findings, as well as integrate the importance of hormonal and physiological approaches, to provide a broader perspective of how bodily systems engaged in threat responses may interact with amygdala-based circuits in the encoding and updating of threat-related memory. Understanding how trauma-related memories are encoded and updated throughout the brain and the body will ultimately lead to novel biologically-driven approaches for treatment and prevention.