Glucocorticoid Hormones: Key to Fighting Phobic Fear?

Scientists have known for some time that elevated levels of glucocorticoids play a role both in memory consolidation and inhibiting memory retrieval. Recent research has indicated that emotionally laden memories are particularly susceptible to glucocorticoid impairment. Although it has also been shown that glucocorticoids are released in response to fear, their possible role in regulating fear states has not previously been examined. Researchers from the University of Zurich have now found that administering cortisol to patients with either social or spider phobias prior to exposure to relevant fear-inducing stimuli significantly limited fear responses compared to administration of a placebo. The researchers posit that phobia-related fear may draw on specific phobia-related memories—memories that may be inhibited by glucocorticoids. The study appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. www.pnas.org