Hyperexcitability: From Normal Fear to Pathological Anxiety and Trauma

Hyperexcitability in fear circuits is suggested to be important for development of pathological anxiety and trauma from adaptive mechanisms of fear. Hyperexcitability is proposed to be due to acquired sensitization in fear circuits that progressively becomes more severe over time causing changing symptoms in early and late pathology. We use the metaphor and mechanisms of kindling to examine gains and losses in function of one excitatory and one inhibitory neuropeptide, corticotrophin releasing factor and somatostatin, respectively, to explore this sensitization hypothesis. We suggest amygdala kindling induced hyperexcitability, hyper-inhibition and loss of inhibition provide clues to mechanisms for hyperexcitability and progressive changes in function initiated by stress and trauma.

Automated summary

This study suggests that hyperexcitability in fear circuits plays a crucial role in the development of pathological anxiety and trauma. The hyperexcitability is proposed to be caused by acquired sensitization in fear circuits, which progressively worsens over time and results in changing symptoms during early and late pathology.