Summary: Researchers have developed an AI-driven brain model that can track fear as it unfolds in real-world situations, offering a major shift from traditional lab-based approaches. Classic fear studies often rely on static images, but these do not reflect how the brain processes fear in dynamic contexts. The new model accurately captured fear responses during naturalistic experiences and revealed that oxytocin specifically reduces fear in social situations.
These findings point to a targeted mechanism for treating social anxiety, social phobia, and related conditions. The work also provides a powerful tool for developing clinical interventions that better reflect real-life emotional processing.
Key Facts
- Real-World Fear Mapping: An AI-inspired brain model captured fear responses during naturalistic experiences better than traditional lab paradigms.
- Social Fear Reduction: Oxytocin reduced both subjective fear and its neural signature specifically in social contexts.
- New Treatment Pathway: Findings support a targeted approach for conditions marked by excessive social fear, including anxiety and autism-related challenges.
Source: University of Hong Kong
Researchers at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) have unveiled a transformative approach to understanding and treating social anxiety, challenging decades of laboratory-based assumptions and opening doors to targeted therapies.
By developing an AI-driven brain model that accurately captures fear in real-world scenarios, the discovery offers new hope to millions affected by disorders such as social phobia and autism, while paving the way for clinical interventions using innovative tools.
Fear is a natural survival instinct, but for many, it can become a debilitating condition like social anxiety. A fundamental challenge in treating such disorders is that traditional laboratory studies of fear fail to capture how the emotion is experienced in dynamic, real-world situations.
In two recent studies, a research team led by Professor Benjamin Becker from the Department of Psychology at HKU has made a significant breakthrough. The team first revealed that existing brain models of fear, developed using static images in labs, do not reliably track fear responses during real-life experiences, such as watching a scary movie. To overcome this, they developed an advanced AI-inspired brain model that can precisely track the conscious experience of fear in these dynamic, naturalistic situations.
Building on this innovation, the researchers used the new model to test the effects of the hormone oxytocin. The findings showed that oxytocin specifically reduces both the subjective feeling of fear and its corresponding neural signature in social contexts, but not in non-social ones. This suggests a highly targeted mechanism for alleviating social fear.
Key implications of the research:
- Challenges the validity of hundreds of previous laboratory studies, showing they may not accurately describe how the brain processes fear in daily life.
- Provides compelling evidence for a new, targeted treatment approach for disorders marked by excessive social fear, such as social anxiety, social phobia, and autism.
- Creates a powerful new AI-driven tool for bridging the gap between lab research and real-life emotional experiences, paving the way for more effective clinical interventions.
Key Questions Answered:
A: Traditional studies use static images and simplified stimuli, which do not reflect the complexity of real-world fear. The new AI-based model shows that fear processing changes dramatically in dynamic environments, revealing gaps in decades of laboratory research.
A: Oxytocin lowered both subjective fear ratings and the neural patterns linked to fear, but only in social situations. This selective effect suggests a precise mechanism for treating disorders involving social fear.
A: By revealing fear signatures in real-world contexts, the model enables more targeted interventions and supports therapies that specifically address social fear circuitry. This offers new potential for personalized, mechanism-based treatments.
Editorial Notes:
- This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor.
- Journal paper reviewed in full.
- Additional context added by our staff.
About this AI and fear research news
Author: Jaymee Ng
Source: University of Hong Kong
Contact: Jaymee Ng – University of Hong Kong
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Oxytocin Reduces Subjective Fear in Naturalistic Social Contexts via Enhancing Top-Down Middle Cingulate Amygdala Regulation and Brain-Wide Fear Representations” by Benjamin Becker et al. Advanced Science
Abstract
Oxytocin Reduces Subjective Fear in Naturalistic Social Contexts via Enhancing Top-Down Middle Cingulate Amygdala Regulation and Brain-Wide Fear Representations
Accumulating evidence from animal and human studies suggests a fear-regulating potential of the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT), yet the clinical translation into novel interventions for pathological fear requires a behavioral and neurofunctional characterization under close-to-real-life conditions.
Here, we combined a naturalistic fMRI-design that elicited strong and immersive fear experience in social and non-social contexts with a preregistered between-subjects randomized double-blind placebo-controlled intranasal OT trial (24 IU, n = 67 healthy men).
OT selectively reduced subjective fear in social contexts but not in non-social contexts. On the neural level OT enhanced left middle cingulate cortex (lMCC) activation and its functional connectivity with the contralateral amygdala, with both neural indices significantly and inversely associated with subjective fear following OT.
On the network level, OT enhanced communication between the dorsal attention network (DAN) with the fronto-parietal (FPN) and the default-mode network (DMN), and modulated brain-wide communication patterns.
Utilizing an independent activity-connectivity neuromarker for fear in naturalistic contexts (CAFE) confirmed that OT attenuated brain-wide fear expressions.
Findings indicate an ecologically valid and socially specific fear-reducing effect of OT, highlighting its promise as a treatment option for disorders characterized by excessive fear in social situations.
