Make the Brain Younger to Treat Anxiety: An Animal Study

Although the combination of antidepressants and psychotherapy appears more beneficial than either alone for treating anxiety disorders, the neurobiological mechanism is not known. Using a mouse model of anxiety (response to fear conditioning [FC]), these investigators examined how mice that undergo FC and that receive or do not receive fluoxetine respond to extinction training (ET). ET alone produces improvement in fear response, but this effect does not endure, typically leading to a recurrence.

Fluoxetine administered before FC and ET was associated with faster extinction and less return of fear response. When fluoxetine was administered after FC (as would occur clinically), mice had faster extinction than untreated mice and showed no sign…