dark ideas haunt your mind and you feel like you won’t be able to get rid of them? Yet your brain is well equipped to deal with it. Indeed, according to this recent study by the University of Cambridge (England) and the Western University of Chongqing (China), the organ would have a cleaning system allowing to to sweep up negative thoughts.
This discovery could help fight against anxiety disorders. These touch 21% of adults at least once in their lifetimeand up to twice as many women.
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Brain: a system for “sweeping” negative ideas
To reach these conclusions, the researchers observed the brains of twenty-four people thanks to encephalograms (examination making it possible to record the electrical activity of the brain) and a cerebral imaging system. Among other things, they observed the functioning of the hippocampusbrain structure that influences the memory and the moods. She can then be cause of anxiety disorders as the researchers explain: “When unwanted memories interfere in our braina control process engages the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to inhibit hippocampal activity and stop it”. According to the results published in the American scientific journal The Journal of Neuroscience on April 18, 2022, the human brain is therefore endowed with some kind of cleaning system which would dispel unpleasant thoughts as soon as they appear in the brain.
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“Anterior Cingulate Cortex Signals the Need to Control Intrusive Thoughts During Motivated Forgetting” by Crespo García et al. Journal of Neurosciencehttps://t.co/ylOODz8yzO
— Neuroscience News (@NeuroscienceNew) April 18, 2022
Anxiety disorders and anxiety: do not confuse them
anxiety and the anxiety disorders are often associated, but they are not the same thing. Anxiety is anxiety, overreaction but a passenger who intervenes after a situation perceived as dangerous. This is normal and can affect anyone.
When it becomes excessively large, these are anxiety disorders.
“A person suffers from anxiety disorders when he feels a strong and lasting anxiety unrelated to any real danger or threat, that interferes with his normal functioning and daily activities.” explains Inserm on its website. The organization classifies these disorders into six subtypes:
Anxiety disorders: towards new treatments
Currently there is different ways to treat anxiety disorders and anxiety: the medications and psychological interventions. However, this new discovery could make it possible to develop innovative treatment.
Researchers say more research is needed to better understand the reasons for this brain cleansing process : “It is still unclear how the need for control is detected and if the control works proactively to prevent the retrieval of unwanted memories or responds reactively to counter intrusions.
They are hopeful that once the process is fully understood, they will be able to develop new solutions to better care people with anxiety and anxiety disorders.