The effect of TMS on the extinction of fear memory in PTSD patients

Abstract

PTSD is a common consequence of individuals' exposure to life-threatening traumatic events, such as traffic accidents. It is closely related to fear memories, leading to trauma recurrence, avoidance behavior, impaired function, and emotional distress. In healthy people, memories of terror fade automatically after they are formed, but people with PTSD are less able to fade memories of terror by themselves. Experiments have shown that humans can eliminate the horrible memories formed in the hippocampus and amygdala by eliminating memory training, and TMS can enhance the learning and consolidation of fading memories. The purpose of this study was to test whether TMS could eliminate the horrible memories of traffic accidents. The results show that According to the correlation degree analysis of traffic accident related pictures, the first, second, seventh and eighth pictures with significant differences were excluded. Rule out pairs 4 and 5 according to the neutral rule. Rule out the sixth pair of pictures according to the same property principle. According to the experimental data, the subjects successfully combined traffic-related pictures with fear in the acquisition stage, changed the fear memory association in the extinction stage, and showed no significant difference in CS+ and CS- in the arousal stage. It is proved that TMS can be used to fade the memory of traffic fear, and TMS stimulation of F3 and F4 can both produce the effect of fading the memory of traffic fear. TMS can promote the treatment of PTSD patients caused by traffic accidents. This study can provide references for the treatment of PTSD patients caused by other types of horrible memories and the application of TMS technology. get date from 2 groups analyze data from NFE group in acquisation check if result is proi__ned analyze data from NFE group in extinction phase analyze resulted trend analyze data from recall phase fiom 2 goups compare and draw conclusion Figure 1 First Secord day day acquisition 20CS+(P)+US 10min extinction recall 20CS+(P) 40CS+(T+P) 40CS+P 40CS-(P) 40CS-(T +P) 40CS-P acquisition 20CS+(P)+US 10min extinction recall 20CS+(P) 40CS+P 40CS+P 40CS-(P) 40CS-P 40CS-P Figure 2