New research published in European Neuropsychopharmacology provides evidence that the psychedelic brew ayahuasca can facilitate the extinction of severe, trauma-like fear memories in rats. The findings suggest that this effect depends on specific neuroplasticity mechanisms within the prefrontal cortex involving a protein known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor. By targeting these pathways, the treatment also appears to reduce the tendency to perceive safe environments as threatening. Post-traumatic stress disorder is characterized by fear memories that are overgeneralized and resistant to standard extinction procedures. Standard laboratory models often use mild aversive conditioning that does not fully capture the persistence or intensity of traumatic memories found in humans. The authors of the new study sought to address this gap by utilizing protocols that induce stronger, more resilient fear memories. They aimed to determine if ayahuasca could help attenuate these maladaptive memories and to identify the specific brain mechanisms responsible for such effects. Previous studies have indicated that the infralimbic region of the medial prefrontal cortex is essential for fear extinction. This brain area exerts inhibitory control over fear …