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Phobias in adults may be linked to structural changes in the brain, a recent study reveals.

Adult Phobias

Adult phobias are one of the most prevalent anxiety disorders, impacting over 12% of people. Despite their prevalence, there has been limited research focusing specifically on phobias. 

Kevin Hilbert, a psychology research assistant at Humboldt University of Berlin, along with his research team, led a study to explore the neurological differences associated with phobias. They found that these differences are more extensive than those seen in other forms of anxiety.

Effects of Changes in Brain Structure

The research team conducted MRI scans on over 1,400 people with specific phobias and nearly 3,000 healthy participants. They discovered notable structural changes in the brains of those with phobias. The most common phobias studied included animal phobias and those related to blood, injury, or injections. 

People with phobias exhibited increased thickness in parts of the frontal cortex and reduced size in areas such as the caudate nucleus, putamen, and hippocampus. These regions are crucial for fear-related processes, including movement, aversion, and emotional processing.

Interestingly, the amygdala, which plays a central role in regulating fear and aggression, did not show significant size alterations in those with phobias. However, those with blood, injury, and injection phobias demonstrated more pronounced structural changes compared to those with animal phobias. This suggests that such phobias may involve more complex cognitive processes, potentially explaining why they evoke both fear and disgust.

Developmental Aspects

The study also highlighted that these structural brain changes were not present in people younger than 21. This finding indicates that the alterations in brain structure associated with phobias manifest during adulthood, which is surprising, considering that phobias often begin in childhood. 

The absence of these changes in the younger demographic may be because many childhood phobias resolve as they grow older. The persistent structural changes observed in adults could reflect a more enduring form of the anxiety disorder.