# Intracranial Neurophysiological Signatures of Fear and Anxiety in Humans

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2021 · $727,002

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Accumulating evidence from studies in rodents suggests that emotional reactions to threatening stimuli rely on
neurophysiological changes within an anxiety-processing network that includes the medial prefrontal cortex
(mPFC), basolateral amygdala (BLA), and ventral hippocampus (vHPC) [1]. Since rodent studies often use
laboratory animal models (similar to healthy humans) it is unclear whether findings will translate to the human
mPFC-BLA-vHPC network especially in individuals with various levels of anxiety such as post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The proposed project will implement a first-of-its-kind
platform for intracranial electroencephalographic (iEEG) recording and intracranial electrical stimulation (iES) of
mPFC-BLA-vHPC oscillatory activity during laboratory and naturalistic fear-based tasks using immersive virtual
reality (VR) technology and wearable biometric sensors capable of recording physiology (eye-blinks, heart rate
variability [HRV], skin conductance response [SCR], and pupil size). Through an interdisciplinary collaboration
between UCLA and the Veteran’s Administration Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) the
proposed project will have access to 80 epilepsy participants implanted with mPFC, BLA, and/or vHPC depth
electrodes with varying levels of dysregulatory anxiety-related processing. Since our studies address basic
questions about the role of mPFC-BLA-vHPC oscillations in human fear and anxiety, the results will bridge
findings across species and lay the scientific foundation for helping future patients with debilitating anxiety
disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10283158
- **Project number:** 1R01MH124761-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Jean-Philippe Langevin
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $727,002
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-01 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10283158

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10283158, Intracranial Neurophysiological Signatures of Fear and Anxiety in Humans (1R01MH124761-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10283158. Licensed CC0.

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