PhD conferral Ms Iris M.J. Lange, MSc.

“Should I stay or should I go? Brain mechanisms underlying fear and safety learning, and explosure therapy outcome”

Keywords: anxiety, treatment, brain function, trauma, prevention

One-quarter of the global population suffers from anxiety and the majority does not respond well to traditional treatment. The first part of this dissertation describes the brain functions involved in developing and compounding anxiety symptoms. It was found that people develop more anxiety symptoms if they experienced traumatic events in childhood. The second part of this dissertation examines brain function while unlearning anxiety. Brain function was found to be a good indicator of how well people respond to psychological treatment. The results offer new perspectives on preventing and improving treatment.