Neuroimmune-driven abrupt neuropsychiatric symptoms in children: preventing pathological fear consolidation - Takeaways - MDSpire

Neuroimmune-driven abrupt neuropsychiatric symptoms in children: preventing pathological fear consolidation

  • By

  • Sun Young Yum

  • Sehee Hwang

  • Michael Y. Hwang

  • June 5, 2026

  • 0 min

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  • 1

    Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) features sudden neuropsychiatric symptoms, including extreme fear, complicating traditional treatment approaches.

  • 2

    Current therapies like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) are ineffective for PANS due to the absence of a conditioned stimulus during acute fear states.

  • 3

    Fear Rebalance Therapy (FRT) is proposed as a new framework to help children learn safety amidst unconditioned fear during PANS crises.

  • 4

    The acute phase of PANS is characterized by catastrophic fear that is often overlooked in favor of addressing neuroimmune processes.

  • 5

    Early psychological intervention is crucial during the PANS crisis to guide emotional learning and prevent chronic disability.

Original Source(s)

Neuroimmune-driven abrupt neuropsychiatric symptoms in children: preventing pathological fear consolidation

  • by Sun Young Yum, Sehee Hwang, Michael Y. Hwang

  • June 5, 2026

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