Panic attacks may be symptoms of an anxiety disorder and they are a serious health problem.

A study shows that an extra dose of the stress hormone cortisol may help reduce stress

Our brain triggers the release of cortisol when we are under stress.

This hormone is believed to play a role in memory and learning.

Taking a dose of cortisol has been seen to calm fears and anxiety.

“Considering the importance of extinction learning for exposure therapy, pharmacological interventions aimed at enhancing extinction processes are promising approaches to enhance exposure therapy,” write researcher Dominique J.-F. de Quervain of the University of Basel, Switzerland, and colleagues in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.