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Kennedy NGW, Lee JC, Killcross S, Westbrook RF, Holmes NM. Prediction error determines how memories are organized in the brain. eLife 2024; 13:RP95849. [PMID: 39027985 PMCID: PMC11259430 DOI: 10.7554/elife.95849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
How is new information organized in memory? According to latent state theories, this is determined by the level of surprise, or prediction error, generated by the new information: a small prediction error leads to the updating of existing memory, large prediction error leads to encoding of a new memory. We tested this idea using a protocol in which rats were first conditioned to fear a stimulus paired with shock. The stimulus was then gradually extinguished by progressively reducing the shock intensity until the stimulus was presented alone. Consistent with latent state theories, this gradual extinction protocol (small prediction errors) was better than standard extinction (large prediction errors) in producing long-term suppression of fear responses, and the benefit of gradual extinction was due to updating of the conditioning memory with information about extinction. Thus, prediction error determines how new information is organized in memory, and latent state theories adequately describe the ways in which this occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jessica C Lee
- School of Psychology, University of New South WalesSydneyAustralia
- School of Psychology, University of SydneySydneyAustralia
| | - Simon Killcross
- School of Psychology, University of New South WalesSydneyAustralia
| | - R Fred Westbrook
- School of Psychology, University of New South WalesSydneyAustralia
| | - Nathan M Holmes
- School of Psychology, University of New South WalesSydneyAustralia
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2
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Craig AR, Agnew CN, Derrenbacker KE, Antúnez BA, Sullivan WE, Smith SW, DeBartelo J, Roane HS. Resurgence of ethanol seeking following voluntary abstinence produced by nondrug differential reinforcement of other behavior. J Exp Anal Behav 2024; 121:314-326. [PMID: 38499477 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Resurgence refers to the relapse of a target behavior following the worsening of a source of alternative reinforcement that was made available during response elimination. Most laboratory analyses of resurgence have used a combination of extinction and alternative reinforcement to reduce target behavior. In contingency-management treatments for alcohol use disorder, however, alcohol use is not placed on extinction. Instead, participants voluntarily abstain from alcohol use to access nondrug alternative reinforcers. Inasmuch, additional laboratory research on resurgence following voluntary abstinence is warranted. The present experiment evaluated resurgence of rats' ethanol seeking following voluntary abstinence produced by differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO). Lever pressing produced ethanol reinforcers during baseline phases. During DRO phases, lever pressing continued to produce ethanol and food reinforcers were delivered according to resetting DRO schedules. Ethanol and food reinforcers were suspended during resurgence test phases to evaluate resurgence following voluntary abstinence. Lever pressing was elevated during baseline phases and occurred at near-zero rates during DRO phases. During the resurgence test phases, lever pressing increased, despite that it no longer produced ethanol. The procedure introduced here may help researchers better understand the variables that affect voluntary abstinence from ethanol seeking and resurgence following voluntary abstinence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Craig
- Golisano Center for Special Needs, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Charlene N Agnew
- Golisano Center for Special Needs, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Kate E Derrenbacker
- Golisano Center for Special Needs, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Beatriz Arroyo Antúnez
- Golisano Center for Special Needs, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
- Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones en Comportamiento, Universidad de Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
| | - William E Sullivan
- Golisano Center for Special Needs, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Sean W Smith
- Golisano Center for Special Needs, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Jacqueline DeBartelo
- Golisano Center for Special Needs, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Henry S Roane
- Golisano Center for Special Needs, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
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3
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Broomer MC, Bouton ME. Infralimbic cortex plays a similar role in the punishment and extinction of instrumental behavior. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2024; 211:107926. [PMID: 38579897 PMCID: PMC11078610 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2024.107926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
Learning to stop responding is a fundamental process in instrumental learning. Animals may learn to stop responding under a variety of conditions that include punishment-where the response earns an aversive stimulus in addition to a reinforcer-and extinction-where a reinforced response now earns nothing at all. Recent research suggests that punishment and extinction may be related manifestations of a common retroactive interference process. In both paradigms, animals learn to stop performing a specific response in a specific context, suggesting direct inhibition of the response by the context. This process may depend on the infralimbic cortex (IL), which has been implicated in a variety of interference-based learning paradigms including extinction and habit learning. Despite the behavioral parallels between extinction and punishment, a corresponding role for IL in punishment has not been identified. Here we report that, in a simple arrangement where either punishment or extinction was conducted in a context that differed from the context in which the behavior was first acquired, IL inactivation reduced response suppression in the inhibitory context, but not responding when it "renewed" in the original context. In a more complex arrangement in which two responses were first trained in different contexts and then extinguished or punished in the opposite one, IL inactivation had no effect. The results advance our understanding of the effects of IL in retroactive interference and the behavioral mechanisms that can produce suppression of a response.
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4
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Merlo SA, Belluscio MA, Pedreira ME, Merlo E. Memory persistence: from fundamental mechanisms to translational opportunities. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:98. [PMID: 38355584 PMCID: PMC10867010 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02808-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Memory persistence is a double edge sword. Persistence of adaptive memories is essential for survival and even determines who we are. Neurodegenerative conditions with significant memory loss such as Alzheimer's disease, testify how defects of memory persistence have severe and irreversible effects on personality, among other symptoms. Yet, maintenance of overly strong maladaptive memories underlies highly debilitating psychiatric conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder, specific phobia, substance dependence and binge eating disorder. Here we review the neurobiological mechanisms supporting memory formation, persistence, inhibition and forgetting. We then shift the focus to how such mechanisms have been exploited to alter the persistence of laboratory-generated memories in human healthy volunteers as a proof of concept. Finally, we review the effect of behavioural and pharmacological interventions in anxiety and addiction disorder patients, highlighting key findings, gaps, and future directions for basic and translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Abel Merlo
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas and Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas and Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratorio Bases Neuronales del Comportamiento, Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariano Andrés Belluscio
- Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas and Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratorio Bases Neuronales del Comportamiento, Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maria Eugenia Pedreira
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas and Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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5
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Broomer MC, Bouton ME. A comparison of renewal, spontaneous recovery, and reacquisition after punishment and extinction. Learn Behav 2023; 51:262-273. [PMID: 36344750 PMCID: PMC10204583 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-022-00552-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Punishment and extinction are both effective methods of reducing instrumental responding and may involve similar learning mechanisms. To characterize the similarities and differences between them, we examined three well-established recovery or "relapse" effects -renewal, spontaneous recovery, and reacquisition - following either punishment or extinction of an instrumental response. In Experiment 1a, both punished and extinguished responses renewed to similar degrees following a context change at test (ABA renewal). In Experiment 1b, responding spontaneously recovered to similar degrees following punishment or extinction. In Experiment 2, responding was rapidly reacquired when the response was reinforced again following extinction but not following punishment, as predicted by the idea that the reinforcer delivered in reacquisition is part of the context of punishment, but not extinction. The results collectively suggest that both punishment and extinction produce similar context-dependent retroactive interference effects. More broadly, they also suggest that punished and extinguished responses may be equally likely to return following a change of context despite the intuition that punishment might provide a more extreme and effective means of suppressing behavior. To our knowledge, this is the first direct behavioral comparison of response recovery after punishment and extinction within individual experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew C Broomer
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405-0134, USA
| | - Mark E Bouton
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405-0134, USA.
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6
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Zika O, Wiech K, Reinecke A, Browning M, Schuck NW. Trait anxiety is associated with hidden state inference during aversive reversal learning. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4203. [PMID: 37452030 PMCID: PMC10349120 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39825-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Updating beliefs in changing environments can be driven by gradually adapting expectations or by relying on inferred hidden states (i.e. contexts), and changes therein. Previous work suggests that increased reliance on context could underly fear relapse phenomena that hinder clinical treatment of anxiety disorders. We test whether trait anxiety variations in a healthy population influence how much individuals rely on hidden-state inference. In a Pavlovian learning task, participants observed cues that predicted an upcoming electrical shock with repeatedly changing probability, and were asked to provide expectancy ratings on every trial. We show that trait anxiety is associated with steeper expectation switches after contingency reversals and reduced oddball learning. Furthermore, trait anxiety is related to better fit of a state inference, compared to a gradual learning, model when contingency changes are large. Our findings support previous work suggesting hidden-state inference as a mechanism behind anxiety-related to fear relapse phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondrej Zika
- Max Planck Research Group NeuroCode, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Aging Research, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Katja Wiech
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrea Reinecke
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Health NHS Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Michael Browning
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Health NHS Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Nicolas W Schuck
- Max Planck Research Group NeuroCode, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Aging Research, Berlin, Germany.
- Institute of Psychology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
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7
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Funkhouser CJ, Klemballa DM, Shankman SA. Using what we know about threat reactivity models to understand mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Behav Res Ther 2022; 153:104082. [PMID: 35378405 PMCID: PMC8949844 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2022.104082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by unprecedented levels of stress and threats in a variety of domains (e.g., health, livelihood). Individual differences in threat reactivity may explain why some individuals are at elevated risk for the development or maintenance of psychopathology during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article describes several prominent models, mechanisms, and components of threat reactivity (e.g., appraisals, intolerance of uncertainty, avoidance) and discusses how they might help improve understanding of changes in psychopathology during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carter J. Funkhouser
- Northwestern University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 680 N. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL, 60611, USA,University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Psychology, 1007 W. Harrison St., Chicago, IL, 60607, USA,Corresponding author. University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Psychology, 1007 W. Harrison St., Chicago, IL, 60607, USA
| | - David M. Klemballa
- Northwestern University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 680 N. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Stewart A. Shankman
- Northwestern University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 680 N. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
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8
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Quintero MJ, Flores A, Gutiérrez-Huerta MT, Molina-Guerrero P, López FJ, Morís J. Limitations of occasional reinforced extinction to alleviate spontaneous recovery and reinstatement effects: Evidence for a trial-signalling mechanism. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2021; 75:765-783. [PMID: 34428978 DOI: 10.1177/17470218211043434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Fear extinction is not permanent but is instead more vulnerable than the original fear memory, as traditionally shown by the return of fear phenomena. Because of this, techniques to mitigate the return of fear are needed in the clinical treatment of related psychological conditions. One promising strategy is the occasional reinforced extinction treatment, introducing a gradual and sparse number of conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus (CS-US) pairings within the extinction treatment. We present the results of three experiments in which we used a threat conditioning procedure in humans. Our main aim was to evaluate whether occasional reinforced extinction could reduce two different forms of relapse: spontaneous recovery (Experiments 1 and 2) and reinstatement (Experiment 3). Contrary to our predictions and previous literature, the results indicate that an occasional reinforcement treatment did not mitigate relapse compared with standard extinction. From a theoretical standpoint, these results are more consistent with the idea that extinction entails the acquisition of new knowledge than with the idea that there are conditions in which extinction leads to a weakening of the original fear memory. These findings also question the generality of the potential benefits of using occasional reinforced extinction in clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- María J Quintero
- Department of Basic Psychology, University of Málaga, Málaga, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Málaga, Spain
| | - Amanda Flores
- Department of Basic Psychology, University of Málaga, Málaga, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Málaga, Spain
| | | | | | - Francisco J López
- Department of Basic Psychology, University of Málaga, Málaga, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Málaga, Spain
| | - Joaquín Morís
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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9
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Bautista CL, Teng EJ. Merging Our Understanding of Anxiety and Exposure: Using Inhibitory Learning to Target Anxiety Sensitivity in Exposure Therapy. Behav Modif 2021; 46:819-833. [PMID: 33825494 DOI: 10.1177/01454455211005073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Exposure-based therapies are the gold standard treatment for anxiety disorders, and recent advancements in basic and clinical research point to the need to update the implementation of exposure. Recent research has highlighted the importance of transdiagnostic factors such as anxiety sensitivity (AS), or fear of anxiety-related sensations. Elevated AS is common among all anxiety disorders and contains three dimensions, or expectancies, that can be used to guide treatment. Recently, treatments directly targeting AS have shown potential in reducing symptoms of anxiety. In addition, inhibitory learning theory (ILT) provides an alternative explanation of exposure processes based on basic learning research. ILT extends the current framework by accounting for renewal of fear, which is important given the substantial number of individuals who experience a return of symptoms following treatment. The current paper will provide an overview of ILT and discuss several ILT techniques that can be used to target AS. These two converging bodies of research hold strong potential for optimizing treatment for anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandra L Bautista
- Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA.,The Center for Innovative Treatment of Anxiety and Stress, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ellen J Teng
- Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA.,The Center for Innovative Treatment of Anxiety and Stress, Houston, TX, USA.,VA South Central Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Houston, TX, USA.,Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
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10
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Bouton ME, Maren S, McNally GP. BEHAVIORAL AND NEUROBIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF PAVLOVIAN AND INSTRUMENTAL EXTINCTION LEARNING. Physiol Rev 2021; 101:611-681. [PMID: 32970967 PMCID: PMC8428921 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00016.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This article reviews the behavioral neuroscience of extinction, the phenomenon in which a behavior that has been acquired through Pavlovian or instrumental (operant) learning decreases in strength when the outcome that reinforced it is removed. Behavioral research indicates that neither Pavlovian nor operant extinction depends substantially on erasure of the original learning but instead depends on new inhibitory learning that is primarily expressed in the context in which it is learned, as exemplified by the renewal effect. Although the nature of the inhibition may differ in Pavlovian and operant extinction, in either case the decline in responding may depend on both generalization decrement and the correction of prediction error. At the neural level, Pavlovian extinction requires a tripartite neural circuit involving the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus. Synaptic plasticity in the amygdala is essential for extinction learning, and prefrontal cortical inhibition of amygdala neurons encoding fear memories is involved in extinction retrieval. Hippocampal-prefrontal circuits mediate fear relapse phenomena, including renewal. Instrumental extinction involves distinct ensembles in corticostriatal, striatopallidal, and striatohypothalamic circuits as well as their thalamic returns for inhibitory (extinction) and excitatory (renewal and other relapse phenomena) control over operant responding. The field has made significant progress in recent decades, although a fully integrated biobehavioral understanding still awaits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Bouton
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Gavan P McNally
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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11
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Keller NE, Hennings AC, Dunsmoor JE. Behavioral and neural processes in counterconditioning: Past and future directions. Behav Res Ther 2020; 125:103532. [PMID: 31881357 PMCID: PMC6983350 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2019.103532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Counterconditioning refers both to the technique and putative process by which behavior is modified through a new association with a stimulus of an opposite valence. Similar to extinction, counterconditioning is considered a form of inhibition that interferes with the expression of the originally learned response without erasing it. But whereas interest in extinction continues to rise, counterconditioning has received far less attention. Here, we provide an in-depth review of counterconditioning research and detail whether counterconditioning is any more effective than extinction at preventing relapse of the originally learned behavior. We consider the clinical implications of counterconditioning, describe recent neurobiological and neuroimaging research in this area, and consider future avenues in need of further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole E Keller
- University of Texas at Austin, Institute for Neuroscience, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Augustin C Hennings
- University of Texas at Austin, Institute for Neuroscience, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- University of Texas at Austin, Institute for Neuroscience, Austin, TX, 78712, USA; University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychiatry, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
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12
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Lipp OV, Waters AM, Luck CC, Ryan KM, Craske MG. Novel approaches for strengthening human fear extinction: The roles of novelty, additional USs, and additional GSs. Behav Res Ther 2020; 124:103529. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2019.103529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Revised: 12/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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13
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Craig AR, Sullivan WE, Browning KO, DeRosa NM, Roane HS. Re-exposure to reinforcement in context a during treatment in context b reduces ABC renewal. J Exp Anal Behav 2019; 113:141-152. [PMID: 31835279 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Previous work from our laboratory showed that intermittently re-exposing rats to reinforcement for lever pressing in a training (A) context, while eliminating lever pressing in a second (B) context, increased ABA renewal of lever pressing relative to rats that experienced only Context B during response elimination. In the current study, we replicated these procedures while assessing renewal in the presence of a novel context (i.e., ABC renewal). Unlike the findings described above, renewal was reduced in the group that experienced re-exposure to Context A during lever-press elimination relative to rats that experienced only Context B. These findings suggest that alternating between contexts associated with reinforcement and extinction during treatment reduces the probability that organisms will respond in novel contexts. These outcomes may be the result of discrimination and/or generalization processes. Moreover, this training procedure may offer a potential mitigation strategy for ABC renewal.
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14
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Krompinger JW, Van Kirk NP, Garner LE, Potluri SI, Elias JA. Hope for the Worst: Occasional Reinforced Extinction and Expectancy Violation in the Treatment of OCD. COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIORAL PRACTICE 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpra.2017.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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15
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16
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Friedel JE, Galizio A, Berry MS, Sweeney MM, Odum AL. An alternative approach to relapse analysis: Using Monte Carlo methods and proportional rates of response. J Exp Anal Behav 2018; 111:289-308. [PMID: 30556581 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Relapse is the recovery of a previously suppressed response. Animal models have been useful in examining the mechanisms underlying relapse (e.g., reinstatement, renewal, reacquisition, resurgence). However, there are several challenges to analyzing relapse data using traditional approaches. For example, null hypothesis significance testing is commonly used to determine whether relapse has occurred. However, this method requires several a priori assumptions about the data, as well as a large sample size for between-subjects comparisons or repeated testing for within-subjects comparisons. Monte Carlo methods may represent an improved analytic technique, because these methods require no prior assumptions, permit smaller sample sizes, and can be tailored to account for all of the data from an experiment instead of some limited set. In the present study, we conducted reanalyses of three studies of relapse (Berry, Sweeney, & Odum, ; Galizio et al., ; Odum & Shahan, ) using Monte Carlo techniques to determine if relapse occurred and if there were differences in rate of response based on relevant independent variables (such as group membership or schedule of reinforcement). These reanalyses supported the previous findings. Finally, we provide general recommendations for using Monte Carlo methods in studies of relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Mary M Sweeney
- Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
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17
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Guzick AG, Reid AM, Balkhi AM, Geffken GR, McNamara JPH. That Was Easy! Expectancy Violations During Exposure and Response Prevention for Childhood Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Behav Modif 2018; 44:319-342. [PMID: 30449128 DOI: 10.1177/0145445518813624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Violating expectancies during exposure therapy is proposed to promote inhibitory learning and improved treatment outcomes. Because people tend to overestimate how distressing emotionally challenging situations will be, violating expectations of distress may be an intuitive way to promote treatment outcome during exposure-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). This study evaluated overpredictions of distress during exposure tasks in 33 youth with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; ages 8-17) participating in CBT. Youth with more variable prediction accuracy and a higher proportion of overpredictions experienced more rapid symptom reduction, b = -0.29, p = .002. Underpredictions were less common toward the end of therapy as youth experienced less severe OCD, b = 0.12, p= .001. Findings suggest that although youth often accurately predict the intensity of exposure, overpredictions are common as well. The frequency of these overpredictions promoted treatment outcome, supporting expectancy violations as one indicator of inhibitory learning during exposure therapy.
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18
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Thompson A, McEvoy PM, Lipp OV. Enhancing extinction learning: Occasional presentations of the unconditioned stimulus during extinction eliminate spontaneous recovery, but not necessarily reacquisition of fear. Behav Res Ther 2018; 108:29-39. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2018.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Revised: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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19
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Bernal-Gamboa R, Gámez AM, Nieto J. Spacing extinction sessions as a behavioral technique for preventing relapse in an animal model of voluntary actions. Behav Processes 2018; 151:54-61. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Revised: 01/14/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Building physiological toughness: Some aversive events during extinction may attenuate return of fear. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2018; 58:18-28. [PMID: 28777975 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2017.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2016] [Revised: 07/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Although exposure therapy is an effective treatment for anxiety disorders, fear sometimes returns following successful therapy. Recent literature in animal models indicates that incorporating some aversive events into extinction training may offset these return of fear effects. METHODS The effect of occasional reinforced extinction trials was investigated in a sample of thirty-nine participants using a fear conditioning and extinction paradigm. Participants either underwent traditional extinction procedures during which the conditional stimulus which had been paired with the unconditional stimulus (US) during acquisition training (CS+) was presented alone with no presentations of the US or partially reinforced extinction during which there were several unpredicted CS+/US pairings. RESULTS As measured by skin conductance responses, physiological fear responding remained elevated during extinction for participants who experienced partially reinforced extinction; however, these participants demonstrated protection from rapid reacquisition effects. Results from the subjective US-expectancy ratings did not provide evidence of protection against rapid reacquisition in the partially reinforced extinction group; however, there was evidence of protection from spontaneous recovery effects. Lastly, as measured by valence ratings, it was unclear whether partially reinforced extinction provided protection from fear recovery effects. LIMITATIONS Although participants who experienced partially reinforced extinction demonstrated protection from rapid reacquisition as measured by skin conductance responses, they also demonstrated significantly higher levels of physiological fear responding during extinction which made the results of the spontaneous recovery test more difficult to interpret. CONCLUSIONS Occasional CS-US pairings during extinction may protect against return of fear effects. Clinical implications are discussed.
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Elsey JWB, Kindt M. Tackling maladaptive memories through reconsolidation: From neural to clinical science. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2017; 142:108-117. [PMID: 28302564 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2017.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Revised: 03/07/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral neuroscience has greatly informed how we understand the formation, persistence, and plasticity of memory. Research has demonstrated that memory reactivation can induce a labile period, during which previously consolidated memories are sensitive to change, and in need of restabilization. This process is known as reconsolidation. Such findings have advanced not only our basic understanding of memory processes, but also hint at the prospect of harnessing these insights for the development of a new generation of treatments for disorders of emotional memory. However, even in simple experimental models, the conditions for inducing memory reconsolidation are complex: memory labilization appears to result from the interplay of learning history, reactivation, and also individual differences, posing difficulties for the translation of basic experimental research into effective clinical interventions. In this paper, we review a selection of influential animal and human research on memory reconsolidation to illustrate key insights these studies afford. We then consider how these findings can inform the development of new treatment approaches, with a particular focus on the transition of memory from reactivation, to reconsolidation, to new memory formation, as well as highlighting possible limitations of experimental models. If the challenges of translational research can be overcome, and if reconsolidation-based procedures become a viable treatment option, then they would be one of the first mental health treatments to be directly derived from basic neuroscience research. This would surely be a triumph for the scientific study of mind and brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- James W B Elsey
- Experimental and Clinical Psychology at the University of Amsterdam, 129B Nieuwe Achtergracht, 1018WS Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Merel Kindt
- Experimental and Clinical Psychology at the University of Amsterdam, 129B Nieuwe Achtergracht, 1018WS Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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Ashby FG, Vucovich LE. The role of feedback contingency in perceptual category learning. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn 2016; 42:1731-1746. [PMID: 27149393 DOI: 10.1037/xlm0000277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Feedback is highly contingent on behavior if it eventually becomes easy to predict, and weakly contingent on behavior if it remains difficult or impossible to predict even after learning is complete. Many studies have demonstrated that humans and nonhuman animals are highly sensitive to feedback contingency, but no known studies have examined how feedback contingency affects category learning, and current theories assign little or no importance to this variable. Two experiments examined the effects of contingency degradation on rule-based and information-integration category learning. In rule-based tasks, optimal accuracy is possible with a simple explicit rule, whereas optimal accuracy in information-integration tasks requires integrating information from 2 or more incommensurable perceptual dimensions. In both experiments, participants each learned rule-based or information-integration categories under either high or low levels of feedback contingency. The exact same stimuli were used in all 4 conditions, and optimal accuracy was identical in every condition. Learning was good in both high-contingency conditions, but most participants showed little or no evidence of learning in either low-contingency condition. Possible causes of these effects, as well as their theoretical implications, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Crossley MJ, Horvitz JC, Balsam PD, Ashby FG. Expanding the role of striatal cholinergic interneurons and the midbrain dopamine system in appetitive instrumental conditioning. J Neurophysiol 2015; 115:240-54. [PMID: 26467514 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00473.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 10/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The basal ganglia are a collection of subcortical nuclei thought to underlie a wide variety of vertebrate behavior. Although a great deal is known about the functional and physiological properties of the basal ganglia, relatively few models have been formally developed that have been tested against both behavioral and physiological data. Our previous work (Ashby FG, Crossley MJ. J Cogn Neurosci 23: 1549-1566, 2011) showed that a model grounded in the neurobiology of the basal ganglia could account for basic single-neuron recording data, as well as behavioral phenomena such as fast reacquisition that constrain models of conditioning. In this article we show that this same model accounts for a variety of appetitive instrumental conditioning phenomena, including the partial reinforcement extinction (PRE) effect, rapid and slowed reacquisition following extinction, and renewal of previously extinguished instrumental responses by environmental context cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Crossley
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Jon C Horvitz
- Department of Psychology, City College of New York, City University of New York, New York, New York
| | - Peter D Balsam
- Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, Barnard College and Columbia University, New York, New York; and
| | - F Gregory Ashby
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California
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Boutelle KN, Bouton ME. Implications of learning theory for developing programs to decrease overeating. Appetite 2015; 93:62-74. [PMID: 25998235 PMCID: PMC4654402 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2015.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2015] [Revised: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 05/12/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Childhood obesity is associated with medical and psychological comorbidities, and interventions targeting overeating could be pragmatic and have a significant impact on weight. Calorically dense foods are easily available, variable, and tasty which allows for effective opportunities to learn to associate behaviors and cues in the environment with food through fundamental conditioning processes, resulting in measurable psychological and physiological food cue reactivity in vulnerable children. Basic research suggests that initial learning is difficult to erase, and that it is vulnerable to a number of phenomena that will allow the original learning to re-emerge after it is suppressed or replaced. These processes may help explain why it may be difficult to change food cue reactivity and overeating over the long term. Extinction theory may be used to develop effective cue-exposure treatments to decrease food cue reactivity through inhibitory learning, although these processes are complex and require an integral understanding of the theory and individual differences. Additionally, learning theory can be used to develop other interventions that may prove to be useful. Through an integration of learning theory, basic and translational research, it may be possible to develop interventions that can decrease the urges to overeat, and improve the weight status of children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerri N Boutelle
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Mark E Bouton
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
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25
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Effects of occasional reinforced trials during extinction on the reacquisition of conditioned responses to food cues. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2015; 48:50-8. [PMID: 25710574 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2015.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2014] [Revised: 02/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Successful long-term dieting appears to be difficult, and part of its difficulty might be explained by processes related to classical appetitive conditioning. Increasing the speed of extinction of appetitive responses to food cues and decreasing the magnitude of returns of these responses could help increase the long-term effectiveness of weight loss attempts. Two extinction techniques hypothesized to slow down rapid reacquisition of conditioned appetitive responses were investigated: the provision of 1) occasional reinforced extinction trials (OR) and 2) unpaired unconditioned stimuli (USs) during extinction (UNP). METHODS After acquisition, participants (N = 90) received one of three extinction trainings: OR, UNP, or normal extinction (control), followed by a reacquisition phase. Their desire to eat, US expectancy, and salivation were measured. Effects of impulsivity on different phases of appetitive conditioning were also assessed. RESULTS It was found that both extinction techniques were successful in reducing the rate of reacquisition of US expectancies. Participants in the OR condition also demonstrated a slower extinction of US expectancies and desires to eat. However, the reacquisition of conditioned desires was not affected by either extinction technique. Impulsivity did not moderate responses during acquisition or extinction, but appeared to slow down the reacquisition of conditioned desires. LIMITATIONS US expectancies and eating desires were not completely extinguished, and a few differences in baseline responses caused difficulty in interpreting some of the findings. CONCLUSIONS It is concluded that the provision of occasional reinforced extinction trials and unpaired USs seem promising techniques to slow down reacquisition, but that additional studies are needed.
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Abstract
Unhealthy behavior is responsible for much human disease, and a common goal of contemporary preventive medicine is therefore to encourage behavior change. However, while behavior change often seems easy in the short run, it can be difficult to sustain. This article provides a selective review of research from the basic learning and behavior laboratory that provides some insight into why. The research suggests that methods used to create behavior change (including extinction, counterconditioning, punishment, reinforcement of alternative behavior, and abstinence reinforcement) tend to inhibit, rather than erase, the original behavior. Importantly, the inhibition, and thus behavior change more generally, is often specific to the "context" in which it is learned. In support of this view, the article discusses a number of lapse and relapse phenomena that occur after behavior has been changed (renewal, spontaneous recovery, reinstatement, rapid reacquisition, and resurgence). The findings suggest that changing a behavior can be an inherently unstable and unsteady process; frequent lapses should be expected. In the long run, behavior-change therapies might benefit from paying attention to the context in which behavior change occurs.
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Gershman SJ, Jones CE, Norman KA, Monfils MH, Niv Y. Gradual extinction prevents the return of fear: implications for the discovery of state. Front Behav Neurosci 2013; 7:164. [PMID: 24302899 PMCID: PMC3831154 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2013] [Accepted: 10/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Fear memories are notoriously difficult to erase, often recovering over time. The longstanding explanation for this finding is that, in extinction training, a new memory is formed that competes with the old one for expression but does not otherwise modify it. This explanation is at odds with traditional models of learning such as Rescorla-Wagner and reinforcement learning. A possible reconciliation that was recently suggested is that extinction training leads to the inference of a new state that is different from the state that was in effect in the original training. This solution, however, raises a new question: under what conditions are new states, or new memories formed? Theoretical accounts implicate persistent large prediction errors in this process. As a test of this idea, we reasoned that careful design of the reinforcement schedule during extinction training could reduce these prediction errors enough to prevent the formation of a new memory, while still decreasing reinforcement sufficiently to drive modification of the old fear memory. In two Pavlovian fear-conditioning experiments, we show that gradually reducing the frequency of aversive stimuli, rather than eliminating them abruptly, prevents the recovery of fear. This finding has important implications for theories of state discovery in reinforcement learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel J Gershman
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA, USA
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Todd TP, Vurbic D, Bouton ME. Behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of extinction in Pavlovian and instrumental learning. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2013; 108:52-64. [PMID: 23999219 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2013.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2013] [Revised: 08/06/2013] [Accepted: 08/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This article reviews research on the behavioral and neural mechanisms of extinction as it is represented in both Pavlovian and instrumental learning. In Pavlovian extinction, repeated presentation of a signal without its reinforcer weakens behavior evoked by the signal; in instrumental extinction, repeated occurrence of a voluntary action without its reinforcer weakens the strength of the action. In either case, contemporary research at both the behavioral and neural levels of analysis has been guided by a set of extinction principles that were first generated by research conducted at the behavioral level. The review discusses these principles and illustrates how they have informed the study of both Pavlovian and instrumental extinction. It shows that behavioral and neurobiological research efforts have been tightly linked and that their results are readily integrated. Pavlovian and instrumental extinction are also controlled by compatible behavioral and neural processes. Since many behavioral effects observed in extinction can be multiply determined, we suggest that the current close connection between behavioral-level and neural-level analyses will need to continue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis P Todd
- Department of Psychology, University of Vermont, 2 Colchester Ave., Burlington, VT 05405-0134, United States
| | - Drina Vurbic
- Department of Psychology, University of Vermont, 2 Colchester Ave., Burlington, VT 05405-0134, United States
| | - Mark E Bouton
- Department of Psychology, University of Vermont, 2 Colchester Ave., Burlington, VT 05405-0134, United States..
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29
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Crossley MJ, Ashby FG, Maddox WT. Erasing the engram: the unlearning of procedural skills. J Exp Psychol Gen 2013; 142:710-41. [PMID: 23046090 PMCID: PMC3543754 DOI: 10.1037/a0030059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Huge amounts of money are spent every year on unlearning programs--in drug-treatment facilities, prisons, psychotherapy clinics, and schools. Yet almost all of these programs fail, since recidivism rates are high in each of these fields. Progress on this problem requires a better understanding of the mechanisms that make unlearning so difficult. Much cognitive neuroscience evidence suggests that an important component of these mechanisms also dictates success on categorization tasks that recruit procedural learning and depend on synaptic plasticity within the striatum. A biologically detailed computational model of this striatal-dependent learning is described (based on Ashby & Crossley, 2011). The model assumes that a key component of striatal-dependent learning is provided by interneurons in the striatum called the tonically active neurons (TANs), which act as a gate for the learning and expression of striatal-dependent behaviors. In their tonically active state, the TANs prevent the expression of any striatal-dependent behavior. However, they learn to pause in rewarding environments and thereby permit the learning and expression of striatal-dependent behaviors. The model predicts that when rewards are no longer contingent on behavior, the TANs cease to pause, which protects striatal learning from decay and prevents unlearning. In addition, the model predicts that when rewards are partially contingent on behavior, the TANs remain partially paused, leaving the striatum available for unlearning. The results from 3 human behavioral studies support the model predictions and suggest a novel unlearning protocol that shows promising initial signs of success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J. Crossley
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara
| | - F. Gregory Ashby
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara
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Bouton ME, Winterbauer NE, Todd TP. Relapse processes after the extinction of instrumental learning: renewal, resurgence, and reacquisition. Behav Processes 2012; 90:130-41. [PMID: 22450305 PMCID: PMC3355659 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2012.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2011] [Revised: 03/05/2012] [Accepted: 03/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
It is widely recognized that extinction (the procedure in which a Pavlovian conditioned stimulus or an instrumental action is repeatedly presented without its reinforcer) weakens behavior without erasing the original learning. Most of the experiments that support this claim have focused on several "relapse" effects that occur after Pavlovian extinction, which collectively suggest that the original learning is saved through extinction. However, although such effects do occur after instrumental extinction, they have not been explored there in as much detail. This article reviews recent research in our laboratory that has investigated three relapse effects that occur after the extinction of instrumental (operant) learning. In renewal, responding returns after extinction when the behavior is tested in a different context; in resurgence, responding recovers when a second response that has been reinforced during extinction of the first is itself put on extinction; and in rapid reacquisition, extinguished responding returns rapidly when the response is reinforced again. The results provide new insights into extinction and relapse, and are consistent with principles that have been developed to explain extinction and relapse as they occur after Pavlovian conditioning. Extinction of instrumental learning, like Pavlovian learning, involves new learning that is relatively dependent on the context for expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Bouton
- Department of Psychology, University of Vermont, 354 Dewey Hall, 2 Colchester Ave., Burlington, VT 05405-0134, USA.
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31
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Brakel LAW. Extinction phenomena: a biologic perspective on how and why psychoanalysis works. Front Psychol 2011; 2:223. [PMID: 21927610 PMCID: PMC3169790 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2011] [Accepted: 08/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This article presents the view that much of the success of classical psychoanalysis is centrally predicated on its biological potency; focusing not on neuropsychology, but on the biology of conditioning. The argument suggests that features of classic psychoanalytic technique - the couch, meetings several times per week with both parties present, and free association - uniquely facilitate intense transferences of various sorts, and that these in turn constitute the multiple and diverse extinction trials necessary to best approximate extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda A. W. Brakel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Philosophy, University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI, USA
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Winterbauer NE, Bouton ME. Mechanisms of resurgence II: Response-contingent reinforcers can reinstate a second extinguished behavior. LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2011; 42:154-164. [PMID: 21479120 DOI: 10.1016/j.lmot.2011.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Three experiments with rat subjects examined resurgence of an extinguished instrumental response using the procedure introduced by Epstein (1983) with pigeons. There were three phases: (1) initial acquisition of pressing on a lever (L1) for pellet reward, (2) extinction of L1, and (3) a test session in which a second lever (L2) was inserted, briefly reinforced, and then extinguished. Experiment 1 confirmed that if pressing L2 delivered 20 pellets followed by extinction, rats would resume L1 responding in the final test. Experiment 2 compared the effects of response-contingent and non-contingent rewards delivered upon insertion of L2. Although insertion of L2 alone did not increase L1 responding, response-contingent and non-contingent rewards led to comparable increases in L1 responding. Experiment 3 found that the delivery of non-contingent pellets during extinction of L1, which would be expected to reduce the ability of pellets to set the occasion for the L1 response, also reduced the effects of both response-contingent and non-contingent rewards during the final test. The results indicate that in this method, the resurgence treatment leads to an increase in L1 pressing due to simple presentation of the pellet; delivering the reinforcer after extinction of L1 reinstates L1 responding by setting the occasion for the L1 response.
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Boyer F, Balado E, Piazza PV, Dreyer JL, Deroche-Gamonet V. A decrease in gamma-synuclein expression within the nucleus accumbens increases cocaine intravenous self-administration in the rat. Addict Biol 2011; 16:120-3. [PMID: 20579003 DOI: 10.1111/j.1369-1600.2010.00232.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Except as a marker of cancer progression, gamma-synuclein (GSyn) had received little attention. Recent data showed however that GSyn modulates cocaine-induced locomotor effects, suggesting that it could also play a role in cocaine reinforcing effects. In the rat, siRNAs targeting GSyn expression were injected in the nucleus accumbens and cocaine reinforcing effects were evaluated by means of intravenous self-administration. A dose-response curve was followed by procedures of progressive ratio, extinction, cocaine- and cue-induced reinstatements. Decrease of GSyn expression increased self-administration over a large range of doses. This effect was associated with an increase in cocaine-induced reinstatement. The present data reveal that GSyn exert a specific negative control on cocaine-induced reinforcing and incentive effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric Boyer
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
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Learning and the persistence of appetite: extinction and the motivation to eat and overeat. Physiol Behav 2010; 103:51-8. [PMID: 21134389 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2010] [Revised: 10/31/2010] [Accepted: 11/19/2010] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The modern world is saturated with highly palatable and highly available food, providing many opportunities to associate food with environmental cues and actions (through Pavlovian and operant or instrumental learning, respectively). Basic learning processes can often increase the tendency to approach and consume food, whereas extinction, in which Pavlovian and operant behaviors decline when the reinforcer is withheld, weakens but does not erase those tendencies. Contemporary research suggests that extinction involves an inhibitory form of new learning that appears fragile because it is highly dependent on the context for expression. These ideas are supported by the phenomena of renewal, spontaneous recovery, resurgence, reinstatement, and rapid reacquisition in appetitive learning, which together may help explain why overeating may be difficult to suppress permanently, and why appetitive behavior may seem so persistent.
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Vervliet B, Vansteenwegen D, Hermans D. Unpaired shocks during extinction weaken the contextual renewal of a conditioned discrimination. LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lmot.2009.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Capaldi E, Martins AP, Altman M. Memories of reward and nonreward regulate the extinction and reacquisition of both excitatory and inhibitory associations. LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lmot.2009.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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