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Pan DN, Hoid D, Wolf OT, Merz CJ, Li X. Conflict Dynamics of Post-Retrieval Extinction: A Comparative Analysis of Unconditional and Conditional Reminders Using Skin Conductance Responses and EEG. Brain Topogr 2024; 37:834-848. [PMID: 38635017 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-024-01051-5] [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: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
The post-retrieval extinction paradigm, rooted in reconsolidation theory, holds promise for enhancing extinction learning and addressing anxiety and trauma-related disorders. This study investigates the impact of two reminder types, mild US-reminder (US-R) and CS-reminder (CS-R), along with a no-reminder extinction, on fear recovery prevention in a categorical fear conditioning paradigm. Scalp EEG recordings during reminder and extinction processes were conducted in a three-day design. Results show that the US-R group exhibits a distinctive extinction learning pattern, characterized by a slowed-down yet successful process and pronounced theta-alpha desynchronization (source-located in the prefrontal cortex) during CS processing, followed by enhanced synchronization (source-located in the anterior cingulate) after shock cancellation in extinction trials. These neural dynamics correlate with the subtle advantage of US-R in the Day 3 recovery test, presenting faster spontaneous recovery fading and generally lower fear reinstatement responses. Conversely, the CS reminder elicits CS-specific effects in later episodic tests. The unique neural features of the US-R group suggest a larger prediction error and subsequent effortful conflict learning processes, warranting further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Ni Pan
- School of Psychology, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, 100083, China
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No 16 Lincui Rd Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Delhii Hoid
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No 16 Lincui Rd Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Oliver T Wolf
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Christian J Merz
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Xuebing Li
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No 16 Lincui Rd Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China.
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2
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Schellhaas S, Schmahl C, Bublatzky F. Incidental learning of faces during threat: No evidence for enhanced physiological responses to former threat identities. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 205:107838. [PMID: 37832817 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
Remembering an unfamiliar person and the contextual conditions of that encounter is important for adaptive future behavior, especially in a potentially dangerous situation. Initiating defensive behavior in the presence of former dangerous circumstances can be crucial. Recent studies showed selective electrocortical processing of faces that were previously seen in a threat context compared to a safety context, however, this was not reflected in conscious recognition performance. Here, we investigated whether previously seen threat-faces, that could not be remembered, were capable to activate defensive psychophysiological response systems. During an encoding phase, 50 participants with low to moderate levels of anxiety viewed 40 face pictures with neutral expressions (6 s each), without an explicit learning instruction (incidental learning task). Each half of the faces were presented with contextual background colors that signaled either threat-of-shock or safety. In the recognition phase, all old and additional new faces (total of 60) were presented intermixed without context information. Participants had to decide whether a face was new or had been presented previously in a threatening or a safe context. Results show moderate face recognition independent of context conditions. Startle reflex and skin conductance responses (SCR) were more pronounced for threat compared to safety during encoding. For SCR, this differentiation was enhanced with higher levels of depression and anxiety. There were no differential startle reflex or SCR effects during recognition. From a clinical perspective, these findings do not support the notion that perceptual biases and physiological arousal directly relate to threat-associated identity recognition deficits in healthy and clinical participants with anxiety and trauma-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Schellhaas
- Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Germany.
| | - Christian Schmahl
- Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Germany
| | - Florian Bublatzky
- Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Germany
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3
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Raskin M, Monfils MH. Reconsolidation and Fear Extinction: An Update. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023; 64:307-333. [PMID: 37563489 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2023_438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Fear memories can be updated behaviorally by delivering extinction trials during the reconsolidation window, which results in a persistent attenuation of fear memories (Monfils et al., Science 324:951-955, 2009). This safe and non-invasive paradigm, termed retrieval-extinction (or post-retrieval extinction), has also been found to be successful at preventing the return of fear in healthy fear conditioned humans (Schiller et al., Nature 463:49-53, 2010), and in the time since its discovery, there has been an explosion of research on the use of retrieval-extinction in fear memories in humans and other animals, some of which have found a long-term reduction in conditioned responding, and some who have not. These discrepant findings have raised concerns as to whether retrieval-extinction really results in updating of the original fear memory, or if it simply enhances extinction. We will first review the progress made on elucidating the cellular mechanisms underlying the fear attenuating effects of retrieval-extinction and how they differ from traditional extinction. Special attention will be paid to the molecular events necessary for retrieval-extinction to successfully occur and how these reconsolidated memories are represented in the brain. Next, we will examine the parameters that determine whether or not a memory will be updated via extinction during the reconsolidation window (also known as boundary conditions). These boundary conditions will also be discussed as possible explanations for discrepant findings of the retrieval-extinction effect. Then we will examine the factors that can determine whether an individual's fears will successfully be attenuated by retrieval-extinction. These individual differences include genetics, age, and psychopathology. Finally, we will discuss recent attempts to bring the retrieval-extinction paradigm from the bench to the bedside for the behavioral treatment of anxiety and trauma disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa Raskin
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Marie-H Monfils
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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Wang J, Chen B, Sha M, Gu Y, Wu H, Forcato C, Qin S. Positive and Neutral Updating Reconsolidate Aversive Episodic Memories via Different Routes. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 184:107500. [PMID: 34389448 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Aversive memories are long-lasting and prone to burden our emotional wellbeing and mental health. Yet, how to remedy the maladaptive effects of aversive memories remains elusive. Using memory reactivation and emotional updating manipulations, we investigated how positive and neutral emotion may update aversive memories for reconsolidation in humans. We found that positive updating after reactivation was equivalent to neutral updating in impairing true memories of a previous aversive event after a 12-hour wakeful delay, but induced more false memory. Moreover, additional 12-hour delay with overnight sleep did not further enlarge true memory differences, but attenuated the effect of reactivation and updating on false memory. Interestingly, the neutral rather than the positive updating reduced the emotional arousal of the aversive memory 24 hours later. Our findings could serve as references for real-world therapeutic applications regarding how positive and neutral updating may reshape aversive memories, especially when taking wake- and sleep-filled reconsolidation into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Faculty of Psychology at Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Boxuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Faculty of Psychology at Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Manqi Sha
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Faculty of Psychology at Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yiran Gu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education), Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Science, NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Haitao Wu
- Department of Neurobiology, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Cecilia Forcato
- Laboratorio de Sueño y Memoria, Depto. De Ciencias de la Vida, Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), Av. Madero 399, (1106) Capital Federal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Shaozheng Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Faculty of Psychology at Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China.
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Alfei JM, De Gruy H, De Bundel D, Luyten L, Beckers T. Apparent reconsolidation interference without generalized amnesia. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 108:110161. [PMID: 33186637 PMCID: PMC7610545 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Memories remain dynamic after consolidation, and when reactivated, they can be rendered vulnerable to various pharmacological agents that disrupt the later expression of memory (i.e., amnesia). Such drug-induced post-reactivation amnesia has traditionally been studied in AAA experimental designs, where a memory is initially created for a stimulus A (be it a singular cue or a context) and later reactivated and tested through exposure to the exact same stimulus. Using a contextual fear conditioning procedure in rats and midazolam as amnestic agent, we recently demonstrated that drug-induced amnesia can also be obtained when memories are reactivated through exposure to a generalization stimulus (GS, context B) and later tested for that same generalization stimulus (ABB design). However, this amnestic intervention leaves fear expression intact when at test animals are instead presented with the original training stimulus (ABA design) or a novel generalization stimulus (ABC design). The underlying mechanisms of post-reactivation memory malleability and of MDZ-induced amnesia for a generalization context remain largely unknown. Here, we evaluated whether, like typical CS-mediated (or AAA) post-reactivation amnesia, GS-mediated (ABB) post-reactivation amnesia displays key features of a destabilization-based phenomenon. We first show that ABB post-reactivation amnesia is critically dependent on prediction error at the time of memory reactivation and provide evidence for its temporally graded nature. In line with the known role of GluN2B-NMDA receptor activation in memory destabilization, we further demonstrate that pre-reactivation administration of ifenprodil, a selective antagonist of GluN2B-NMDA receptors, prevents MDZ-induced ABB amnesia. In sum, our data reveal that ABB MDZ-induced post-reactivation amnesia exhibits the hallmark features of a destabilization-dependent phenomenon. Implication of our findings for a reconsolidation-based account of post-reactivation amnesia are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joaquín M. Alfei
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium,Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Hérnan De Gruy
- Department of Biology, University of Rome, 185 Rome, Italy
| | - Dimitri De Bundel
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Research Group Experimental Pharmacology, Center for Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Laura Luyten
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium.
| | - Tom Beckers
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium.
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6
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Chen W, Li J, Zhang X, Dong Y, Shi P, Luo P, Zheng X. Retrieval-extinction as a reconsolidation-based treatment for emotional disorders:Evidence from an extinction retention test shortly after intervention. Behav Res Ther 2021; 139:103831. [PMID: 33647746 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2021.103831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The retrieval-extinction paradigm, a non-invasive memory intervention that is methodologically similar to exposure therapy, has significant clinical application prospects for targeting memory reconsolidation. However, it is difficult to distinguish whether the effect of preventing the return of fear by retrieval-extinction depends upon the reconsolidation-based mechanism or extinction-based mechanism. This study tested extinction retention shortly after intervention to determine whether retrieval-extinction is a reconsolidation-based approach or extinction-based approach as well as exploring the effect of sleep. In our experiment, the effects on fear conditional memory of standard extinction, retrieval-extinction, and extinction-retrieval were compared using the fear test at 3 h, 12 h without a night's sleep, and 12 h with a night's sleep after the intervention. The results showed that standard extinction and extinction-retrieval procedures reduce fear 3 h after intervention, while retrieval-extinction procedure reduces fear 12 h with a night's sleep after the intervention. The results suggest that standard extinction and extinction-retrieval create an extinction memory trace that competes with original memory trace, only retrieval-extinction update the original memory trace through memory reconsolidation. These findings provide solid evidence for the reconsolidation mechanism of the retrieval-extinction paradigm and highlight the effect of sleep on memory reconsolidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Chen
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, China
| | - Junjiao Li
- College of Teacher Education, Guangdong University of Education, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoxia Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, China
| | - Yuanyuan Dong
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, China
| | - Pei Shi
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, China
| | - Pinchao Luo
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, China
| | - Xifu Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, China.
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7
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Alfei JM, Ferrer Monti RI, Molina VA, De Bundel D, Luyten L, Beckers T. Generalization and recovery of post-retrieval amnesia. J Exp Psychol Gen 2020; 149:2063-2083. [PMID: 32297779 PMCID: PMC7116269 DOI: 10.1037/xge0000765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Selective amnesia for previously established memories can be induced by administering drugs that impair protein synthesis shortly after memory reactivation. Competing theoretical accounts attribute this selective post-retrieval amnesia to drug-induced engram degradation (reconsolidation blockade) or to incorporation of sensory features of the reactivation experience into the memory representation, hampering later retrieval in a drug-free state (memory integration). Here we present evidence that critically challenges both accounts. In contextual fear conditioning in rats, we find that amnesia induced by administration of midazolam (MDZ) after reexposure to the training context A generalizes readily to a similar context B. Amnesia is also observed when animals are exposed to the similar context B prior to MDZ administration and later tested for fear to context B but recovers when instead testing for fear to the original training context A or an equally similar but novel context C. Next to their theoretical implications for the nature of forgetting, our findings raise important questions about the viability of reconsolidation-based interventions for the treatment of emotional disorders. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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Houtekamer MC, Henckens MJAG, Mackey WE, Dunsmoor JE, Homberg JR, Kroes MCW. Investigating the efficacy of the reminder-extinction procedure to disrupt contextual threat memories in humans using immersive Virtual Reality. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16991. [PMID: 33046753 PMCID: PMC7550330 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73139-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Upon reactivation, consolidated memories can enter a temporary labile state and require restabilisation, known as reconsolidation. Interventions during this reconsolidation period can disrupt the reactivated memory. However, it is unclear whether different kinds of memory that depend on distinct brain regions all undergo reconsolidation. Evidence for reconsolidation originates from studies assessing amygdala-dependent memories using cue-conditioning paradigms in rodents, which were subsequently replicated in humans. Whilst studies providing evidence for reconsolidation of hippocampus-dependent memories in rodents have predominantly used context conditioning paradigms, studies in humans have used completely different paradigms such as tests for wordlists or stories. Here our objective was to bridge this paradigm gap between rodent and human studies probing reconsolidation of hippocampus-dependent memories. We modified a recently developed immersive Virtual Reality paradigm to test in humans whether contextual threat-conditioned memories can be disrupted by a reminder-extinction procedure that putatively targets reconsolidation. In contrast to our hypothesis, we found comparable recovery of contextual conditioned threat responses, and comparable retention of subjective measures of threat memory, episodic memory and exploration behaviour between the reminder-extinction and standard extinction groups. Our result provide no evidence that a reminder before extinction can prevent the return of context conditioned threat memories in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime C Houtekamer
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Kapittelweg 29, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Marloes J A G Henckens
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Kapittelweg 29, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Wayne E Mackey
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Judith R Homberg
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Kapittelweg 29, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Marijn C W Kroes
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Kapittelweg 29, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Chalkia A, Schroyens N, Leng L, Vanhasbroeck N, Zenses AK, Van Oudenhove L, Beckers T. No persistent attenuation of fear memories in humans: A registered replication of the reactivation-extinction effect. Cortex 2020; 129:496-509. [PMID: 32580869 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
It has been proposed that memory retrieval can destabilize consolidated memories, after which they need to be reconsolidated in order to be retained. The presentation of relevant information during memory reconsolidation could then result in the modification of a destabilized memory trace, by allowing the memory trace to be updated before being reconsolidated. In line with this idea, Schiller et al. (2010) have demonstrated that memory retrieval shortly before extinction training can prevent the later recovery of conditioned fear responding that is observed after regular extinction training. Those findings have been the subject of considerable controversy, due in part to theoretical reasons but also due to a number of failures to obtain similar results in conceptual replication attempts. Here, we report the results of a highly powered, direct, independent replication of the critical conditions of Schiller et al. (2010, Experiment 1). Due to misrepresentation of the exclusion criteria in the original Schiller et al. (2010) report, data collection was considerably delayed. When we eventually managed to attain our pre-registered sample size, we found that we could not observe any benefit of reactivation-extinction over regular extinction training in preventing recovery of conditioned fear. The results of the present study, along with the mixed findings in the literature and the misreporting in Schiller et al. (2010), give cause to question whether there is robust evidence that reactivation-extinction prevents the return of fear in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Chalkia
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Faculty of Psychology & Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Natalie Schroyens
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Faculty of Psychology & Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lu Leng
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Faculty of Psychology & Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Niels Vanhasbroeck
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Faculty of Psychology & Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ann-Kathrin Zenses
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Faculty of Psychology & Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lukas Van Oudenhove
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory for Brain-Gut Axis Studies (LaBGAS), Translational Research Centre for Gastrointestinal Disorders (TARGID), Department of Chronic Diseases, Metabolism, and Ageing, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tom Beckers
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Faculty of Psychology & Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium.
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de Voogd LD, Phelps EA. A cognitively demanding working-memory intervention enhances extinction Research article. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7020. [PMID: 32341373 PMCID: PMC7184585 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63811-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Improving extinction learning has the potential to optimize psychotherapy for persistent anxiety-related disorders. Recent findings show that extinction learning can be improved with a cognitively demanding eye-movement intervention. It is, however, unclear whether [1] any cognitively-demanding task can enhance extinction, or whether it is limited to eye movements, and [2] the effectiveness of such an intervention can be enhanced by increasing cognitive load. Participants (n = 102, n = 75 included in the final sample) completed a Pavlovian threat conditioning paradigm across two days. One group underwent standard extinction (Control), a second group underwent extinction paired with a 1-back working memory task (Low-Load), and a third group underwent extinction paired with a 2-back working memory task (High-Load). We found that the conditioned response during extinction was reduced for both the Low-Load and the High-Load groups compared to the Control group. This reduction persisted during recovery the following day when no working memory task was executed. Finally, we found that within the High-Load group, participants with lower accuracy scores on the 2-back task (i.e., for who the task was more difficult) had a stronger reduction in the conditioned response. We did not observe this relationship within the Low-Load group. Our findings suggest that cognitive load induced by a working memory intervention embedded during extinction reduces persistent threat responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lycia D de Voogd
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Phelps
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
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Zimmermann J, Bach DR. Impact of a reminder/extinction procedure on threat-conditioned pupil size and skin conductance responses. Learn Mem 2020; 27:164-172. [PMID: 32179658 PMCID: PMC7079572 DOI: 10.1101/lm.050211.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
A reminder can render consolidated memory labile and susceptible to amnesic agents during a reconsolidation window. For the case of threat memory (also termed fear memory), it has been suggested that extinction training during this reconsolidation window has the same disruptive impact. This procedure could provide a powerful therapeutic principle for treatment of unwanted aversive memories. However, human research yielded contradictory results. Notably, all published positive replications quantified threat memory by conditioned skin conductance responses (SCR). Yet, other studies measuring SCR and/or fear-potentiated startle failed to observe an effect of a reminder/extinction procedure on the return of fear. Here we sought to shed light on this discrepancy by using a different autonomic response, namely, conditioned pupil dilation, in addition to SCR, in a replication of the original human study. N = 71 humans underwent a 3-d threat conditioning, reminder/extinction, and reinstatement, procedure with 2 CS+, of which one was reminded. Participants successfully learned the threat association on day 1, extinguished conditioned responding on day 2, and showed reinstatement on day 3. However, there was no difference in conditioned responding between the reminded and the nonreminded CS, neither in pupil size nor SCR. Thus, we found no evidence that a reminder trial before extinction prevents the return of threat-conditioned responding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josua Zimmermann
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dominik R Bach
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging and Max Planck/UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London WC1 3BG, United Kingdom
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12
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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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13
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Kroes MCW, Dunsmoor JE, Hakimi M, Oosterwaal S, Meager MR, Phelps EA. Patients with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex lesions are capable of discriminatory threat learning but appear impaired in cognitive regulation of subjective fear. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 14:601-612. [PMID: 31119295 PMCID: PMC6688449 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans are able to cognitively regulate emotions by changing their thoughts. Neuroimaging studies show correlations between dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) activity and cognitive regulation of emotions. Here our objective was to investigate whether dlPFC damage is associated with impaired cognitive regulation of emotion. We therefore tested the ability of patients with dlPFC lesions (N = 6) and matched control participants (N = 19) to utilize a laboratory version of cognitive regulation training (CRT) to regulate subjective fear and autonomic threat responses following Pavlovian threat conditioning. We found that patients with dlPFC lesions were able to acquire conditioned threat but seemed impaired in their ability to utilize CRT to cognitively regulate subjective fear to a threatening stimulus. Despite inclusion of a limited number of lesion patients, our results suggest that the dlPFC is important for the cognitive regulation of subjective fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marijn C W Kroes
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.,Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Mathew Hakimi
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Sofie Oosterwaal
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | | | - Michael R Meager
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.,Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
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14
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The effects of aversive-to-appetitive counterconditioning on implicit and explicit fear memory. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 27:12-19. [PMID: 31843978 PMCID: PMC6919193 DOI: 10.1101/lm.050740.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Counterconditioning (CC) is a form of retroactive interference that inhibits expression of learned behavior. But similar to extinction, CC can be a fairly weak and impermanent form of interference, and the original behavior is prone to relapse. Research on CC is limited, especially in humans, but prior studies suggest it is more effective than extinction at modifying some behaviors (e.g., preference or valence ratings) than others (e.g., physiological arousal). Here, we used a within-subjects design to compare the effects of aversive-to-appetitive CC versus standard extinction on two separate tests of long-term memory in human adults: implicit physiological arousal and explicit episodic memory. Participants underwent Pavlovian fear conditioning to two semantic categories (animals, tools) paired with an electric shock. Conditioned stimuli (i.e., category exemplars) from one category were then extinguished, while stimuli from the other category were paired with a positive outcome. Participants returned 24-h later for a test of skin conductance responses (SCR) to the conditioned exemplars, as well as a surprise recognition memory test for stimuli encoded the previous day. Results showed reduced SCRs at a test for unique stimuli from a category that had undergone CC, relative to stimuli from a category that had undergone standard extinction. Additionally, participants selectively remembered more stimuli encoded during CC than extinction. These results provide new evidence that aversive-to-appetitive CC, as compared to extinction, strengthens memory for items directly associated with a positive outcome, which may provide stronger retrieval competition against a fear memory at test to help diminish fear relapse.
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15
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Starita F, Kroes MC, Davachi L, Phelps EA, Dunsmoor JE. Threat learning promotes generalization of episodic memory. J Exp Psychol Gen 2019; 148:1426-1434. [PMID: 30667260 PMCID: PMC6642861 DOI: 10.1037/xge0000551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The ability to generalize from and distinguish between aversive memories and novel experiences is critical to survival. Previous research has revealed mechanisms underlying generalization of threat-conditioned defensive responses, but little is known about generalization of episodic memory for threatening events. Here we tested if aversive learning influences generalization of episodic memory for threatening events in human adults. Subjects underwent Pavlovian threat-conditioning in which objects from one category were paired with a shock and objects from a different category were unpaired. The next day, subjects underwent a recognition memory test that included old, highly similar, and entirely novel items from the shock-paired and shock-unpaired object categories. Results showed that items highly similar to those from the object category previously paired with shock were mistaken for old items more often than items from the shock-unpaired category. This finding indicates that threat learning promotes generalization of episodic memory, and is consistent with the idea that threat generalization is an active process that may be adaptive for avoiding a myriad of potential threats following an emotional experience. Enhanced generalization of aversive episodic memories may be maladaptive, however, when old threat memories are inappropriately reactivated in harmless situations, exemplified in a number of stress- and anxiety-related disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Starita
- Center for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, 40127, Italy
| | - Marijn C.W. Kroes
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, 6525 HR, The Netherlands
- New York University, Department of Psychology, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Lila Davachi
- Columbia University, Department of Psychology, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Phelps
- New York University, Department of Psychology, New York, NY 10003, USA
- Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA
| | - Joseph E. Dunsmoor
- University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychiatry, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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16
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Carpenter JK, Pinaire M, Hofmann SG. From Extinction Learning to Anxiety Treatment: Mind the Gap. Brain Sci 2019; 9:brainsci9070164. [PMID: 31336700 PMCID: PMC6680899 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci9070164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Laboratory models of extinction learning in animals and humans have the potential to illuminate methods for improving clinical treatment of fear-based clinical disorders. However, such translational research often neglects important differences between threat responses in animals and fear learning in humans, particularly as it relates to the treatment of clinical disorders. Specifically, the conscious experience of fear and anxiety, along with the capacity to deliberately engage top-down cognitive processes to modulate that experience, involves distinct brain circuitry and is measured and manipulated using different methods than typically used in laboratory research. This paper will identify how translational research that investigates methods of enhancing extinction learning can more effectively model such elements of human fear learning, and how doing so will enhance the relevance of this research to the treatment of fear-based psychological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph K Carpenter
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 900 Commonwealth Ave, 2nd floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Megan Pinaire
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 900 Commonwealth Ave, 2nd floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Stefan G Hofmann
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 900 Commonwealth Ave, 2nd floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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17
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Cohen AO, Matese NG, Filimontseva A, Shen X, Shi TC, Livne E, Hartley CA. Aversive learning strengthens episodic memory in both adolescents and adults. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 26:272-279. [PMID: 31209122 PMCID: PMC6581005 DOI: 10.1101/lm.048413.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is often filled with positive and negative emotional experiences that may change how individuals remember and respond to stimuli in their environment. In adults, aversive events can both enhance memory for associated stimuli as well as generalize to enhance memory for unreinforced but conceptually related stimuli. The present study tested whether learned aversive associations similarly lead to better memory and generalization across a category of stimuli in adolescents. Participants completed an olfactory Pavlovian category conditioning task in which trial-unique exemplars from one of two categories were partially reinforced with an aversive odor. Participants then returned 24 h later to complete a recognition memory test. We found better corrected recognition memory for the reinforced versus the unreinforced category of stimuli in both adults and adolescents. Further analysis revealed that enhanced recognition memory was driven specifically by better memory for the reinforced exemplars. Autonomic arousal during learning was also related to subsequent memory. These findings build on previous work in adolescent and adult humans and rodents showing comparable acquisition of aversive Pavlovian conditioned responses across age groups and demonstrate that memory for stimuli with an acquired aversive association is enhanced in both adults and adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra O Cohen
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Nicholas G Matese
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | | | - Xinxu Shen
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Tracey C Shi
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Neurobiology and Behavior Program, New York, New York 10032, USA
| | - Ethan Livne
- Weizmann Institute of Science, Department of Neurobiology, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Catherine A Hartley
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
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18
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Galarza Vallejo A, Kroes MCW, Rey E, Acedo MV, Moratti S, Fernández G, Strange BA. Propofol-induced deep sedation reduces emotional episodic memory reconsolidation in humans. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaav3801. [PMID: 30906867 PMCID: PMC6426467 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aav3801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The adjustment of maladaptive thoughts and behaviors associated with emotional memories is central to treating psychiatric disorders. Recent research, predominantly with laboratory animals, indicates that memories can become temporarily sensitive to modification following reactivation, before undergoing reconsolidation. A method to selectively impair reconsolidation of specific emotional or traumatic memories in humans could translate to an effective treatment for conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder. We tested whether deep sedation could impair emotional memory reconsolidation in 50 human participants. Administering the intravenous anesthetic propofol following memory reactivation disrupted memory for the reactivated, but not for a non-reactivated, slideshow story. Propofol impaired memory for the reactivated story after 24 hours, but not immediately after propofol recovery. Critically, memory impairment occurred selectively for the emotionally negative phase of the reactivated story. One dose of propofol following memory reactivation selectively impaired subsequent emotional episodic memory retrieval in a time-dependent manner, consistent with reconsolidation impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Galarza Vallejo
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
| | - Marijn C. W. Kroes
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Donders Institute, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen 6525 EZ, Netherlands
| | - Enrique Rey
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital Clínico San Carlos and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria Victoria Acedo
- Department of Anesthesia, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
| | - Stephan Moratti
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
- Department of Basic Psychology I, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
| | - Guillén Fernández
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Donders Institute, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen 6525 EZ, Netherlands
| | - Bryan A. Strange
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
- Department of Neuroimaging, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centre, Reina Sofia–CIEN Foundation, Madrid, Spain
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19
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Role of Human Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex in Learning and Recall of Enhanced Extinction. J Neurosci 2019; 39:3264-3276. [PMID: 30782974 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2713-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Revised: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Standard fear extinction relies on the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) to form a new memory given the omission of threat. Using fMRI in humans, we investigated whether replacing threat with novel neutral outcomes (instead of just omitting threat) facilitates extinction by engaging the vmPFC more effectively than standard extinction. Computational modeling of associability (indexing surprise strength and dynamically modulating learning rates) characterized skin conductance responses and vmPFC activity during novelty-facilitated but not standard extinction. Subjects who showed faster within-session updating of associability during novelty-facilitated extinction also expressed better extinction retention the next day, as expressed through skin conductance responses. Finally, separable patterns of connectivity between the amygdala and ventral versus dorsal mPFC characterized retrieval of novelty-facilitated versus standard extinction memories, respectively. These results indicate that replacing threat with novel outcomes stimulates vmPFC involvement on extinction trials, leading to a more durable long-term extinction memory.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Psychiatric disorders characterized be excessive fear are a major public health concern. Popular clinical treatments, such as exposure therapy, are informed by principles of Pavlovian extinction. Thus, there is motivation to optimize extinction strategies in the laboratory so as to ultimately develop more effective clinical treatments. Here, we used functional neuroimaging in humans and found that replacing (rather than just omitting) expected aversive events with novel and neutral outcomes engages the ventromedial prefrontal cortex during extinction learning. Enhanced extinction also diminished activity in threat-related networks (e.g., the insula, thalamus) during immediate extinction and a 24 h extinction retention test. This is new evidence for how behavioral protocols designed to enhance extinction affects neurocircuitry underlying the learning and retention of extinction memories.
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20
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Dunsmoor JE, Kroes MCW. Episodic memory and Pavlovian conditioning: ships passing in the night. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2018; 26:32-39. [PMID: 31131296 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Research on emotional learning and memory is traditionally approached from one of two directions: episodic memory and classical conditioning. These approaches differ substantially in methodology and intellectual tradition. Here, we offer a new approach to the study of emotional memory in humans that involves integrating theoretical knowledge and experimental techniques from these seemingly distinct fields. Specifically, we describe how subtle modifications to traditional Pavlovian conditioning procedures have provided new insight into how emotional experiences are selectively prioritized in long-term episodic memory. We also speculate on future directions and undeveloped lines of research where some of the knowledge and principles of classical conditioning might advance our understanding of how emotion modifies episodic memory, and vice versa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marijn C W Kroes
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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21
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Kredlow MA, Orr SP, Otto MW. Exploring the boundaries of post-retrieval extinction in healthy and anxious individuals. Behav Res Ther 2018; 108:45-57. [PMID: 29981938 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2018.06.010] [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] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Revised: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Over a dozen studies have examined the efficacy of post-retrieval extinction (PRE) in healthy adults in the fear conditioning laboratory, with a recent meta-analysis reporting an overall small-moderate effect on attenuating the return of fear compared to standard extinction. The current study was designed to extend PRE effects to a mixed sample of healthy and anxious individuals, explore potential moderators, and examine the benefit of PRE for a memory conditioned over multiple days. Healthy (n = 49) and anxious (n = 43) adults received either one day of acquisition followed by PRE, one day of acquisition followed by extinction, or three days of acquisition followed by PRE. Comparing participants who received one day of acquisition followed by PRE or extinction, no significant effect of PRE was observed on differential skin conductance response reinstatement or reactivity to the conditioned stimulus alone. Anxiety symptoms did not moderate outcomes. There was no difference in return of fear for anxious participants who received three days of acquisition followed by PRE versus one day of acquisition followed by PRE. These results further highlight the variability of findings in the PRE literature and need for further examination of individual difference factors that may moderate PRE effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Alexandra Kredlow
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Boston University, 648 Beacon Street, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02215, United States.
| | - Scott P Orr
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, East Building 120 -2nd Avenue, Charlestown, MA 02129, United States.
| | - Michael W Otto
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Boston University, 648 Beacon Street, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02215, United States.
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