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Raskin M, Keller NE, Agee LA, Shumake J, Smits JA, Telch MJ, Otto MW, Lee HJ, Monfils MH. Carbon Dioxide Reactivity Differentially Predicts Fear Expression After Extinction and Retrieval-Extinction in Rats. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 4:100310. [PMID: 38680941 PMCID: PMC11047292 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2024.100310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Cues present during a traumatic event may result in persistent fear responses. These responses can be attenuated through extinction learning, a core component of exposure therapy. Exposure/extinction is effective for some people, but not all. We recently demonstrated that carbon dioxide (CO2) reactivity predicts fear extinction memory and orexin activation and that orexin activation predicts fear extinction memory, which suggests that a CO2 challenge may enable identification of whether an individual is a good candidate for an extinction-based approach. Another method to attenuate conditioned responses, retrieval-extinction, renders the original associative memory labile via distinct neural mechanisms. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether we could replicate previous findings that retrieval-extinction is more effective than extinction at preventing the return of fear and that CO2 reactivity predicts fear memory after extinction. We also examined whether CO2 reactivity predicts fear memory after retrieval-extinction. Methods Male rats first underwent a CO2 challenge and fear conditioning and were assigned to receive either standard extinction (n = 28) or retrieval-extinction (n = 28). Then, they underwent a long-term memory (LTM) test and a reinstatement test. Results We found that retrieval-extinction resulted in lower freezing during extinction, LTM, and reinstatement than standard extinction. Using the best subset approach to linear regression, we found that CO2 reactivity predicted LTM after extinction and also predicted LTM after retrieval-extinction, although to a lesser degree. Conclusions CO2 reactivity could be used as a screening tool to determine whether an individual may be a good candidate for an extinction-based therapeutic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa Raskin
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Nicole E. Keller
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Laura A. Agee
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Jason Shumake
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Jasper A.J. Smits
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Michael J. Telch
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Michael W. Otto
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Hongjoo J. Lee
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Marie-H. Monfils
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
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Kampa M, Stark R, Klucken T. The impact of extinction timing on pre-extinction arousal and subsequent return of fear. Learn Mem 2024; 31:a053902. [PMID: 38627067 PMCID: PMC11098463 DOI: 10.1101/lm.053902.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Exposure-based therapy is effective in treating anxiety, but a return of fear in the form of relapse is common. Exposure is based on the extinction of Pavlovian fear conditioning. Both animal and human studies point to increased arousal during immediate compared to delayed extinction (>+24 h), which presumably impairs extinction learning and increases the subsequent return of fear. Impaired extinction learning under arousal might interfere with psychotherapeutic interventions. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether arousal before extinction differs between extinction groups and whether arousal before extinction predicts the return of fear in a later (retention) test. As a highlight, both the time between fear acquisition and extinction (immediate vs. delayed) and the time between extinction and test (early vs. late test) were systematically varied. We performed follow-up analyses on data from 103 young, healthy participants to test the above hypotheses. Subjective arousal ratings and physiological arousal measures of sympathetic and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis activation (tonic skin conductance and salivary cortisol) were collected. Increased pre-extinction arousal in the immediate extinction group was only confirmed for subjective arousal. In linear regression analyses, none of the arousal measures predicted a significant return of fear in the different experimental groups. Only when we aggregated across the two test groups, tonic skin conductance at the onset of extinction predicted the return of fear in skin conductance responses. The overall results provide little evidence that pre-extinction arousal affects subsequent extinction learning and memory. In terms of clinical relevance, there is no clear evidence that exposure could be improved by reducing subjective or physiological arousal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Kampa
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, 57072 Siegen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University, 35394 Giessen, Germany
| | - Rudolf Stark
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University, 35394 Giessen, Germany
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University, 35394 Giessen, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany and Justus Liebig University, 35394 Giessen, Germany
| | - Tim Klucken
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, 57072 Siegen, Germany
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3
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Kwee CMB, van der Flier FE, Duits P, van Balkom AJLM, Cath DC, Baas JMP. Effects of cannabidiol on fear conditioning in anxiety disorders: decreased threat expectation during retention, but no enhanced fear re-extinction. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024; 241:833-847. [PMID: 38044339 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06512-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Preclinical research suggests that pharmacologically elevating cannabinoid levels may attenuate fear memory expression and enhance fear extinction. OBJECTIVES We studied the effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on fear memory expression and fear re-extinction in 69 patients with panic disorder with agoraphobia or with social anxiety disorder. Moderation by sex, diagnosis, and serotonergic antidepressant (AD) use was explored. METHODS A cued fear conditioning paradigm was applied before the first treatment session with 300 mg CBD/placebo augmented exposure therapy. Study medication was administered orally preceding 8 weekly sessions. Fear acquisition and suboptimal extinction took place prior to the first medication ingestion (T0). After the first medication ingestion (T1), we investigated effects on fear memory expression at retention and fear re-extinction. Subjective fear, shock expectancy, skin conductance, and startle responses to conditioned (CS+) and safety stimulus (CS-) were measured. RESULTS Across the sample, CBD reduced shock expectancy at retention under low and ambiguous threat of shock, but fear re-extinction at T1 was unaffected by CBD. However, in AD users, re-extinction of subjective fear was impaired in the CBD condition compared to placebo. In female AD users, CBD interfered with safety learning measured with fear-potentiated startle. CONCLUSIONS The current findings provide no evidence for enhanced fear re-extinction by CBD. However, CBD acutely decreased threat expectation at retention, without affecting other indices of fear. More studies are needed to elucidate possible interactions with AD use and sex, as well as potential effects of CBD on threat expectancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- C M B Kwee
- Department of Experimental Psychology and Helmholtz Institute, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Altrecht Academic Anxiety Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - F E van der Flier
- Department of Experimental Psychology and Helmholtz Institute, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - P Duits
- Altrecht Academic Anxiety Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - A J L M van Balkom
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, VU University Medical Centre and GGZ inGeest, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - D C Cath
- University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Specialist Trainings, GGZ Drenthe, Assen, The Netherlands
| | - J M P Baas
- Department of Experimental Psychology and Helmholtz Institute, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Deng J, Lin X, Zheng Y, Su S, Liu X, Yuan K, Shi L, Bao Y, Lu L. Manipulating critical memory periods to treat psychiatry disorders. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2023; 68:2477-2486. [PMID: 37689533 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.08.050] [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] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
The persistence of pathological memory is the basis of several psychiatric disorders. Memory retrieval induces "reconsolidation", a time interval during which the original memory becomes labile and destabilized. Time- and retrieval-dependent processes and memory reconsolidation are critical periods for memory interference. Modulating memory reconsolidation has received considerable research attention as a treatment protocol for several psychiatric conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder, addiction, anxiety, and trauma-related disorders. This specific time window provides an opportunity for intervention regarding mental diseases. This article reviews the effect of modulating memory reconsolidation using behavioral-, brain stimulation-, and pharmacological-based interventions, which may help bridge the gap between intervention in laboratories and application in clinical practice. The potential advantages, limitations, challenges, and opportunities for memory reconsolidation manipulations were discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahui Deng
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xiao Lin
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yongbo Zheng
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Sizhen Su
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xiaoxing Liu
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Kai Yuan
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Le Shi
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yanping Bao
- National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Institute of Brain Science and Brain-inspired Research, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250117, China.
| | - Lin Lu
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
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5
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Kampa M, Hermann A, Stark R, Klucken T. Neural correlates of immediate versus delayed extinction when simultaneously varying the time of the test in humans. Cereb Cortex 2023:bhad205. [PMID: 37317067 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are effectively treated with exposure therapy based on the extinction of Pavlovian fear conditioning. Animal research indicates that both the timing of extinction and test are important factors to reduce the return of fear. However, empirical evidence in humans is incomplete and inconsistent. In this neuroimaging study, we, therefore, tested 103 young, healthy participants in a 2-factorial between-subjects design with the factors extinction group (immediate, delayed) and test group (+1 day and +7 days). Immediate extinction led to greater retention of fear memory at the beginning of extinction training indicated by increased skin conductance responses. A return of fear was observed in both extinction groups, with a trend toward a greater return of fear in immediate extinction. The return of fear was generally higher in groups with an early test. Neuroimaging results show successful cross-group fear acquisition and retention, as well as activation of the left nucleus accumbens during extinction training. Importantly, the delayed extinction group showed a larger bilateral nucleus accumbens activation during test. This nucleus accumbens finding is discussed in terms of salience, contingency, relief, and prediction error processing. It may imply that the delayed extinction group benefits more from the test as a new learning opportunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Kampa
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Siegen 57072, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
| | - Andrea Hermann
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
| | - Rudolf Stark
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35394, Germany
| | - Tim Klucken
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Siegen 57072, Germany
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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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7
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Testing the memory reconsolidation hypothesis in a fear extinction paradigm: The effects of ecological and arbitrary stimuli. Learn Behav 2022; 50:417-432. [DOI: 10.3758/s13420-022-00536-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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8
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Kitamura H, Strodl E, Johnston P, Johnson LR. The influence of dispositional cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression on post-retrieval and standard extinction. Psychophysiology 2022; 59:e14048. [PMID: 35324013 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Individual differences in the ability to habitually regulate emotion may impact the efficacy of fear memory extinction. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between dispositional cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression with post-retrieval and standard extinction. Fear memory and extinction were measured with the recovery of skin conductance responses. We also examined the relationship between a temporal feature of electrodermal responding (half-recovery time) and each of the emotion regulation strategies. University students (N = 80) underwent a three-day fear conditioning procedure using a within-subject design consisting of acquisition on day one, post-retrieval extinction and standard extinction on day two, and recovery test on day three. Individual difference data on self-reported levels of cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, trait anxiety, and depression were collected. We did not detect a relationship between the two emotion regulation strategies measured in this study and acquisition or extinction. We found, however, that increased dispositional use of cognitive reappraisal was associated with lower spontaneous recovery to both the post-retrieval extinction and standard extinction stimulus after controlling for age, trait anxiety, and depression. There were no associations between expressive suppression and conditioned responses. We also observed patterns of faster dissipation of arousal for reappraisal and slower for suppression to the conditioned stimulus during extinction training, which may represent the unique influence of each emotion strategy on the regulation of fear. We conclude greater daily use of cognitive reappraisal, but not expressive suppression, associates with extinction retention after receiving both standard and post-retrieval extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruka Kitamura
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Esben Strodl
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Patrick Johnston
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Luke R Johnson
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.,Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University School of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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9
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Zuccolo PF, Hunziker MHL. Can contingency rehearsal during the interval between a retrieval cue and extinction training change the effects of post-retrieval extinction? Psychophysiology 2021; 59:e13971. [PMID: 34792802 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Return of fear may be prevented by post-retrieval extinction (PRE), a procedure consisting of presenting a stimulus that was present during conditioning (retrieval cue) prior to extinction training. However, recent evidence suggests that there might be circumstances under which PRE is not effective to prevent the return of fear (boundary conditions), but some of these conditions remain unknown. We explored if rehearsing the CS, US or CS-US contingency during the interval between the retrieval cue and extinction training might change the effects of PRE. One day after differential fear conditioning, healthy human participants (n = 83) underwent either standard extinction (control condition, n = 31) or two different PRE procedures, one in which participants rehearsed the CS-US contingency during the interval between the retrieval cue and extinction (rehearsal condition, n = 25), or another in which they underwent a verbal fluency task directing their attention away from the experimental contingencies during this interval (nonrehearsal condition, n = 27). Return of fear in a reinstatement test was observed in both control and rehearsal conditions, whereas in the nonrehearsal condition there was a generalized increase in response to the CS+ and CS-. Differential response in the rehearsal condition had values slightly smaller than the control group with no significant differences from both control and nonrehearsal conditions. These results suggest that the overt behavior of participants during the interval between a retrieval cue and extinction training might change the effects of PRE in healthy human participants, but further manipulations of these variables are needed to confirm these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Fonseca Zuccolo
- Institute of Psychology, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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10
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Tan SZK, Poon CH, Chan YS, Lim LW. Prelimbic cortical stimulation disrupts fear memory consolidation through ventral hippocampal dopamine D 2 receptors. Br J Pharmacol 2021; 178:3587-3601. [PMID: 33899943 DOI: 10.1111/bph.15505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Anxiety disorders pose one of the biggest threats to mental health worldwide, yet current therapeutics have been mostly ineffective due to issues with relapse, efficacy and toxicity of the medications. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising therapy for treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders including anxiety, but very little is known about the effects of deep brain stimulation on fear memories. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH In this study, we employed a standard tone-footshock fear conditioning paradigm and modified plus maze discriminative avoidance task to probe the effects of prelimbic cortex deep brain stimulation on various stages of memory. KEY RESULTS We identified memory consolidation stage as a critical time point to disrupt fear memory via prelimbic cortex deep brain stimulation. The observed disruption was partially modulated by the inactivation of the ventral hippocampus and the transient changes in ventral hippocampus dopamine (D2 ) receptors expression upon prelimbic cortex deep brain stimulation. We also observed wide-scale changes of various neurotransmitters and their metabolites in ventral hippocampus, confirming its important role in response to prelimbic cortex deep brain stimulation. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS These findings highlight the molecular mechanism in the ventral hippocampus in response to prelimbic cortex stimulation and may have translational value, indicating that targeting the prelimbic cortex in the memory consolidation stage via non-invasive neuromodulation techniques may be a feasible therapeutic strategy against anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn Zheng Kai Tan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Chi Him Poon
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ying-Shing Chan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Lee Wei Lim
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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11
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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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12
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Tan SZK, Kim JH. mGlu5: A double-edged sword for aversive learning related therapeutics. NEUROANATOMY AND BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.35430/nab.2021.e16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Aversive memories underlie many types of anxiety disorders. One area of research to more effectively treat anxiety disorders has therefore been identifying pharmacological targets to affect memory processes. Among these targets, the metabotropic glutamate 5 receptor (mGlu5) has received attention due to the availability of drugs to utilize its role in learning and memory. In this review, we highlight preclinical studies examining the role of mGlu5 at various stages of aversive learning and its inhibition via extinction in order to gain a better understanding of its therapeutic potential. We suggest that mGlu5 has distinct roles at different stages of memory that not only makes it a tricky target, but a double-edged sword as a therapeutic. However, the selective involvement of mGlu5 in different memory stages allows for certain precision that could be harnessed clinically. We therefore suggest potential applications, limitations, and pitfalls when considering use of mGlu5 modulators as therapeutics. In addition, we recommend future studies to address important gaps in this literature, such as sex and age factors in light of anxiety disorders being more prevalent in those demographics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn Zheng Kai Tan
- School of Biomedical Science, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong
- European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
| | - Jee Hyun Kim
- IMPACT – the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
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13
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Mertens G, Boddez Y, Krypotos AM, Engelhard IM. Human fear conditioning is moderated by stimulus contingency instructions. Biol Psychol 2020; 158:107994. [PMID: 33248154 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2020.107994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Recent research findings indicate that human fear conditioning is affected by instructions, particularly those concerning the contingency between the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the unconditioned stimulus (US). However, whether or not such instructions were provided to participants often remains unsaid in fear conditioning studies. In the current study (N = 102), we investigated whether conditioned fear acquisition depends on CS-US contingency instructions. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first group was instructed about the precise CS-US contingency before conditioning. The second group was instructed to discover the CS-US contingency. The third group did not receive any contingency instructions. We found facilitated fear acquisition (using skin conductance and startle) and increased contingency awareness in the first and second group compared to the third group. Furthermore, contingency reversal instructions immediately reversed conditioned responses. Based on these results, we advise to systematically report the contingency instructions used in fear conditioning research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaëtan Mertens
- Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands; Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Yannick Boddez
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Angelos-Miltiadis Krypotos
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Leuven Research Group on Health Psychology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Iris M Engelhard
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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Vermes JS, Ayres R, Goés AS, Real ND, Araújo ÁC, Schiller D, Neto FL, Corchs F. Targeting the reconsolidation of traumatic memories with a brief 2-session imaginal exposure intervention in post-traumatic stress disorder. J Affect Disord 2020; 276:487-494. [PMID: 32794448 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.06.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that extinction during memory reconsolidation diminishes the return of defensive responses. In order to translate these effects to the clinical setting, we tested whether retrieving a traumatic memory and delivering a brief two-sessions imaginal exposure intervention during its reconsolidation would produce stronger decreases in reactivity to these memories than standard imaginal exposure method. METHODS Participants with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) had either their traumatic (n = 21) or a neutral (n = 21) memory retrieved 1 h before an imaginal exposure session for two consecutive days. One day before and one day after, participants were exposed to script-driven imagery of their traumatic event, during which skin conductance responses were measured and, immediately after, subjective responses were assessed by means of Visual Analogue Scales. RESULTS Traumatic retrieval improved the physiological, but not the subjective effects of imaginal exposure intervention on over-reactivity to traumatic memories. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that delivering extinction-based treatments over the reconsolidation of traumatic memories may enhance its effects. These results suggest that this is a promising path toward the development of new therapeutic techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Singer Vermes
- Institute and Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, R. Dr. Ovidio Pires de Campos, 785 - IPq-HC-FMUSP, 05403-010 São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Paradigma Center for Behavior Analysis, Rua Vanderlei, 611 - 04590-000 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Ayres
- Institute and Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, R. Dr. Ovidio Pires de Campos, 785 - IPq-HC-FMUSP, 05403-010 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Adara Saito Goés
- Institute and Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, R. Dr. Ovidio Pires de Campos, 785 - IPq-HC-FMUSP, 05403-010 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Natalia Del Real
- Institute and Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, R. Dr. Ovidio Pires de Campos, 785 - IPq-HC-FMUSP, 05403-010 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Álvaro Cabral Araújo
- Institute and Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, R. Dr. Ovidio Pires de Campos, 785 - IPq-HC-FMUSP, 05403-010 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Daniela Schiller
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Gustave L. Levy Place, 10029-5674 New York, NY, USA
| | - Francisco Lotufo Neto
- Institute and Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, R. Dr. Ovidio Pires de Campos, 785 - IPq-HC-FMUSP, 05403-010 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Felipe Corchs
- Institute and Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, R. Dr. Ovidio Pires de Campos, 785 - IPq-HC-FMUSP, 05403-010 São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Paradigma Center for Behavior Analysis, Rua Vanderlei, 611 - 04590-000 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
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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] [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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Tan SZK, Lim LW. A practical approach to the ethical use of memory modulating technologies. BMC Med Ethics 2020; 21:89. [PMID: 32948166 PMCID: PMC7501599 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-020-00532-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Recent advancements in neuroscientific techniques have allowed us to make huge progress in our understanding of memories, and in turn has paved the way for new memory modification technologies (MMTs) that can modulate memories with a degree of precision, which was not previously possible. With advancements in such techniques, new and critical ethical questions have emerged. Understanding and framing these ethical questions within the current philosophical theories is crucial in order to systematically examine them as we translate these techniques to the clinic. Main body In this paper, we discuss the ethical implications of modern neuroscience techniques that aim to disrupt or enhance memories. We attempt to frame the MMTs in the context of existing ethical philosophical theories to provide a cohesive analysis of the myriad of ethical quagmires that might emerge from such technologies. We argue the application of Aristotle’s Golden Mean and multiple accounts of authenticity are useful in approaching the ethical questions surrounding MMTs. We then propose a framework in which ethical considerations can be systematically examined. Lastly, we provide caveats and considerations for the use of this framework. Overall, we provide a practical approach for the ethical use of MMTs depending on the situation. Conclusion While at face value, our model appears to put severe limitations on the application of MMTs, we are not completely opposed to their use, but rather our framework guides the agent to consider the implications before making any decisions. Most importantly, we argue that the use of MMTs does not reduce the responsibility of the initial decision, and the agent must accept the post-MMT self as the new “true self” regardless of the outcome. As the developmental trajectory of MMTs suggests we are getting closer to practical clinical applications, ethical concerns across a wide range of disciplines need to be addressed to develop best strategies and policies when dealing with MMTs. If this can be achieved, we believe the ethical use of MMTs is not only possible but would also be of tremendous benefit to many people suffering from memory-related mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn Zheng Kai Tan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, PR China.
| | - Lee Wei Lim
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, PR China.
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Boundary conditions of post-retrieval extinction: A direct comparison of low and high partial reinforcement. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 174:107285. [PMID: 32745600 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Research has shown that a single presentation of the conditioned stimulus prior to extinction training can diminish conditioned responses. However, replication has proven difficult and appears to be limited by boundary conditions. Here we tested the boundary condition of memory strength by comparing the effect of reinforcement rate to assess its role in post-retrieval extinction. Eighty university students had undergone a three-day fear conditioning experiment in which two partial reinforcement schedules (40%, 80%) were applied. The findings indicated that both low and high partial reinforcement groups did not demonstrate recovery of conditioned responses after post-retrieval extinction. In contrast, both groups demonstrated significant recovery to standard extinction with significantly greater recovery in the 80% group relative to the 40% group. Additionally, we found that greater physiological arousal during memory retrieval significantly predicted recovery of fear at test phase. We conclude that when compared to a lower partial reinforcement schedule, a higher partial reinforcement resulted in the formation of a stronger memory as indicated by greater physiological arousal during memory reactivation and recovery of conditioned responses after standard extinction, but that it does not function as a boundary condition of post-retrieval extinction. These data are significant because it is the first study to investigate the effect of varying partial reinforcement schedules on fear recovery and add to the body of literature that continue to identify sources of failure in the application of post-retrieval extinction.
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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: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [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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19
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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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Tan SZK, Fung ML, Koh J, Chan YS, Lim LW. The Paradoxical Effect of Deep Brain Stimulation on Memory. Aging Dis 2020; 11:179-190. [PMID: 32010491 PMCID: PMC6961776 DOI: 10.14336/ad.2019.0511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising treatment for many memory-related disorders including dementia, anxiety, and addiction. However, the use of DBS can be a paradoxical conundrum-dementia treatments aim to improve memory, whereas anxiety or addiction treatments aim to suppress maladaptive memory. In this review, the key hypotheses on how DBS affects memory are highlighted. We consolidate the findings and conclusions from the current research on the effects of DBS on memory in attempt to make sense of the bidirectional nature of DBS in disrupting and enhancing memory. Based on the current literature, we hypothesize that the timing of DBS plays a key role in its contradictory effects, and therefore, we propose a consolidated model of how DBS can both disrupt and enhance memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn Zheng Kai Tan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Man-Lung Fung
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Junhao Koh
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ying-Shing Chan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Lee Wei Lim
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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21
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Maddox SA, Hartmann J, Ross RA, Ressler KJ. Deconstructing the Gestalt: Mechanisms of Fear, Threat, and Trauma Memory Encoding. Neuron 2019; 102:60-74. [PMID: 30946827 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Revised: 03/03/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Threat processing is central to understanding debilitating fear- and trauma-related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Progress has been made in understanding the neural circuits underlying the "engram" of threat or fear memory formation that complements a decades-old appreciation of the neurobiology of fear and threat involving hub structures such as the amygdala. In this review, we examine key recent findings, as well as integrate the importance of hormonal and physiological approaches, to provide a broader perspective of how bodily systems engaged in threat responses may interact with amygdala-based circuits in the encoding and updating of threat-related memory. Understanding how trauma-related memories are encoded and updated throughout the brain and the body will ultimately lead to novel biologically-driven approaches for treatment and prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie A Maddox
- Neurobiology of Fear Laboratory, Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jakob Hartmann
- Neurobiology of Fear Laboratory, Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rachel A Ross
- Neurobiology of Fear Laboratory, Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Neurobiology of Fear Laboratory, Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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22
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A novel method to trigger the reconsolidation of fear memory. Behav Res Ther 2019; 122:103461. [PMID: 31585344 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2019.103461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2018] [Revised: 08/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The procedure of memory reconsolidation provides an opportunity to improve some mental disorders caused by maladaptive memories, such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Prediction error was considered a necessary condition for triggering memory reconsolidation. However, it is difficult to create a satisfying prediction error to successfully open memory reconsolidation in a clinical context. The purpose of this study was to explore a more practicable method to trigger memory reconsolidation. We used a successive 4-day fear-potentiated startle paradigm to compare the effect of uncertainty with prediction error during retrieval on preventing the return of fear. Bayes factor, combined with p value and effect size, was used as the main indicator of statistical inference. The results indicated that spontaneous recovery and reinstatement of fear were not observed in the uncertainty group, whereas return of fear was observed for the prediction error group. However, the direct comparison between the two groups did not yield statistically significant results, potentially reflecting a lack of statistical power. Nonetheless, these results suggest that uncertainty retrieval could be a better means to trigger memory reconsolidation than prediction error, making uncertainty a worthwhile factor to consider in future research on memory reconsolidation.
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Zuccolo PF, Hunziker MHL. A review of boundary conditions and variables involved in the prevention of return of fear after post-retrieval extinction. Behav Processes 2019; 162:39-54. [PMID: 30708059 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Revised: 12/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Experimental evidence suggests that the return of fear may be prevented by post-retrieval extinction (PRE), a procedure consisting of extinction training after the presentation of a retrieval cue. However, attempts to replicate these findings have yielded mixed results, with some studies showing diminished fear responses after PRE, whereas others show no effect on the return of fear following this procedure. The discrepancies across studies have been interpreted as evidence that there might be conditions under which PRE is not effective (boundary conditions), but these variables have yet to be fully described. We aimed to provide an overview of PRE in humans. We briefly present the theory and research that originated post-retrieval procedures with a focus on the experimental setup used in human studies. We continue with a compilation of possible experimental boundary conditions along with some questions for future research.
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Tan SZK, Sheng V, Chan YS, Lim LW. Eternal sunshine of the neuromodulated mind: Altering fear memories through neuromodulation. Exp Neurol 2019; 314:9-19. [PMID: 30639183 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2019.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Revised: 12/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders pose one of the greatest threats to mental health. Modern treatment methods exist but are hindered by relapse, toxicity, and low efficacy. The use of neuromodulation to treat anxiety disorders has shown promising results, yet its underpinning mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this review, we make the case for further development of neuromodulation techniques to alter fear memories, with particular regard to future clinical applications in treating anxiety disorders. We start by briefly summarizing the neural circuitry of fear while identifying the pros and cons of possible neuromodulation targets. We then highlight recent advances in neuromodulation techniques that have been used to alter fear memories. Next, we apply a novel network-based approach to elucidate possible mechanisms of neuromodulation which may disrupt the consolidation of fear memory. Finally, we emphasize the need for more systematic neuromodulation studies on animal models and the developing brain. Overall, we aim to provide an integrated framework for future action, identifying key research priorities that must be addressed before effective neuromodulation-based treatments can be developed for practical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn Zheng Kai Tan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Victoria Sheng
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Ying-Shing Chan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Lee Wei Lim
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
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Monfils MH, Holmes EA. Memory boundaries: opening a window inspired by reconsolidation to treat anxiety, trauma-related, and addiction disorders. Lancet Psychiatry 2018; 5:1032-1042. [PMID: 30385214 DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(18)30270-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Revised: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Pioneering research over the past two decades has shown that memories are far more malleable than we once thought, thereby highlighting the potential for new clinical avenues for treatment of psychopathology. We first briefly review the historical foundation of memory reconsolidation-a concept that refers to hypothetical processes that occur when a memory is retrieved and restored. Then, we provide an overview of the basic research on memory reconsolidation that has been done with humans and other animals, focusing on models of fear, anxiety-related disorders, and addiction, from the perspective that they all involve disorders of memory. This basic research has fuelled early stage developments of novel treatment techniques. More specifically, we consider behavioural interventions inspired by reconsolidation updating, namely retrieval-extinction techniques. We discuss the set of principles that would be needed for memory modifications within a putative reconsolidation time window, and review research that employs reconsolidation-based strategies with clinical populations. We conclude by highlighting current pitfalls and controversies surrounding the use of reconsolidation-based approaches, but end on an optimistic note for clinical research going forward. Despite the challenges, we believe that drawing on ideas from psychological science can help open up treatment innovation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie H Monfils
- Department of Psychology, Institute for Mental Health Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
| | - Emily A Holmes
- Division of Psychology, Department for Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Panitz C, Sperl MF, Hennig J, Klucken T, Hermann C, Mueller EM. Fearfulness, neuroticism/anxiety, and COMT Val158Met in long-term fear conditioning and extinction. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2018; 155:7-20. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2017] [Revised: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW I summarize recent developments in understanding the phenomenology of memory in PTSD, describe the most prominent theoretical models, and outline new forms of treatment aimed at modifying the traumatic memory. RECENT FINDINGS Intrusive memories that have the quality of being relived in the present have been highlighted in ICD-11. Debate over whether trauma memories are disorganized has led to a distinction between global narratives that are usually well rehearsed and episodic memories of the most frightening moments when disruptions and fragmentation may occur. Attempts to prevent the initial consolidation of trauma memories have promise in prevention but face practical difficulties. Theoretical developments have led to a number of promising treatments for established PTSD including pre-retrieval propranolol and imagery rescripting. Research has suggested real possibilities to improve the prevention and treatment of PTSD by modifying trauma recall even though the theoretical basis for these interventions remains controversial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris R Brewin
- Clinical Educational & Health Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
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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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29
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Klucken T, Tapia León I, Blecker C, Kruse O, Stalder T, Stark R. Failure to Replicate the Association Between Fractional Anisotropy and the Serotonin Transporter Gene (5-HTTLPR, rs25531). Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:80. [PMID: 29760654 PMCID: PMC5937012 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent work underlines the importance of alterations in white matter (e.g., measured by fractional anisotropy (FA)) as a neural vulnerability marker for psychiatric disorders. In this context, the uncinate fasciculus (UF), which connects the limbic system with prefrontal areas, has repeatedly been linked to psychiatric disorders, fear processing, and anxiety-related traits. Individual differences in FA may partly be genetically determined. Variation in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region [5-HTTLPR]) is a particularly promising candidate in this context, which has been linked to psychiatric disorders as well as to limbic and prefrontal reactivity. However, findings on the association between the 5-HTTLPR and FA within the UF-tract have been heterogeneous. The present study investigated this relationship and extended previous work by considering different genetic classification approaches as well as sex effects in a human sample (n = 114). All participants were genotyped for the 5-HTTLPR and the rs25531 polymorphism. As a main result, we did not find any significant relationship between the 5-HTTLPR and FA in the UF-tract although power analyses showed an adequate power. In addition, genotype effects were neither found when different classification approaches were used nor when analyses were carried out in males or females only. The present findings suggest that the association of the 5-HTTLPR and FA seems to be a more labile phenomenon than previously assumed. Possible explanations and limitations are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Klucken
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging (BION), Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
- *Correspondence: Tim Klucken
| | - Isabell Tapia León
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging (BION), Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Carlo Blecker
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging (BION), Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Onno Kruse
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging (BION), Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Tobias Stalder
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
| | - Rudolf Stark
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging (BION), Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
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30
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Redondo J, Fernandez-Rey J, Gonzalez-Gonzalez D. Is it possible to modify fear memories in humans with extinction training within a single day? PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2018; 83:1340-1348. [PMID: 29671052 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-018-1017-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Extinction procedures have been used widely in the study of fear memories, and different positions have been adopted regarding the efficacy of such procedures and the mechanisms involved. It has been argued that extinction may interfere with the consolidation of the fear memory if the procedure is applied with the appropriate timing after acquisition. However, the opposite position is also held, that is, that the extinction does not achieve an elimination of the fear response. The aim of the present study is to test the short-term effects of immediate extinction in fear reduction when this extinction is preceded by a retrieval trial. For this, a procedure similar to that employed by Schiller et al. (Nature 463(7277): 49-53, 2010) was used, but in a single day and with white noise as an aversive unconditioned stimulus. The results indicate that a CS+ single retrieval trial before the extinction procedure after acquisition was more effective in fear reduction than standard immediate extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime Redondo
- Cognitive Processes and Behavior Lab, Faculty of Psychology, University of Santiago de Compostela,, Santiago, Spain.
| | - Jose Fernandez-Rey
- Cognitive Processes and Behavior Lab, Faculty of Psychology, University of Santiago de Compostela,, Santiago, Spain
| | - Daniel Gonzalez-Gonzalez
- Cognitive Processes and Behavior Lab, Faculty of Psychology, University of Santiago de Compostela,, Santiago, Spain
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31
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Visser RM, Lau-Zhu A, Henson RN, Holmes EA. Multiple memory systems, multiple time points: how science can inform treatment to control the expression of unwanted emotional memories. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 373:20170209. [PMID: 29352036 PMCID: PMC5790835 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Memories that have strong emotions associated with them are particularly resilient to forgetting. This is not necessarily problematic, however some aspects of memory can be. In particular, the involuntary expression of those memories, e.g. intrusive memories after trauma, are core to certain psychological disorders. Since the beginning of this century, research using animal models shows that it is possible to change the underlying memory, for example by interfering with its consolidation or reconsolidation. While the idea of targeting maladaptive memories is promising for the treatment of stress and anxiety disorders, a direct application of the procedures used in non-human animals to humans in clinical settings is not straightforward. In translational research, more attention needs to be paid to specifying what aspect of memory (i) can be modified and (ii) should be modified. This requires a clear conceptualization of what aspect of memory is being targeted, and how different memory expressions may map onto clinical symptoms. Furthermore, memory processes are dynamic, so procedural details concerning timing are crucial when implementing a treatment and when assessing its effectiveness. To target emotional memory in its full complexity, including its malleability, science cannot rely on a single method, species or paradigm. Rather, a constructive dialogue is needed between multiple levels of research, all the way 'from mice to mental health'.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Of mice and mental health: facilitating dialogue between basic and clinical neuroscientists'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renée M Visser
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
| | - Alex Lau-Zhu
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Richard N Henson
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
| | - Emily A Holmes
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
- Karolinska Institutet, Division of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Stockholm, Sweden
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32
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An X, Yang P, Chen S, Zhang F, Yu D. An Additional Prior Retrieval Alters the Effects of a Retrieval-Extinction Procedure on Recent and Remote Fear Memory. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 11:259. [PMID: 29358910 PMCID: PMC5766663 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have shown that the isolated retrieval of a consolidated fear memory can induce a labile phase, during which extinction training can prevent the reinstatement, a form of relapse in which fear response to a fear-provoking context returns when a mild shock is presented. However, fear memory retrieval may also have another opposing result: the enhancement of fear memory. This implies that the fear memory trace can be modified by a brief retrieval. Unclear is whether the fear-impairing effect of retrieval-extinction (RE) is altered by a prior brief retrieval. The present study investigated the responses of recent and remote fear memories to the RE procedure after the presentation of an additional prior retrieval (priRet). We found that a single RE procedure effectively blocked the reinstatement of 2-day recent contextual fear memory. The memory-impairing effect of the RE procedure on recent fear was not observed when priRet was presented 6 or 24 h before the RE procedure. In contrast to the 2-day recent memory, the RE procedure failed to block the reinstatement of 36-day remote fear memory but successfully disrupted the return of remote fear memory after priRet. This memory-disruptive effect on remote memory did not occur when priRet was performed in a novel context. Nimodipine administration revealed that the blockade of priRet-induced processes recovered the effects of the RE procedure on both recent and remote fear memories. Our findings suggest that the susceptibility of recent and remote fear memories to RE procedures can be altered by an additional retrieval.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianli An
- School of Educational Science, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Experimental and Translational Non-coding RNA Research, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Ping Yang
- School of Educational Science, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Siguang Chen
- School of Educational Science, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Fenfen Zhang
- School of Educational Science, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Duonan Yu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Experimental and Translational Non-coding RNA Research, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,RNA Center, Institute of Comparative Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonosis, Yangzhou, China
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33
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Intervention strength does not differentially affect memory reconsolidation of strong memories. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2017; 144:174-185. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2017.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2016] [Revised: 06/03/2017] [Accepted: 07/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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34
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Kroes MCW, Dunsmoor JE, Lin Q, Evans M, Phelps EA. A reminder before extinction strengthens episodic memory via reconsolidation but fails to disrupt generalized threat responses. Sci Rep 2017; 7:10858. [PMID: 28883499 PMCID: PMC5589753 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10682-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A reminder can temporarily renew flexibility of consolidated memories, referred to as reconsolidation. Pavlovian threat-conditioning studies suggest that a reminder can renew flexibility of threat responses but that episodic memories remain stable. In contrast, outside the threat-conditioning domain, studies testing memory for word lists or stories find that a reminder can renew flexibility of episodic memory. This discrepancy in findings leaves it unclear if episodic memories reconsolidate, or only Pavlovian responses. Here we unite the different approaches in the field and show that a reminder can retroactively strengthen episodic memory for Pavlovian threat-conditioned events, but that, in contrast to threat-conditioning studies with simple sensory stimuli, extinction after a reminder fails to prevent recovery of generalized threat responses. Our results indicate the episodic memories also reconsolidate, allowing strengthening of relevant memories. These findings also suggest that generalized threat responses and episodic memories are less susceptible to be modified by reminder-interventions procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marijn C W Kroes
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, United States.
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, United States.
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychiatry, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Qi Lin
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, United States
| | - Michael Evans
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, United States
| | - Elizabeth A Phelps
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, United States.
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, United States.
- Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, United States.
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35
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Goode TD, Holloway-Erickson CM, Maren S. Extinction after fear memory reactivation fails to eliminate renewal in rats. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2017; 142:41-47. [PMID: 28274824 PMCID: PMC5457330 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2017.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2017] [Revised: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Retrieving fear memories just prior to extinction has been reported to effectively erase fear memories and prevent fear relapse. The current study examined whether the type of retrieval procedure influences the ability of extinction to impair fear renewal, a form of relapse in which responding to a conditional stimulus (CS) returns outside of the extinction context. Rats first underwent Pavlovian fear conditioning with an auditory CS and footshock unconditional stimulus (US); freezing behavior served as the index of conditioned fear. Twenty-four hours later, the rats underwent a retrieval-extinction procedure. Specifically, 1h prior to extinction (45 CS-alone trials; 44 for rats receiving a CS reminder), fear memory was retrieved by either a single exposure to the CS alone, the US alone, a CS paired with the US, or exposure to the conditioning context itself. Over the next few days, conditional freezing to the extinguished CS was tested in the extinction and conditioning context in that order (i.e., an ABBA design). In the extinction context, rats that received a CS+US trial before extinction exhibited higher levels of conditional freezing than animals in all other groups, which did not differ from one another. In the renewal context, all groups showed renewal, and none of the reactivation procedures reduced renewal relative to a control group that did not receive a reactivation procedure prior to extinction. These data suggest retrieval-extinction procedures may have limited efficacy in preventing fear renewal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis D Goode
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3474, United States
| | | | - Stephen Maren
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3474, United States; Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3474, United States.
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36
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Du J, Price MP, Taugher RJ, Grigsby D, Ash JJ, Stark AC, Hossain Saad MZ, Singh K, Mandal J, Wemmie JA, Welsh MJ. Transient acidosis while retrieving a fear-related memory enhances its lability. eLife 2017; 6:e22564. [PMID: 28650315 PMCID: PMC5484615 DOI: 10.7554/elife.22564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Attenuating the strength of fearful memories could benefit people disabled by memories of past trauma. Pavlovian conditioning experiments indicate that a retrieval cue can return a conditioned aversive memory to a labile state. However, means to enhance retrieval and render a memory more labile are unknown. We hypothesized that augmenting synaptic signaling during retrieval would increase memory lability. To enhance synaptic transmission, mice inhaled CO2 to induce an acidosis and activate acid sensing ion channels. Transient acidification increased the retrieval-induced lability of an aversive memory. The labile memory could then be weakened by an extinction protocol or strengthened by reconditioning. Coupling CO2 inhalation to retrieval increased activation of amygdala neurons bearing the memory trace and increased the synaptic exchange from Ca2+-impermeable to Ca2+-permeable AMPA receptors. The results suggest that transient acidosis during retrieval renders the memory of an aversive event more labile and suggest a strategy to modify debilitating memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianyang Du
- Departments of Internal Medicine, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, United States
| | - Margaret P Price
- Departments of Internal Medicine, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States
| | - Rebecca J Taugher
- Department of Psychiatry, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States
| | - Daniel Grigsby
- Departments of Internal Medicine, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States
| | - Jamison J Ash
- Departments of Internal Medicine, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States
| | - Austin C Stark
- Departments of Internal Medicine, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States
| | | | - Kritika Singh
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, United States
| | - Juthika Mandal
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, United States
| | - John A Wemmie
- Department of Psychiatry, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States
- Department of Neurosurgery, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States
| | - Michael J Welsh
- Departments of Internal Medicine, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States
- Department of Neurosurgery, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States
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Golkar A, Tjaden C, Kindt M. Vicarious extinction learning during reconsolidation neutralizes fear memory. Behav Res Ther 2017; 92:87-93. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2017.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Revised: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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38
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Think twice, it’s all right: Long lasting effects of disrupted reconsolidation on brain and behavior in human long-term fear. Behav Brain Res 2017; 324:125-129. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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39
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Thompson A, Lipp OV. Extinction during reconsolidation eliminates recovery of fear conditioned to fear-irrelevant and fear-relevant stimuli. Behav Res Ther 2017; 92:1-10. [PMID: 28171767 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2017.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Revised: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Extant literature suggests that extinction training delivered during the memory reconsolidation period is superior to traditional extinction training in the reduction of fear recovery, as it targets the original fear memory trace. At present it is debated whether different types of fear memories are differentially sensitive to behavioral manipulations of reconsolidation. Here, we examined post-reconsolidation recovery of fear as a function of conditioned stimulus (CS) fear-relevance, using the unconditioned stimulus (US) to reactivate and destabilize conditioned fear memories. Participants (N = 56; 25 male; M = 24.39 years, SD = 7.71) in the US-reactivation and control group underwent differential fear conditioning to fear-relevant (spiders/snakes) and fear-irrelevant (geometric shapes) CSs on Day 1. On Day 2, participants received either reminded (US-reactivation) or non-reminded extinction training. Tests of fear recovery, conducted 24 h later, revealed recovery of differential electrodermal responding to both classes of CSs in the control group, but not in the US-reactivation group. These findings indicate that the US reactivation-extinction procedure eliminated recovery of extinguished responding not only to fear-irrelevant, but also to fear-relevant CSs. Contrasting previous reports, our findings show that post-reconsolidation recovery of conditioned responding is not a function of CS fear-relevance and that persistent reduction of fear, conditioned to fear-relevant CSs, can be achieved through behavioral manipulations of reconsolidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Thompson
- School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Australia.
| | - Ottmar V Lipp
- School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Australia; ARC-SRI: Science of Learning Research Centre, Australia
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40
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Modification of Fear Memory by Pharmacological and Behavioural Interventions during Reconsolidation. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0161044. [PMID: 27537364 PMCID: PMC4990323 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Dysfunctional fear responses play a central role in many mental disorders. New insights in learning and memory suggest that pharmacological and behavioural interventions during the reconsolidation of reactivated fear memories may increase the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. It has been proposed that interventions applied during reconsolidation may modify the original fear memory, and thus prevent the spontaneous recovery and reinstatement of the fear response. Methods We investigated whether pharmacological (propranolol) and behavioural (reappraisal, multisensory stimulation) interventions reduce fear memory, and prevent reinstatement of fear in comparison to a placebo control group. Eighty healthy female subjects underwent a differential fear conditioning procedure with three stimuli (CS). Two of these (CS+) were paired with an electric shock on day 1. On day 2, 20 subjects were pseudo-randomly assigned to either the propranolol or placebo condition, or underwent one of the two behavioural interventions after one of the two CS+ was reactivated. On day 3, all subjects underwent an extinction phase, followed by a reinstatement test. Dependent variables were US expectancy ratings, fear-potentiated startle, and skin conductance response. Results Differential fear responses to the reactivated and non-reactivated CS+ were observed only in the propranolol condition. Here, the non-reactivated CS+ evoked stronger fear-potentiated startle-responses compared to the placebo group. None of the interventions prevented the return of the extinguished fear response after re-exposure to the unconditioned stimulus. Conclusions Our data are in line with an increasing body of research stating that the occurrence of reconsolidation may be constrained by boundary conditions such as subtle differences in experimental manipulations and instructions. In conclusion, our findings do not support a beneficial effect in using reconsolidation processes to enhance effects of psychotherapeutic interventions. This implies that more research is required before therapeutic interventions may benefit from a combination with reconsolidation processes.
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