Stressor controllability modulates fear extinction in humans

Neurobiology of Learning and Memory
Catherine A HartleyElizabeth A Phelps

Abstract

Traumatic events are proposed to play a role in the development of anxiety disorders, however not all individuals exposed to extreme stress experience a pathological increase in fear. Recent studies in animal models suggest that the degree to which one is able to control an aversive experience is a critical factor determining its behavioral consequences. In this study, we examined whether stressor controllability modulates subsequent conditioned fear expression in humans. Participants were randomly assigned to an escapable stressor condition, a yoked inescapable stressor condition, or a control condition involving no stress exposure. One week later, all participants underwent fear conditioning, fear extinction, and a test of extinction retrieval the following day. Participants exposed to inescapable stress showed impaired fear extinction learning and increased fear expression the following day. In contrast, escapable stress improved fear extinction and prevented the spontaneous recovery of fear. Consistent with the bidirectional controllability effects previously reported in animal models, these results suggest that one's degree of control over aversive experiences may be an important factor influencing the development of psych...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jun 7, 2014·Annual Review of Neuroscience·Elizabeth A PhelpsPeter Sokol-Hessner
Feb 10, 2016·Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience·Ursula Stockhorst, Martin I Antov
Jan 13, 2016·Molecular Psychiatry·N Sousa
Oct 9, 2015·Neuron·Joseph E DunsmoorElizabeth A Phelps
May 9, 2015·Neurobiology of Stress·Michael V BarattaDonald C Cooper
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Nov 30, 2016·Nature Neuroscience·Mauricio R DelgadoDaniela Schiller
May 10, 2018·The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science·E ViaB J Harrison
Jun 9, 2020·Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience·Nadine Wanke, Lars Schwabe
Sep 9, 2020·Journal of Personality·Eranda JayawickremeRenée Zonneveld
Mar 30, 2018·Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience·Thomas F Giustino, Stephen Maren
Jun 19, 2019·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Claire E StellyMatthew J Wanat
Aug 23, 2020·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Laura E MeineMichele Wessa
Feb 28, 2019·Frontiers in Neuroscience·Verena LyMauricio R Delgado
Jun 12, 2020·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·Golnaz Tabibnia
Oct 18, 2019·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·Inge TimmersLaura E Simons
Jan 7, 2021·Communications Biology·Chirag LimbachiaLuiz Pessoa
Mar 7, 2021·Trends in Cognitive Sciences·Sarah M TashjianDean Mobbs
Aug 6, 2021·BMC Neuroscience·Marco CerqueiraRui F Oliveira

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