Behavioral techniques for attenuating the expression of fear associations in an animal model of anxiety

Abstract

Background and objectives Recent data indicate that extinguished fear often returns when the testing conditions differ from those of treatment. Several manipulations including extensive extinction training, extinction in multiple contexts, and spacing the extinction trials and sessions reduce the return of fear. Moreover, extensive extinction and extinction in multiple context summated, and the spacing of the extinction trials and sessions summated to further reduce the return of fear. Here we evaluated whether these techniques also attenuate the context specificity of latent inhibition, and whether they summate to further decrease fear responding at test. Methods In two experiments, with rats as subjects in a lick suppression preparation, we assessed the effects of massive CS preexposure, CS preexposure in multiple contexts, and of spacing the CS-preexposure trials and sessions, in reducing the context specificity of latent inhibition. Results Fear responding was attenuated by all four manipulations. Moreover, extensive CS preexposure in multiple contexts, and conjoint spacing of the CS-preexposure trials and sessions, were more effective in reducing the context specificity of latent inhibition than each manipulation alone. Limitations Our experimental designs evaluated degrees of context specificity of latent inhibition but omitted groups in which latent inhibition was assessed without a context shift away from the context of latent inhibition treatment. This precluded us from drawing conclusions concerning absolute (as opposed to relative) levels of recovery from latent inhibition. Conclusions Techniques effective in decreasing the return of conditioned fear following extinction are also effective in decreasing the context specificity of latent inhibition in an animal model of anxiety. Fear and anxiety disorders might be prevented in anxious human participants with the same techniques used here, but that is still an empirical question.

Verbal retrieval cues prevent renewal and spontaneous recovery of predictive judgments in university students

“…In addition, our data from Experiment 2 is at odds with reports that showed a lack of effect of verbal retrieval cues on reducing fear of public speaking (Culver et al, 2011;Laborda et al, 2016). Although this inconsistency could suggest that the critical difference between each paradigm may depend on the emotional content involved (i.e., fear vs. fictional events), note that both studies summates physical and temporal contexts, thereby producing a larger recovery effect than either of these manipulations alone (Laborda et al, 2014). Thus, more research is needed for a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of each paradigm.…”

“…Given that the strategies to eliminate unwanted behaviors in the cognitive behavioral therapy are based on extinction (the omission of the unconditioned stimulus [US] produces a response decrement), some learning theorists have pointed out that a possible insight might come from basic research (Bouton, 2017;Laborda, Polack, Miguez, & Miller, 2014;Podlesnik & Kelley, 2015). Evidence from laboratory is provided by different sources of relapse (Bouton, 2017).…”

Renewed behavior produced by context change and its implications for treatment maintenance: A review

“…As previously stated, the implication is problem behavior learned in one context (A; e.g., home) but treated in a different context (B; e.g., clinic), might return when the client returns to the original context, even when perfectly maintaining treatment fidelity. Moreover, tripling the exposure to extinction did not reduce renewal in a related experiment by Bouton et al (), suggesting problem behavior could be susceptible to renewal effects even following extensive treatment (but see Denniston, Chang, & Miller, ; Laborda, Polack, Miguez, & Miller, ; Thomas, Vurbic, & Novak, ).…”

A test of pre-exposure spacing and multiple context pre-exposure on the mechanisms of latent inhibition of dental fear: A study protocol

“…Prior studies are consistent with the perspective that pre-exposure spacing and pre-exposure occurring in multiple contexts changes LI. For example, animal studies and studies outside of the dental context, find that when pre-exposure occurs in multiple contexts, it can reduce fear at test and its return following extinction, as well as increasing the effectiveness of LI across contexts [ 19 – 21 ]. Animal studies also show that pre-exposure session spacing reduces fear learning and the context specificity of LI [ 19 ].…”