Human fear extinction and return of fear using reconsolidation update mechanisms: The contribution of on-line expectancy ratings

Abstract

Disruption of the reconsolidation of conditioned fear memories has been suggested as a non-pharmacological means of preventing the return of learned fear in human populations. A reconsolidation update paradigm was developed in which a reconsolidation window is opened by a single isolated retrieval trial of a previously reinforced CS+ which is then followed by Extinction Training within that window. However, follow-up studies in humans using multi-methods fear conditioning indices (e.g., fear-potentiated startle, skin conductance, US-expectancy) have failed to replicate the retrieval + extinction effects. In the present study, we further investigated the retrieval + extinction reconsolidation update paradigm by directly comparing the acquisition, extinction, and return of fear-potentiated startle in the absence or presence of US-expectancy measures (using a trial-by-trial response keypad) with and without retrieval of a previously acquired CS-US association. Participants were fear conditioned to two visual cue CS+'s, one of which was presented as a single, isolated retrieval trial before Extinction Training and one that was extinguished as usual. The results show that the inclusion of US-expectancy measures strengthens the CS–US association to provide enhanced fear conditioning and maintenance of fear memories over the experimental sessions. In addition, in the groups that used on-line US-expectancy measures, the retrieval + extinction procedure reduced reinstatement of fear-potentiated startle to both previously reinforced CS+'s, as compared to the extinction as usual group.

Harnessing reconsolidation to weaken fear and appetitive memories: A meta-analysis of post-retrieval extinction effects.

“…Few studies in our meta-analysis utilized expectancy ratings, preventing direct analysis of this variable. However, some have hypothesized that the act of completing expectancy ratings during acquisition trials encourages participants to identify the contingency between the CS and US (Warren et al, 2014). Here we found that the use of expectancy ratings significantly moderated the effects of post-retrieval extinction on return of fear in humans, with more favorable outcomes for studies that did not involve expectancy ratings, suggestive of greater benefit for non-hippocampal dependent memories.…”

Potentiation of the startle reflex is in line with contingency reversal instructions rather than the conditioning history

“…Furthermore, erasure of fear memories through reconsolidation has been shown to depend on prediction error as captured by US expectancy ratings (Sevenster et al, 2013) and some evidence could even suggest that these disruption of reconsolidation effects are more pronounced with concurrent US expectancy ratings (Warren et al, 2014). Thus, reduction of FPS through disruption of reconsolidation may not be as independent of expectancies and SCRs as some studies suggest.…”

Persistence and plasticity in the human memory system: An empirical investigation of the overwriting hypothesis

“…In summary, the findings of Schiller et al (2010), Agren et al (2012), and Björkstrand et al (2015) ., 2012), others have found the critical retrieval manipulation to be ine ective (Fricchione et al, 2016;Golkar et al, 2012;Kindt & Soeter, 2013;Klucken et al, 2016;Meir Drexler et al, 2014;Soeter & Kindt, 2011;Warren et al, 2014). Attempts to replicate the original demonstration of reconsolidation-extinction in rats (Monfils et al, 2009) replications, it can be di cult to ascertain whether a putative reconsolidation process is being modulated by subtle theoretically-irrelevant procedural di erences, or theoretically-relevant 'boundary conditions' (Auber et al, 2013;Haaker et al, 2014 Since its (re)birth a decade and a half ago (Nader et al, 2000a;Przybyslawski & Sara, 1997;Sara, 2000a), the theory of reconsolidation has been buoyed by considerable empirical attention and theoretical excitement (Alberini, 2011;Besnard et al, 2012;Dudai, 2004;Nadel & Land, 2000;Nader et al, 2000b;Nader & Hardt, 2009;Nader, 2015; 21 Note that Agren et al and Bjorkstrand et al also reported correlations between blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) activity in the amygdala and the behavioural return of fear measure.…”