Article
Behavioral Sciences
Wei Chen, Junjiao Li, Liang Xu, Shaochen Zhao, Min Fan, Xifu Zheng
Summary: The study explored how different strengths of conditioned fear memories require varying degrees of prediction error (PE) during memory reactivation to become destabilized. It was found that a single PE retrieval may not be sufficient to disrupt enhanced fear memory, and increasing the amount of PE through different retrieval strategies is necessary for this process. The findings indicate that the degree of PE needed for memory destabilization during retrieval depends on the strength of fear memory, shedding light on the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorders and anxiety disorders.
FRONTIERS IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Matthew J. Williams-Spooner, Andrew J. Delaney, R. Frederick Westbrook, Nathan M. Holmes
Summary: This study challenges the widely accepted view that activation of NMDA receptors (NMDAR) is required for fear memory formation. The findings show that the involvement of NMDAR in Pavlovian fear conditioning depends on prediction errors related to aversive events. NMDAR activation is not necessary when danger occurs as expected, but is required when danger occurs unexpectedly.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Robine M. L. Michalscheck, Dana M. Leidl, R. Frederick Westbrook, Nathan M. Holmes
Summary: The study found that naloxone enhances fear conditioning in rats in the second stage. In Experiments 1a and 1b, rats injected with naloxone showed more freezing behavior when tested with the light alone compared to the control group. It suggests that naloxone can enhance fear conditioning independently of its effect on unconditioned stimulus processing, and that opioids play a role in error-correction mechanisms underlying associative formation.
FRONTIERS IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Jessica N. Goedhoop, Bastijn J. G. van den Boom, Rhiannon Robke, Felice Veen, Lizz Fellinger, Wouter van Elzelingen, Tara Arbab, Ingo Willuhn
Summary: This study systematically investigates the role of dopamine in processing aversive stimuli and finds that NAC dopamine primarily tracks the prediction and duration of aversive events, rather than aversive prediction errors.
Article
Psychology, Biological
Jelena M. Wehrli, Yanfang Xia, Samuel Gerster, Dominik R. Bach
Summary: Trace fear conditioning is an important research paradigm for studying aversive learning, but the optimal measurement of memory retention is unclear. This study used psychophysiological measurements to investigate CS+ and CS- differentiation in a recall test, and found that fear-potentiated startle response was the most effective measure.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Mihaela D. Iordanova, Joanna Oi-Yue Yau, Michael A. McDannald, Laura H. Corbit
Summary: Prediction error plays a key role in associative learning, regulating associative relationships and directing attention to stimuli for learning. Recent research has delved into the neural substrates of prediction error, focusing on both appetitive and aversive contexts.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Zachary Adam Yaple, Serenella Tolomeo, Rongjun Yu
Summary: This study investigated prediction error processing in depression and schizophrenia patients through meta-analyses, finding differences in brain activity between the two patient groups, suggesting a potential role of dopamine-rich areas in encoding prediction errors in both disorders.
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mitjan Morr, Jeanine Noell, Daphne Sassin, Jule Daniels, Alexandra Philipsen, Benjamin Becker, Birgit Stoffel-Wagner, Rene Hurlemann, Dirk Scheele
Summary: Loneliness may contribute to vulnerability to intrusive memories after trauma in healthy men, with altered limbic processing of fear signals being a potential underlying mechanism. Lonely men showed more intrusions and altered amygdala activity, while loneliness did not have the same impact on women.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Shihao Huang, Yu Zhou, Feilong Wu, Cuijie Shi, He Yan, Liangpei Chen, Chang Yang, Yixiao Luo
Summary: This study found that berberine combined with extinction training can effectively promote the extinction of fear memories and prevent their reinstatement and spontaneous recovery. This finding provides a new potential avenue for the treatment of fear-related disorders.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Masoomeh Dadkhah, Ali Rashidy-Pour, Abbas Ali Vafaei
Summary: This study identified the key role of the infralimbic (IL) region of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in regulating fear extinction. By infusing the D2 receptor antagonist sulpiride into the IL region, auditory fear extinction was enhanced in an inverted U-shape pattern, with moderate doses being most effective.
PHARMACOLOGY BIOCHEMISTRY AND BEHAVIOR
(2021)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Ryan D. Webler, Hannah Berg, Kimberly Fhong, Lauri Tuominen, Daphne J. Holt, Rajendra A. Morey, Iris Lange, Philip C. Burton, Miquel Angel Fullana, Joaquim Radua, Shmuel Lissek
Summary: This study is the first meta-analysis of the growing literature on conditioned fear generalization, delineating the brain substrates and forming a working neural model. Positive generalization was found in specific brain regions, while negative generalization was identified in different brain regions and the amygdala.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Yujun Deng, Da Song, Junjun Ni, Hong Qing, Zhenzhen Quan
Summary: Learning is a complex process where our opinions and decisions can be easily influenced by unexpected information. The neural mechanism underlying revision and correction during learning is still unclear.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Yu Shikano, Sho Yagishita, Kenji F. Tanaka, Norio Takata
Summary: The brain's physiological response to reward expectations differs based on the level of expectation. While it is known that better-than-expected outcomes are quantitatively encoded via midbrain dopaminergic (DA) activity, it is less clear whether worse-than-expected outcomes are expressed in the same way. This study shows that larger reward expectations for unexpected reward omissions are associated with a slower increase and larger decrease (DA dip) in the DA concentration at the ventral striatum in mice. The findings suggest that the DA dip amplitude represents the degree of reward expectations and may guide behavioral adjustment.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Luke J. Ney, Allison Matthews, Chia-Ming Ken Hsu, Daniel Zuj, Emma Nicholson, Trevor Steward, David Nichols, Bronwyn Graham, Ben Harrison, Raimondo Bruno, Kim Felmingham
Summary: The study found that the endocannabinoid receptor 1 and arachidonoyl ethanolamide play important roles in human fear extinction learning. The effect of FAAH gene polymorphism on fear extinction is moderated by plasma AEA level. These findings suggest that FAAH inhibitors may be effective for targeting anxiety in PTSD, but further research in clinical populations is needed.
DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY
(2021)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Luke J. Ney, Matthew P. O'Donohue, Benjamin G. Lowe, Ottmar V. Lipp
Summary: Previous research indicates that fear conditioning to angry or fearful faces is stronger and has impaired extinction compared to happy or neutral faces. This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of fear conditioning studies using different expressions as face conditional stimuli. The findings suggest that there are small to moderate differences in fear conditioning when angry or fearful faces are used compared to happy or neutral faces.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Gabrielle D. Gibson, E. Zayra Milian, Gavan P. McNally
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2019)
Article
Neurosciences
Asheeta A. Prasad, Caroline Xie, Chanchanok Chaichim, Jennifer H. Nguyen, Hannah E. McClusky, Simon Killcross, John M. Power, Gavan P. McNally
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2020)
Review
Neurosciences
Zhi Yi Ong, Gavan P. McNally
Article
Neurosciences
Yu Liu, Philip Jean-Richard-dit-Bressel, Joanna Oi-Yue Yau, Alexandra Willing, Asheeta A. Prasad, John M. Power, Simon Killcross, Colin W. G. Clifford, Gavan P. McNally
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2020)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yu Liu, Gavan P. McNally
Summary: Dopamine plays a crucial role in relapse to drug seeking, with different forms of relapse being driven by distinct dopamine mechanisms. Understanding the diverse dopamine pathways involved in relapse behaviors is essential for developing effective strategies to prevent relapse.
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Constance Y. Peng, Philip Jean-Richard-dit-Bressel, Sophia Gilchrist, John M. Power, Gavan P. McNally
Summary: The study shows that optogenetic inhibition of VTA dopamine neurons leads to a response-specific, contingency-sensitive suppression of instrumental responding, similar to the effects of aversive events in instrumental preparations.
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Philip Jean-Richard-dit-Bressel, Jenny Tran, Angelos Didachos, Gavan P. McNally
Summary: Punishment learning relies on aversion-coding of instrumental responses in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), with benzodiazepines mitigating punishment effects by reversing the aversion coding in BLA.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Philip Jean-Richard-Dit-Bressel, Jessica C. Lee, Shi Xian Liew, Gabrielle Weidemann, Peter F. Lovibond, Gavan P. McNally
Summary: Research has shown that differences in sensitivity to punishment can impact decision-making abilities and psychopathologies. In humans, individuals who are sensitive and insensitive to punishment show similar preferences for rewards and aversion to punishments, but differ significantly in their ability to detect and learn how to control aversive outcomes.
Article
Neurosciences
Joanna Oi-Yue Yau, Chanchanok Chaichim, John M. Power, Gavan P. McNally
Summary: The study used transgenic PV-Cre rats to reveal that BLA PV neurons regulate fear learning about aversive events. The research also showed the sensitivity of BLA PV neurons to aversive prediction error and their selectivity for specific sensory features.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Philip Jean Richard Dit Bressel, Gavan P. McNally
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Joanna Oi-Yue Yau, Gavan P. McNally
Summary: This study investigated the role of dopamine neurons in safety learning in the rat ventral tegmental area (VTA). The findings suggest that shock omission during safety learning is selectively associated with calcium transients in dopamine neurons in the medial VTA, and the magnitude of these calcium transients accurately predicts the amount of safety that is learned.
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Eun A. Choi, Medina Husic, E. Zayra Millan, Sophia Gilchrist, John M. Power, Philip Jean-Richard Dit Bressel, Gavan P. McNally
Summary: This study investigates the decision-making process of mice in the presence of danger and demonstrates how mice balance decision speed and safety. The researchers identify the involvement of the corticothalamic pathway in cognitive control during decision-making under conflict, showing that increased activity in the paraventricular thalamus leads to increased decision caution and longer decision times in the presence of danger.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Stephanie Murphy, Metika Collis Glynn, Tiarani N. Dixon, Harvey J. Grill, Gavan P. McNally, Zhi Yi Ong
Summary: The NTS A2 neurons play a significant role in controlling food intake, suppressing consumption without affecting food approach, anxiety-like behaviors, or locomotor activity. Their projections to the PVH, rather than the BNST, mediate this control.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gavan P. McNally, Philip Jean-Richard-dit-Bressel, E. Zayra Millan, Andrew J. Lawrence
Summary: The persistence of drug taking despite its adverse consequences has a significant impact on addiction. There are at least three pathways involved in persistent drug use: cognitive recognition of adverse consequences, motivational valuation of these consequences, and behavioral responses to adverse consequences. These pathways are dynamic and can lead to different trajectories of behavior change. Understanding and targeting these pathways are important for effective treatment.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Philip Jean-Richard-dit-Bressel, Jessica C. Lee, Shi Xian Liew, Gabrielle Weidemann, Peter F. Lovibond, Gavan P. McNally
Summary: Individuals differ in their sensitivity to the consequences of their actions. Three pathways, including motivational, behavioral, and cognitive pathways, contribute to this sensitivity. Punishment sensitivity is influenced by the individuals' beliefs about the causes of their actions. Incorrect causal beliefs can lead to maladaptive behaviors, especially when punishment is infrequent, causing resistance to updating behavior based on experience and information.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)