TY - JOUR T1 - Opening the reconsolidation window using the mind's eye: Extinction training during reconsolidation disrupts fear memory expression following mental imagery reactivation. AU - Grégoire,Laurent, AU - Greening,Steven G, Y1 - 2018/12/07/ PY - 2018/08/19/received PY - 2018/11/21/revised PY - 2018/12/03/accepted PY - 2018/12/12/pubmed PY - 2020/3/7/medline PY - 2018/12/12/entrez KW - Fear conditioning KW - Fear extinction KW - Fear reconsolidation KW - Memory reconsolidation KW - Mental imagery SP - 277 EP - 281 JF - Cognition JO - Cognition VL - 183 N2 - Can mental imagery rather than external stimulation reactivate an aversive conditioned memory for the purposes of attenuating fear with subsequent extinction training? To answer this question participant underwent a three-day protocol: Day 1 entailed fear acquisition training in which two conditioned stimuli were paired with mild shock (US), while a CS- never was; day 2 included imagery-based reactivation of only one of the two CS+ followed by standard extinction training within the reconsolidation ten minutes later; day 3 included reinstatement by the unsignaled presentation of the US followed by a re-extinction phase. We observed no evidence of fear recovery on the first trial of re-extinction for the reminded, mentally imaged, CS+, whereas fear returned for the non-reminded CS+. Thus, mental imagery was sufficient to reactivate a fear memory thereby opening the reconsolidation window and facilitating fear suppression via extinction training. The clinical implications of this are potentially far-reaching as it allows for in vivo reconsolidation procedures in exposure therapy. SN - 1873-7838 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/30529682/Opening_the_reconsolidation_window_using_the_mind's_eye:_Extinction_training_during_reconsolidation_disrupts_fear_memory_expression_following_mental_imagery_reactivation_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -