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Impact of a reminder/extinction procedure on threat-conditioned pupil size and skin conductance responses.
Learn Mem. 2020 04; 27(4):164-172.LM

Abstract

A reminder can render consolidated memory labile and susceptible to amnesic agents during a reconsolidation window. For the case of threat memory (also termed fear memory), it has been suggested that extinction training during this reconsolidation window has the same disruptive impact. This procedure could provide a powerful therapeutic principle for treatment of unwanted aversive memories. However, human research yielded contradictory results. Notably, all published positive replications quantified threat memory by conditioned skin conductance responses (SCR). Yet, other studies measuring SCR and/or fear-potentiated startle failed to observe an effect of a reminder/extinction procedure on the return of fear. Here we sought to shed light on this discrepancy by using a different autonomic response, namely, conditioned pupil dilation, in addition to SCR, in a replication of the original human study. N = 71 humans underwent a 3-d threat conditioning, reminder/extinction, and reinstatement, procedure with 2 CS+, of which one was reminded. Participants successfully learned the threat association on day 1, extinguished conditioned responding on day 2, and showed reinstatement on day 3. However, there was no difference in conditioned responding between the reminded and the nonreminded CS, neither in pupil size nor SCR. Thus, we found no evidence that a reminder trial before extinction prevents the return of threat-conditioned responding.

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Authors+Show Affiliations

Zimmermann J
Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland. Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
Bach DR
Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland. Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland. Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging and Max Planck/UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London WC1 3BG, United Kingdom.

MeSH

AdolescentAdultAutonomic Nervous SystemConditioning, ClassicalExtinction, PsychologicalFearFemaleGalvanic Skin ResponseHumansMaleMemory ConsolidationPupilYoung Adult

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Language

eng

PubMed ID

32179658

Citation

Zimmermann, Josua, and Dominik R. Bach. "Impact of a Reminder/extinction Procedure On Threat-conditioned Pupil Size and Skin Conductance Responses." Learning & Memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.), vol. 27, no. 4, 2020, pp. 164-172.
Zimmermann J, Bach DR. Impact of a reminder/extinction procedure on threat-conditioned pupil size and skin conductance responses. Learn Mem. 2020;27(4):164-172.
Zimmermann, J., & Bach, D. R. (2020). Impact of a reminder/extinction procedure on threat-conditioned pupil size and skin conductance responses. Learning & Memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.), 27(4), 164-172. https://doi.org/10.1101/lm.050211.119
Zimmermann J, Bach DR. Impact of a Reminder/extinction Procedure On Threat-conditioned Pupil Size and Skin Conductance Responses. Learn Mem. 2020;27(4):164-172. PubMed PMID: 32179658.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - Impact of a reminder/extinction procedure on threat-conditioned pupil size and skin conductance responses. AU - Zimmermann,Josua, AU - Bach,Dominik R, Y1 - 2020/03/16/ PY - 2019/06/28/received PY - 2020/01/03/accepted PY - 2020/3/18/entrez PY - 2020/3/18/pubmed PY - 2021/8/11/medline SP - 164 EP - 172 JF - Learning & memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) JO - Learn Mem VL - 27 IS - 4 N2 - A reminder can render consolidated memory labile and susceptible to amnesic agents during a reconsolidation window. For the case of threat memory (also termed fear memory), it has been suggested that extinction training during this reconsolidation window has the same disruptive impact. This procedure could provide a powerful therapeutic principle for treatment of unwanted aversive memories. However, human research yielded contradictory results. Notably, all published positive replications quantified threat memory by conditioned skin conductance responses (SCR). Yet, other studies measuring SCR and/or fear-potentiated startle failed to observe an effect of a reminder/extinction procedure on the return of fear. Here we sought to shed light on this discrepancy by using a different autonomic response, namely, conditioned pupil dilation, in addition to SCR, in a replication of the original human study. N = 71 humans underwent a 3-d threat conditioning, reminder/extinction, and reinstatement, procedure with 2 CS+, of which one was reminded. Participants successfully learned the threat association on day 1, extinguished conditioned responding on day 2, and showed reinstatement on day 3. However, there was no difference in conditioned responding between the reminded and the nonreminded CS, neither in pupil size nor SCR. Thus, we found no evidence that a reminder trial before extinction prevents the return of threat-conditioned responding. SN - 1549-5485 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/32179658/Impact_of_a_reminder/extinction_procedure_on_threat_conditioned_pupil_size_and_skin_conductance_responses_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -