Current understanding of fear learning and memory in humans and animal models and the value of a linguistic approach for analyzing fear learning and memory in humans
- PMID: 30970272
- DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.03.015
Current understanding of fear learning and memory in humans and animal models and the value of a linguistic approach for analyzing fear learning and memory in humans
Abstract
Fear is an emotion that serves as a driving factor in how organisms move through the world. In this review, we discuss the current understandings of the subjective experience of fear and the related biological processes involved in fear learning and memory. We first provide an overview of fear learning and memory in humans and animal models, encompassing the neurocircuitry and molecular mechanisms, the influence of genetic and environmental factors, and how fear learning paradigms have contributed to treatments for fear-related disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder. Current treatments as well as novel strategies, such as targeting the perisynaptic environment and use of virtual reality, are addressed. We review research on the subjective experience of fear and the role of autobiographical memory in fear-related disorders. We also discuss the gaps in our understanding of fear learning and memory, and the degree of consensus in the field. Lastly, the development of linguistic tools for assessments and treatment of fear learning and memory disorders is discussed.
Keywords: Autobiography; Fear; Linguistics; Neuroanatomy; Neuropharmacology; Subjective fear; Virtual reality.
Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Similar articles
-
A cognitive neuroscience account of posttraumatic stress disorder and its treatment.Behav Res Ther. 2001 Apr;39(4):373-93. doi: 10.1016/s0005-7967(00)00087-5. Behav Res Ther. 2001. PMID: 11280338 Review.
-
The downside of strong emotional memories: how human memory-related genes influence the risk for posttraumatic stress disorder--a selective review.Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2014 Jul;112:75-86. doi: 10.1016/j.nlm.2013.08.015. Epub 2013 Sep 4. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2014. PMID: 24012801 Review.
-
Different genetic factors underlie fear conditioning and episodic memory.Psychiatr Genet. 2015 Aug;25(4):155-62. doi: 10.1097/YPG.0000000000000088. Psychiatr Genet. 2015. PMID: 25967536
-
[Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and extinction learning of traumatic memory].Nihon Shinkei Seishin Yakurigaku Zasshi. 2013 Jun;33(3):111-5. Nihon Shinkei Seishin Yakurigaku Zasshi. 2013. PMID: 25069244 Review. Japanese.
-
Memory mechanisms in posttraumatic stress disorder.J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2002 Summer;14(3):254-61. doi: 10.1176/jnp.14.3.254. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2002. PMID: 12154148 Review.
Cited by
-
Animal Models of PTSD: The Socially Isolated Mouse and the Biomarker Role of Allopregnanolone.Front Behav Neurosci. 2019 Jun 11;13:114. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00114. eCollection 2019. Front Behav Neurosci. 2019. PMID: 31244621 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Neural Computations of Threat.Trends Cogn Sci. 2021 Feb;25(2):151-171. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.11.007. Epub 2020 Dec 28. Trends Cogn Sci. 2021. PMID: 33384214 Free PMC article. Review.
-
The Role of Basolateral Amygdala and Medial Prefrontal Cortex in Fear: A Systematic Review.Cureus. 2025 Jan 29;17(1):e78198. doi: 10.7759/cureus.78198. eCollection 2025 Jan. Cureus. 2025. PMID: 40026920 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Allopregnanolone, the Neuromodulator Turned Therapeutic Agent: Thank You, Next?Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2020 May 14;11:236. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2020.00236. eCollection 2020. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2020. PMID: 32477260 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
-
Comparison of behavioral and brain indices of fear renewal during a standard vs. novel immersive reality Pavlovian fear extinction paradigm in healthy adults.Behav Brain Res. 2023 Feb 2;437:114154. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114154. Epub 2022 Oct 13. Behav Brain Res. 2023. PMID: 36244544 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical