"Imagine hearing a sound that once signaled danger. Your body tenses even if you know the threat is gone. This tension is the legacy of how powerfully fear learning shapes the brain. The process of extinction is the attempt to undo that learning, replacing it with new knowledge that the cue no longer means harm. This effort to unlearn fear is no longer just theoretical; it can be observed directly in the brain."
"The amygdala, often described as the brain's fear alarm, did not go quiet during this process. Instead, it produced a rhythmic pattern of activity in the theta range that marked safe cues. At the same time, the hippocampus and temporal cortex stabilized the memory of specific images, while the prefrontal cortex tracked the context in which they appeared. Fear was not erased. It was overruled by a richer conversation across brain regions."
Patients with implanted electrodes viewed images paired with an unpleasant scream, then pairings changed so one formerly dangerous image became safe. Intracranial recordings showed the amygdala produced theta-range rhythmic activity that signaled safe cues. The hippocampus and temporal cortex stabilized memories of specific images while the prefrontal cortex tracked the context of presentation. Fear memories remained present but were overruled by a newly built safety representation that competes with them. Extinction therefore requires active generation and maintenance of safety signals, and context dependence limits transfer of safety learning across environments.
Read at Psychology Today
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