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Cited by 85Memory and Neural MechanismsStress Responses and CortisolNeuroendocrine regulation and behavior

Social modeling of conditioned fear in mice by non-fearful conspecifics

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Guzmán, Yomayra F., Tronson, Natalie C., Guedea, Anita, Huh, Kyu Hwan, Gao, Can, Radulovic, Jelena·2009·Behavioural Brain Research
DOI 10.1016/j.bbr.2009.02.024PMC PMC2680762
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Abstract

Social interactions with conspecifics markedly alter the neuroendocrine, behavioral and emotional responses to stressful events. Some of these effects involve observational learning and result in lasting changes of fear-motivated behavior. While most evidence reveals increased fearfulness after observation of fearful demonstrators (models) in a number of species, a few reports from human and non-human primates indicate that observational learning can also attenuate some forms of fear. In the present study, we set out to determine the effects of social modeling and observational learning on fear conditioning in the mouse. Observers were pre-exposed to a novel context in the presence of fearful (F group) or non-fearful (NF group) demonstrators. Mice of the F group acquired control levels of conditioned fear. On the other hand, mice of the NF group exhibited profound and persistent reduction of fear. The decrease of fear in NF observers was most likely due to context-specific impairments of fear conditioning, as revealed by selective effects on long- but not short-term contextual fear memory, and normal fear conditioning in response to a novel context or cue. The effect was lasting, but constrained by the shock intensity. Attenuation of fear conditioning resulting from interactions with non-fearful conspecifics was largely, but not entirely, mediated by vicarious learning. These findings identify an important social buffering process serving to prevent a lasting induction of fear in response to isolated, moderately intense stressful events.

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  • In both humans and rodents, fear and anxiety can be buffered by the presence of another non-fearful individual.

    “In both humans and rodents, fear and anxiety can be buffered by the presence of another non-fearful individual72,73.”

    From Oxytocin enhances observational fear in mice (2017) · cites this paper as [72]

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Authors
Guzmán, Y. F., Tronson, N. C., Guedea, A., Huh, K. H., Gao, C., & Radulovic, J.
Affiliations
Northwestern University (US)
ORCID
Venue
Behavioural Brain Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2009-07
Volume
201
Issue
1
Pages
173-178
ISSN
0166-4328 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.bbr.2009.02.024
PMC
PMC2680762
OpenAlex
W2075962505
Cited by
85
References
42
Citations by year
2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 6
FWCI
1.94
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Behavioural Brain Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH078064, MH-078064)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R25GM079300)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
Keywords
fear conditioning, social modeling, observational learning, contextual fear memory, social buffering, conspecifics, mice, shock intensity
MeSH terms
Analysis of Variance, Animals, Conditioning, Psychological, Cues, Electroshock, Environment, Fear, Learning, Memory, Short-Term, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Retention, Psychology, Social Behavior, Freezing Reaction, Cataleptic, Mice

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