It's time: A commentary on fear extinction in the human brain using fMRI
Abstract
The recent meta-analysis by Fullana et al. (2018) is both timely and significant, providing a vital milestone towards understanding the neural networks involved in threat extinction in humans. Fullana et al. (2018) examined both threat extinction and recall separately using sophisticated meta-analytic methods based on raw contrast maps. Importantly, the meta-analysis highlighted a lack of consistent activation across studies for key neural "players" in the threat extinction circuit: the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). In the current commentary, we highlight reasons for which this key circuitry may not have resulted from this meta-analysis, and call for a 'gold standard' in the examination of threat extinction using fMRI.
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The involvement of the amygdala in extinction may be more subtle and difficult to detect using standard fMRI techniques.
“Much like with threat acquisition, it may be that the involvement of the amygdala in extinction is more subtle and difficult to detect using standard fMRI techniques [106].”
From Prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and threat processing: implications for PTSD (2022) · cites this paper as [106]
Cites
Fear extinction in the human brain: A meta-analysis of fMRI studies in healthy participants
Fullana, M. A., Albajes-Eizagirre, A., Soriano-Mas, C., Vervliet, B., Cardoner, N., Benet, O., Radua, J., & Harrison, B. J. (2018) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.03.002 · Cited by 308 · see citing works
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Prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and threat processing: implications for PTSD
Alexandra Kredlow, M., Fenster, R. J., Laurent, E. S., Ressler, K. J., & Phelps, E. A. (2022) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/s41386-021-01155-7 · Cited by 346 · see citing works
“Much like with threat acquisition, it may be that the involvement of the amygdala in extinction is more subtle and difficult to detect using standard fMRI techniques [106].”
MethodMorriss, J. (2025) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106138 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Morriss, J., Hoare, S., & van Reekum, C. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Reading (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Morriss, Jayne
- ORCID
- Morriss, Jayne
- Venue
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2018-11
- Volume
- 94
- Pages
- 321-322
- ISSN
- 0149-7634 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2810079612
- Cited by
- 32
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3
- FWCI
- 1.64
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- CentAUR (University of Reading) (acceptedVersion)
- ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Economic and Social Research Council (1791652)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- fear extinction, threat extinction, amygdala, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, extinction recall, neural circuits
- MeSH terms
- Brain, Extinction, Psychological, Fear, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Prefrontal Cortex, Healthy Volunteers
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