The DOI matches its Crossref record; 33 of the 33 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Preventing the return of fear in humans using reconsolidation update mechanisms
Open accessAbstract
Recent research on changing fears has examined targeting reconsolidation. During reconsolidation, stored information is rendered labile after being retrieved. Pharmacological manipulations at this stage result in an inability to retrieve the memories at later times, suggesting that they are erased or persistently inhibited. Unfortunately, the use of these pharmacological manipulations in humans can be problematic. Here we introduce a non-invasive technique to target the reconsolidation of fear memories in humans. We provide evidence that old fear memories can be updated with non-fearful information provided during the reconsolidation window. As a consequence, fear responses are no longer expressed, an effect that lasted at least a year and was selective only to reactivated memories without affecting others. These findings demonstrate the adaptive role of reconsolidation as a window of opportunity to rewrite emotional memories, and suggest a non-invasive technique that can be used safely in humans to prevent the return of fear.
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In the citing paper
“As expected from reconsolidation studies (e.g., Refs.844, 845, 1043), reactivation during wakefulness destabilized memories rendering them susceptible to interference learning, as indicated by impaired memory recall for the originally learned card-pair locations after interference learning (FIGURE 4D).”
From About Sleep's Role in Memory (2013) · cites this paper as [1043]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“The first studies that translated findings in non-human animals [48,88,89] to humans used classical aversive conditioning to induce a simple emotional memory [94,95].”
From Multiple memory systems, multiple time points: How science can inform treatment to control the expression of unwanted emotional memories (2018) · cites this paper as [94]
In the citing paper
“These showed that conditioned physiological responses could be eliminated by presenting a single reminder cue (the CS+) and administering a pharmacological agent (the beta-adrenergic antagonist propranolol [95]) or a behavioural intervention (an extinction procedure [94]) within the putative reconsolidation window.”
From Multiple memory systems, multiple time points: How science can inform treatment to control the expression of unwanted emotional memories (2018) · cites this paper as [94]
In the citing paper
“Following this work, Schiller et al. (59), using skin conductance measures, showed that retrieval + extinction (with 10 min but not 6 h between sessions) attenuated spontaneous recovery and reinstatement of fear in human subjects, an effect that was evident a year after the original acquisition of fear.”
From Conditioned fear associated phenotypes as robust, translational indices of trauma-, stressor-, and anxiety-related behaviors (2014) · cites this paper as [59]
In the citing paper
“Following this work, Schiller et al. (59), using skin conductance measures, showed that retrieval + extinction (with 10 min but not 6 h between sessions) attenuated spontaneous recovery and reinstatement of fear in human subjects, an effect that was evident a year after the original acquisition of fear.”
From Conditioned fear associated phenotypes as robust, translational indices of trauma-, stressor-, and anxiety-related behaviors (2014) · cites this paper as [59]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Schiller, D., Monfils, M.-H., Raio, C. M., Johnson, D. C., LeDoux, J. E., & Phelps, E. A.
- Affiliations
- New York University (US)
- The University of Texas at Austin (US)
- Corresponding author
- Phelps, Elizabeth A.
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2009-12-09
- Volume
- 463
- Issue
- 7277
- Pages
- 49-53
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- PMC
- PMC3640262
- OpenAlex
- W2100172973
- Cited by
- 1,248
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 38 · 2025: 54 · 2024: 45 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 68 · 2021: 66 · 2020: 75 · 2019: 90 · 2018: 102 · 2017: 97 · 2016: 85 · 2015: 115 · 2014: 91 · 2013: 87 · 2012: 76
- FWCI
- 30.49
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Update notices
- addendum (2018-07-26)
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research
- National Institute of Mental Health (R37MH038774, P50MH058911, R21MH072279, K05MH067048, R01MH038774, R01MH046516, R01MH091147)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Keywords
- fear memory reconsolidation, fear extinction, memory updating, return of fear, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, emotional memory
- MeSH terms
- Conditioning, Classical, Cues, Electrodes, Electroshock, Extinction, Psychological, Fear, Humans, Memory, Models, Neurological, Models, Psychological, Neuronal Plasticity, Photic Stimulation, Time Factors
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