What question did this study set out to answer?

To determine whether the medial prefrontal cortex is required for the inhibition and extinction of conditioned fear responses in rats.

January 1, 1997Behavioral Neuroscience

Normal conditioning inhibition and extinction of freezing and fear-potentiated startle following electrolytic lesions of medial prefrontal cortex in rats.

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Authors

JGJonathan C. GewirtzArizona State University WFWilliam A. FallsUniversity of Vermont MDMichael DavisGeorgia Institute of Technology

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Implication

Laboratory experiment demonstrates intact fear inhibition and extinction following medial prefrontal cortex lesions in rats, indicating ventral mPFC is not essential for fear suppression.

Key Points

To determine whether the medial prefrontal cortex is required for the inhibition and extinction of conditioned fear responses in rats.
Induced electrolytic lesions of the ventral medial prefrontal cortex either before or after Pavlovian fear conditioning in rats across three experimental designs.
Assessed fear inhibition and extinction across visual, auditory, and contextual cues by measuring freezing behavior, fear-potentiated startle, and fear reinstatement.
Ventral medial prefrontal cortex lesions failed to impair conditioned inhibition of fear-potentiated startle or alter fear reinstatement following unsignaled unconditioned stimuli.
Extinction of freezing, fear-potentiated startle, and contextual fear remained intact regardless of whether lesions were placed before conditioning or after fear acquisition.

Cite This Study

Gewirtz et al. (1997) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a75fc2849a8cdd61fb1e99d https://doi.org/10.1037//0735-7044.111.4.712

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Implication

Laboratory experiment demonstrates intact fear inhibition and extinction following medial prefrontal cortex lesions in rats, indicating ventral mPFC is not essential for fear suppression.

Normal conditioning inhibition and extinction of freezing and fear-potentiated startle following electrolytic lesions of medial prefrontal cortex in rats.

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Normal conditioning inhibition and extinction of freezing and fear-potentiated startle following electrolytic lesions of medial prefrontal cortex in rats.

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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