Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Adolescents and Adults: A Human fMRI Study
Little is known about the neural correlates of fear learning in adolescents, a population at increased risk for anxiety disorders. Healthy adolescents (mean age 16.26) and adults (mean age 29.85) completed a fear learning paradigm across two stages during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00647/full |
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| author | Despina E. Ganella Despina E. Ganella Katherine D. Drummond Katherine D. Drummond Eleni P. Ganella Sarah Whittle Jee Hyun Kim Jee Hyun Kim |
| author_facet | Despina E. Ganella Despina E. Ganella Katherine D. Drummond Katherine D. Drummond Eleni P. Ganella Sarah Whittle Jee Hyun Kim Jee Hyun Kim |
| author_sort | Despina E. Ganella |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Little is known about the neural correlates of fear learning in adolescents, a population at increased risk for anxiety disorders. Healthy adolescents (mean age 16.26) and adults (mean age 29.85) completed a fear learning paradigm across two stages during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Stage 1 involved conditioning and extinction, and stage 2 involved extinction recall, re-conditioning, followed by re-extinction. During extinction recall, we observed a higher skin conductance response to the CS+ relative to CS− in adolescents compared to adults, which was accompanied by a reduction in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) activity. Relative to adults, adolescents also had significantly reduced activation in the ventromedial PFC, dlPFC, posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and temporoparietal junction (TPJ) during extinction recall compared to late extinction. Age differences in PCC activation between late extinction and late conditioning were also observed. These results show for the first time that healthy adolescent humans show different behavioral responses, and dampened PFC activity during short-term extinction recall compared to healthy adults. We also identify the PCC and TPJ as novel regions that may be associated with impaired extinction in adolescents. Also, while adults showed significant correlations between differential SCR and BOLD activity in some brain regions during late extinction and recall, adolescents did not show any significant correlations. This study highlights adolescent-specific neural correlates of extinction, which may explain the peak in prevalence of anxiety disorders during adolescence. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T21:35:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e3d40c2ca2e34fde9a6c1fbaea0160f8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T21:35:54Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-e3d40c2ca2e34fde9a6c1fbaea0160f82022-12-21T19:25:56ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612018-01-011110.3389/fnhum.2017.00647316851Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Adolescents and Adults: A Human fMRI StudyDespina E. Ganella0Despina E. Ganella1Katherine D. Drummond2Katherine D. Drummond3Eleni P. Ganella4Sarah Whittle5Jee Hyun Kim6Jee Hyun Kim7Behavioral Neuroscience Division, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, AustraliaFlorey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, AustraliaBehavioral Neuroscience Division, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, AustraliaFlorey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, AustraliaMelbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, AustraliaMelbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, AustraliaBehavioral Neuroscience Division, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, AustraliaFlorey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, AustraliaLittle is known about the neural correlates of fear learning in adolescents, a population at increased risk for anxiety disorders. Healthy adolescents (mean age 16.26) and adults (mean age 29.85) completed a fear learning paradigm across two stages during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Stage 1 involved conditioning and extinction, and stage 2 involved extinction recall, re-conditioning, followed by re-extinction. During extinction recall, we observed a higher skin conductance response to the CS+ relative to CS− in adolescents compared to adults, which was accompanied by a reduction in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) activity. Relative to adults, adolescents also had significantly reduced activation in the ventromedial PFC, dlPFC, posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and temporoparietal junction (TPJ) during extinction recall compared to late extinction. Age differences in PCC activation between late extinction and late conditioning were also observed. These results show for the first time that healthy adolescent humans show different behavioral responses, and dampened PFC activity during short-term extinction recall compared to healthy adults. We also identify the PCC and TPJ as novel regions that may be associated with impaired extinction in adolescents. Also, while adults showed significant correlations between differential SCR and BOLD activity in some brain regions during late extinction and recall, adolescents did not show any significant correlations. This study highlights adolescent-specific neural correlates of extinction, which may explain the peak in prevalence of anxiety disorders during adolescence.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00647/fulladolescenceprefrontal cortexmemoryfearbehavior therapy |
| spellingShingle | Despina E. Ganella Despina E. Ganella Katherine D. Drummond Katherine D. Drummond Eleni P. Ganella Sarah Whittle Jee Hyun Kim Jee Hyun Kim Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Adolescents and Adults: A Human fMRI Study Frontiers in Human Neuroscience adolescence prefrontal cortex memory fear behavior therapy |
| title | Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Adolescents and Adults: A Human fMRI Study |
| title_full | Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Adolescents and Adults: A Human fMRI Study |
| title_fullStr | Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Adolescents and Adults: A Human fMRI Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Adolescents and Adults: A Human fMRI Study |
| title_short | Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Adolescents and Adults: A Human fMRI Study |
| title_sort | extinction of conditioned fear in adolescents and adults a human fmri study |
| topic | adolescence prefrontal cortex memory fear behavior therapy |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00647/full |
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