Extinction of fears based on learned sources of danger

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This project aims to advance our understanding of how fear memories are encoded and stored in the mammalian brain. It seeks to achieve this aim through the use of an animal model, second-order fear conditioning in rats. It is significant in providing the first systematic assessment of different types of fear memories, such as those that form during encounters with innate (e.g., involving suffocation or pain) or learned sources of danger (e.g., being threatened with a gun). The expected outcomes include new information regarding how different types of fear memories can be controlled or inhibited. This information is needed for the development of a comprehensive theory of fear, and improved fear regulation strategies in its various disorders.