Extinction: The Neural Mechanisms of Behavior Change

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案将于2005年2月2日至6日在波多黎各庞塞举行的一次名为“灭绝：行为改变的神经机制”的科学会议上提交。消退是条件刺激在没有条件刺激的情况下反复出现时条件反应的表达减少。消失学习的缺陷被认为是焦虑症（如创伤后应激障碍）和成瘾行为的基础，这两种情况都涉及不再合适的持续情绪反应。了解灭绝的神经机制可能会导致新的行为和药物治疗。这将是有史以来第一次以灭绝为主题的会议，这是一个在过去四年中迅速发展的新领域。这是一个独特的机会，将整个领域的研究人员（32名基础和临床科学家）聚集在一起，以解决争议并鼓励未来研究的转化方法。会议将包括8个主题：1)杏仁核在厌恶条件反射消退中的机制，2)前额叶在厌恶条件反射消退中的机制，3)消退的情境调节，4)消退的分子机制：前额叶-杏仁核

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal is for a one-time scientific conference entitled, "Extinction: The Neural Mechanisms of Behavior Change", to be held in Ponce, Puerto Rico, February 2-6, 2005. Extinction is the decreased expression of conditioned responding that occurs when a conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus. Deficits in extinction learning are thought to underlie anxiety disorders (such as PTSD) and addictive behavior, both of which involve persistent emotional responses that are no longer appropriate. Understanding the neural mechanisms of extinction could lead to novel behavioral and pharmacological therapies. This would be the first conference ever held on the topic of extinction, a new field which has undergone rapid growth in the past 4 years. This is a unique opportunity to bring together the entire field of researchers (32 basic and clinical scientists) to resolve controversies and encourage a translational approach for future research. The conference will consist of 8 sessions: 1) Amygdala mechanisms in extinction of aversive conditioning, 2) Prefrontal mechanisms in extinction of aversive conditioning, 3) Contextual modulation of extinction, 4) Molecular mechanisms of extinction: Prefrontal-amygdala system, 5) Molecular mechanisms of extinction: Other systems, 6) Extinction of appetitive conditioning and addiction, 7) Neural substrate of extinction in humans, 8) Extinction as a therapeutic tool. Each session will be followed by questions from local students and an extended general discussion. Therewill also be evening debates on controversial themes, and a poster session. The conference will have a high degree of women & minority participation at all levels (speakers, organizing committee, attendees), and will provide students in Puerto Rico with unprecedented access to experts in the field. Travel fellowships for students from neighboring countries in Latin America will be provided. The findings will be disseminated in a special issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry, which will reach those most interested in the translational focus of the meeting. Thus, the conference should have considerable scientific impact, as well as serving a capacity-building function in the region.