The Limits of Reconsolidation: Understanding the Nature and Boundaries of Fear Memory Reconsolidation Using the Reactivation-Extinction Paradigm

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In the past decade, there has been a large shift in our understanding of how memory works.  The former notion of memory as a relatively static entity has gradually been replaced with the notion of memory as a dynamic process.  This shift has occurred largely because of animal research demonstrating that when fearful memories are reactivated they may enter a labile period during which they can be updated.  There has been some research on the reconsolidation of fear memories in humans, but this research is limited.  Many of the pharmaceuticals used to block reconsolidation in animal research are unsafe for humans. Recent innovations have resulted in safe non-pharmaceutical methods of studying reconsolidation.  These methods more accurately reflect how reconsolidation might occur in the natural world. The aim of my research is to extend our understanding of the reconsolidation of fear memories in humans using these new methods. Objective one will examine the boundary conditions of reconsolidation in humans.  A series of six studies will explore how the age and strength of the original memory, as well as the timing and strength of reactivation influences whether a fear memory will be updated.  I will also examine whether a tendency to report being highly fearful influences the likelihood of fear memories updating.  This series of studies will help us to understand how fear memory reconsolidation works in humans.  Objective two will extend our understanding of the role of reconsolidation in memory and cognition in general.  Most research has inferred that reconsolidation has occurred by observing the absence of fear memory often one day after reconsolidation has occurred. If the function of reconsolidation is to update the memory then other types of information may be incorporated, such as new details pertaining to the content of the memory.  Two studies will explore whether fear memories can be updated rather than simply being eliminated. Such knowledge will ultimately enable the development of translational research investigating how reconsolidation could be used to reduce rates of relapse in the treatment of fear-based disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorders.   Results from my program of research will contribute to a growing body of basic research on learning and memory reconsolidation in humans and help us to understand why and how reconsolidation occurs.