Context Effects in De Novo Fear Conditioning in Humans

描述（由申请人提供）：根据RFA MH-04-005，我们提出了一项为期3年的研究，旨在通过研究人类从头开始的恐惧条件反射范式中的恐惧获得、消退和情境效应，将动物学习和临床研究联系起来。该项目代表了专门研究心理生理学和动物学习的基础科学家（Scott Orr博士和Mark Bouton博士）和专门研究焦虑症暴露治疗的临床心理学家（Michael Otto博士）之间的合作。目标是将动物学习的进展扩展到对情感障碍患者获得和丧失新生恐惧的理解。特别令人感兴趣的是环境效应的个体差异，这可能是灭绝后恐惧表达差异的基础。除了测试焦虑障碍中环境效应的存在，我们提出的研究重点是个体条件差异的决定因素。本研究与区域自由贸易区特别相关的特点包括：(1)基础和临床研究人员之间的合作，(2)应用动物学习的进展来理解人类的恐惧学习和灭绝，(3)检查环境因素对灭绝的影响，(4)检查与灭绝和环境效应相关的状态和特征因素（抵抗灭绝的风险因素），以及(5)建立一个新的条件反射范式，在未来的应用中，将有助于检查实验室条件与焦虑障碍暴露治疗的结果和持久性之间的联系。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In response to RFA MH-04-005 we are proposing a 3-year study designed to link animal-learning and clinical investigations by examining fear acquisition, extinction, and context effects in a de novo fear conditioning paradigm in humans. This project represents the collaboration between basic scientists specializing in psychophysiology and animal learning (Scott Orr, Ph.D. and Mark Bouton, Ph.D.) and a clinical psychologist specializing in the exposure-based treatments for anxiety disorders (Michael Otto, Ph.D.). The goal is to extend advances in animal learning to the understanding of the acquisition and loss of de novo fears in humans with affective disorders. Of particular interest are individual differences in context effects, which may underlie the differential expression of fears after extinction. In addition to testing for the presence of context effects in anxiety disorders, our proposed research focuses attention on determinants of individual differences in conditionability. Features of this study of particular relevance to the RFA include: (1) collaboration between basic and clinical researchers, (2) application of advances in animal learning to the understanding of fear learning and extinction in humans, (3) examination of the influence of contextual factors on extinction, (4) examination of state and trait factors linked to extinction and context effects (risk factors for resistance to extinction), and (5) establishment of a de novo conditioning paradigm that, in future applications, will be useful for examining the linkage between laboratory conditioning and the outcome and durability of exposure-based treatments for the anxiety disorders. Conditionability will be assessed in a manner similar to the procedures used by Orr et al. (2000), but will include assessment of "renewal" effects in response to shifts in contexts. This innovation has important implications for understanding the mechanism behind differential response rates to exposure-based treatment in the anxiety disorders. The application hypothesizes that patients with an anxiety or mood disorder will demonstrate: (1) greater conditioning during acquisition, (2) slower loss during extinction, and (3) stronger renewal effects than the healthy control group. The application will also examine the correlates of these effects; specifically, whether the magnitudes of effects obtained are linked to the severity of anxiety and related traits, and whether these effects persist in patients who have recovered from their anxiety disorder.