Social buffering diminishes fear response but does not equal improved fear extinction.

ABSTRACT: Social support during exposure-based psychotherapy is believed to diminish fear and improve therapy outcomes. However, some clinical trials challenge that notion. Underlying mechanisms remain unknown, hindering the understanding of benefits and pitfalls of such approach. To study social buffering during fear extinction, we developed a behavioral model in which partner's presence decreases response to fear-associated stimuli. To identify the neuronal background of this phenomenon, we combined behavioral testing with c-Fos mapping, optogenetics, and chemogenetics. We found that the presence of a partner during fear extinction training causes robust inhibition of freezing; the effect, however, disappears in subjects tested individually on the following day. It is accompanied by lowered activa

SUBMITTER: Gorkiewicz T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10110450 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature