Representational dynamics during extinction of fear memories in the human brain.

ABSTRACT: Extinction learning-the suppression of a previously acquired fear response-is critical for adaptive behaviour and core for understanding the aetiology and treatment of anxiety disorders. Electrophysiological studies in rodents have revealed critical roles of theta (4-12 Hz) oscillations in amygdala and hippocampus during both fear learning and extinction, and engram research has shown that extinction relies on the formation of novel, highly context-dependent memory traces that suppress the initial fear memories. Whether similar processes occur in humans and how they relate to previously described neural mechanisms of episodic memory formation and retrieval remains unknown. Intracranial EEG recordings in epilepsy patients provide direct access to the deep brain structures of the fear and ex

SUBMITTER: Pacheco-Estefan D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12846920 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature