Hippocampal but not amygdalar volume affects contextual fear conditioning in humans.

ABSTRACT: Both animal and human studies have identified a critical role of the hippocampus in contextual fear conditioning. In humans mainly functional magnetic resonance imaging has been used. To extend these findings to volumetric properties, 58 healthy participants underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging and participated in a differential fear conditioning paradigm with contextual stimuli. Ratings of emotional valence, arousal, and contingency as well as skin conductance responses (SCRs) were used as indicators of conditioning. Twenty-nine participants with the smallest hippocampal volumes were compared with 29 persons with the largest hippocampal volumes. Persons with larger hippocampal volume (especially on the right side) learned to discriminate between two conditioned contexts, wherea

SUBMITTER: Pohlack ST 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6870016 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature