Observation of others' threat reactions recovers memories previously shaped by firsthand experiences.

ABSTRACT: Information about dangers can spread effectively by observation of others' threat responses. Yet, it is unclear if such observational threat information interacts with associative memories that are shaped by the individual's direct, firsthand experiences. Here, we show in humans and rats that the mere observation of a conspecific's threat reactions reinstates previously learned and extinguished threat responses in the observer. In two experiments, human participants displayed elevated physiological responses to threat-conditioned cues after observational reinstatement in a context-specific manner. The elevation of physiological responses (arousal) was further specific to the context that was observed as dangerous. An analogous experiment in rats provided converging results by demonstrating

SUBMITTER: Haaker J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8325359 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature