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Related Concept Videos

Role of Amygdala in Memory01:16

Role of Amygdala in Memory

The amygdala is a small, almond-shaped structure responsible for processing and storing memories, particularly those linked to emotions like fear and stress. It plays an essential role in the brain's response to emotionally significant events and often enhances memory formation by triggering stress hormone release. The amygdala is vital for encoding and retrieving memories associated with fear or stress, a process that is adaptive by helping organisms avoid dangerous situations.
One of the...
Implicit Memories01:24

Implicit Memories

Implicit memories, also known as non-declarative memories, are long-term memories that function outside of conscious awareness. These memories influence behavior and skills without explicit knowledge. This type of memory is evident in tasks like playing tennis, snowboarding, and texting. Implicit memory has three subsystems: procedural memory, conditioning, and priming. This type of memory is essential in various activities, from everyday tasks to specialized skills.
One key aspect of implicit...
Functional Brain Systems: Limbic System01:15

Functional Brain Systems: Limbic System

The limbic system, often called the "emotional brain," is a complex set of structures located deep within the brain. The intricate network of the limbic system supports a wide range of psychological functions, from emotional regulation to memory formation and sensory processing. This functional brain region encompasses specific parts of the diencephalon and the cerebrum, integrating the higher mental functions of the cerebral cortex with the primitive emotional responses of the deep brain...
Traumatic Memory01:20

Traumatic Memory

Emotionally traumatic events often lead to memories that are exceptionally vivid and enduring, sometimes persisting with remarkable clarity throughout an individual's life. A classic example of this phenomenon is a person who survives a car accident. Even years later, they may recall every detail of the event with startling accuracy — the screeching of the tires, the jarring impact, and the acrid smell of burning rubber. Such vividness contrasts sharply with how an individual remembers mundane...
Explicit Memories01:27

Explicit Memories

Explicit memories, also known as declarative memories, are consciously remembered, recalled, and reported. Studying for a chemistry exam involves material that will become part of explicit memory. There are two types of explicit memory: episodic and semantic.
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Preparedness and Phobias01:09

Preparedness and Phobias

Human fear responses to certain stimuli, such as darkness, heights, deep water, and blood, can often arise despite the absence of direct negative experiences. This phenomenon is rooted in evolutionary psychology, which posits that humans have developed a predisposition to fear stimuli that historically posed significant survival threats. This predisposition, known as preparedness, suggests that early humans who developed a fear of potentially dangerous entities, such as venomous snakes and...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear
11:17

Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear

Published on: August 24, 2012

Neural substrates of explicit and implicit fear memory.

David C Knight1, Najah S Waters, Peter A Bandettini

  • 1Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. knightdc@uab.edu

Neuroimage
|December 23, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Explicit and implicit fear memory involve distinct brain processes. The hippocampus supports explicit fear memory with awareness, while the amygdala mediates implicit fear responses, even without awareness.

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Last Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear
11:17

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Published on: August 24, 2012

Investigating the Neural Mechanisms of Aware and Unaware Fear Memory with fMRI
12:51

Investigating the Neural Mechanisms of Aware and Unaware Fear Memory with fMRI

Published on: October 6, 2011

Trace Fear Conditioning in Mice
07:02

Trace Fear Conditioning in Mice

Published on: March 20, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Memory Research

Background:

  • Fearful experiences are processed by distinct explicit and implicit memory systems.
  • Understanding the neural basis of these separate processes is crucial for memory research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify brain regions supporting explicit and implicit fear memory.
  • To differentiate neural correlates of fear conditioning with and without awareness.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during Pavlovian fear conditioning.
  • Measuring contingency awareness, conditional fear expression, and brain activity.
  • Using supra- and sub-threshold auditory stimuli to manipulate awareness.

Main Results:

  • Hippocampal and parahippocampal activity correlated with contingency awareness on perceived trials.
  • Conditional fear and amygdala activity occurred on both perceived and unperceived trials.
  • Implicit fear memory and amygdala activation were independent of awareness.

Conclusions:

  • The hippocampus and parahippocampus are involved in explicit fear memory, requiring awareness.
  • The amygdala plays a key role in implicit fear memory, operating independently of awareness.
  • Distinct neural pathways mediate explicit and implicit fear memory processes.