Stress following extinction learning leads to a context-dependent return of fear

It has been suggested that extinction-based therapy benefits from administration of the stress hormone cortisol. However, it is unclear whether similar effects can be obtained by inducing stress instead of administering cortisol, and whether the effects also persist if memory is tested in a different context (renewal test) or after exposure to an aversive stimulus (reinstatement). The present study therefore applied a fear conditioning (context A, day 1) and extinction (context B, day 2) paradigm in healthy men. After fear extinction, participants were exposed to a stress or control procedure (n = 20 each). Fear retrieval was tested in contexts A and B on day 3. Postextinction stress increased skin conductance responses to the extinguished stimulus in the retrieval and reinstatement test especially in the acquisition context. The context-dependent return of fear may reflect enhancing effects of stress on the consolidation of contextual cues.