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Fear Incubation Using an Extended Fear-Conditioning Protocol for Rats
Published on: August 22, 2020
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Fear Incubation Using an Extended Fear-Conditioning Protocol for Rats
César Acevedo-Triana1, Javier L Rico2, Leonardo A Ortega2
1School of Psychology, Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia; Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Journal of Visualized Experiments : Jove
|September 7, 2020
Summary
This study introduces an extended fear-conditioning protocol in rats, demonstrating overtraining and fear incubation. The findings reveal long-lasting fear responses, offering insights into emotional memory and PTSD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Psychology
- Animal Models
Background:
- Emotional memory is often studied using fear-conditioning paradigms in rats.
- Standard protocols involve few tone-shock pairings, but extended training is crucial for understanding fear incubation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe an extended fear-conditioning protocol that induces overtraining and fear incubation in rats.
- To compare conditioned freezing responses at short-term and long-term intervals after training.
Main Methods:
- An extended fear-conditioning protocol with 25 tone-shock pairings in a single session was used.
- Conditioned freezing responses were assessed in both context and cue tests at 48 hours and 6 weeks post-training.
Main Results:
- The protocol successfully induced overtraining and subsequent fear incubation.
- Fear responses showed a long-lasting effect, increasing over time without further conditioning.
Conclusions:
- The described protocol is effective for studying overtraining and fear incubation in rats.
- This model provides valuable insights into the neurobiological mechanisms of long-lasting emotional memories and their relation to conditions like PTSD.
