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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.
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Updated: Jul 14, 2025

Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear
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Memory Trace for Fear Extinction: Fragile yet Reinforceable.

Ying Liu1, Shuai Ye1, Xin-Ni Li1

  • 1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Huashan Hospital, Institute for Translational Brain Research, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.

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|October 9, 2023
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Summary

Fear extinction involves new learning, forming a fragile memory that competes with original fear memory. Understanding the brain

Keywords:
Basolateral amygdalaFear extinction memoryFear relapseInsular cortexMedial prefrontal cortexMemory traceSynaptic adaptationsVentral hippocampus

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Behavioral Biology
  • Memory Research

Background:

  • Fear extinction is a crucial adaptive process where learned fear diminishes without reinforcement.
  • Extinction is hypothesized as new learning, creating a new memory distinct from the original fear memory.
  • The neural underpinnings and engram dynamics of this fragile extinction memory are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advances in understanding the neural circuits and plasticity involved in fear extinction.
  • To explore the cellular and synaptic traces of extinction memory.
  • To establish a framework for the dynamic interplay between fear and extinction memories.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on engram circuits and neural connectivity plasticity.
  • Analysis of cellular and synaptic mechanisms underlying memory formation and recall.
  • Conceptual integration of findings to explain memory competition.

Main Results:

  • Extinction learning involves specific engram neurons forming a dynamic functional construct.
  • Extinction memory is inherently fragile but can be reinforced.
  • Neural connectivity plasticity plays a key role in storing and expressing extinction memory.

Conclusions:

  • The engram circuits and their plasticity are critical for fear extinction.
  • Understanding the competition between fear and extinction memories is key to controlling fear responses.
  • Further research into the dynamic nature of extinction memory engrams is warranted.