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Updated: Sep 16, 2025

Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear
Published on: August 24, 2012
Puberty, sex, and fear extinction retention: A neuroimaging study in youth
Sneha Bhargava1, Clara G Zundel1, MacKenna Shampine1
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 3901 Chrysler Service Dr, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
Abstract:
Anxiety disorders affect 31.1 % of U.S. adults, with females exhibiting twice the prevalence of males. While sex differences are well-documented, underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Advanced pubertal status is linked to increased anxiety symptoms in females but not males, suggesting puberty contributes to sex differences in fear-based disorders. Deficits in fear extinction and retention are implicated in anxiety, and prior research suggests sex hormones influence extinction retention. This study examined sex assigned at birth (parent-reported) and pubertal status (self-reported) on extinction retention in 101 youth (47.5 % female) using a Pavlovian fear extinction paradigm. Measures included self-reported anxiety symptoms, extinction retention, and neural activation in the amygdala, hippocampus, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).
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