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Updated: Aug 8, 2026
11:17
Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear
Published on: August 24, 2012
Summary
Rats showed suppressed food-seeking behavior after avoidance training. This conditioned suppression effect lasted longer than previously observed in animal studies.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral neuroscience
- Animal learning
- Conditioned suppression
Background:
- Operant conditioning and avoidance learning are fundamental concepts in behavioral psychology.
- Previous research has primarily focused on shorter-term conditioned suppression effects in animals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the duration and impact of avoidance procedures on food-reinforced operant responding in rats.
- To determine if conditioned suppression extends beyond previously established time scales.
Main Methods:
- Rats were housed in conditioning chambers with continuous access to food-reinforced tasks.
- Daily avoidance sessions were introduced, with food-reinforced responding measured before and after these sessions.
Main Results:
- The avoidance procedure significantly disrupted ongoing food-reinforced responding in rats.
- This disruption, indicative of conditioned suppression, persisted for a duration longer than typically reported in nonhuman animal models.
Conclusions:
- Avoidance learning can induce conditioned suppression of motivated behaviors over extended periods.
- Findings suggest that the temporal dynamics of conditioned suppression in animals may be broader than previously understood, with implications for understanding fear and anxiety conditioning.
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