IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/nature/v463y2010i7277d10.1038_nature08637.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Preventing the return of fear in humans using reconsolidation update mechanisms

Author

Listed:
  • Daniela Schiller

    (Center for Neural Science,
    New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA)

  • Marie-H. Monfils

    (Center for Neural Science,
    University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA)

  • Candace M. Raio

    (New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA)

  • David C. Johnson

    (New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA)

  • Joseph E. LeDoux

    (Center for Neural Science,)

  • Elizabeth A. Phelps

    (Center for Neural Science,
    New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA)

Abstract

Recent research on changing fears has examined targeting reconsolidation. During reconsolidation, stored information is rendered labile after being retrieved. Pharmacological manipulations at this stage result in an inability to retrieve the memories at later times, suggesting that they are erased or persistently inhibited. Unfortunately, the use of these pharmacological manipulations in humans can be problematic. Here we introduce a non-invasive technique to target the reconsolidation of fear memories in humans. We provide evidence that old fear memories can be updated with non-fearful information provided during the reconsolidation window. As a consequence, fear responses are no longer expressed, an effect that lasted at least a year and was selective only to reactivated memories without affecting others. These findings demonstrate the adaptive role of reconsolidation as a window of opportunity to rewrite emotional memories, and suggest a non-invasive technique that can be used safely in humans to prevent the return of fear.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniela Schiller & Marie-H. Monfils & Candace M. Raio & David C. Johnson & Joseph E. LeDoux & Elizabeth A. Phelps, 2010. "Preventing the return of fear in humans using reconsolidation update mechanisms," Nature, Nature, vol. 463(7277), pages 49-53, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:463:y:2010:i:7277:d:10.1038_nature08637
    DOI: 10.1038/nature08637
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature08637
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/nature08637?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ella Gabitov & Arnaud Boutin & Basile Pinsard & Nitzan Censor & Stuart M Fogel & Geneviève Albouy & Bradley R King & Julie Carrier & Leonardo G Cohen & Avi Karni & Julien Doyon, 2019. "Susceptibility of consolidated procedural memory to interference is independent of its active task-based retrieval," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(1), pages 1-19, January.
    2. Yoav Kessler & Susan Vandermorris & Nigel Gopie & Alexander Daros & Gordon Winocur & Morris Moscovitch, 2014. "Divided Attention Improves Delayed, but Not Immediate Retrieval of a Consolidated Memory," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(3), pages 1-6, March.
    3. Amy L Cochran & Josh M Cisler, 2019. "A flexible and generalizable model of online latent-state learning," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(9), pages 1-31, September.
    4. Cecilia Forcato & María L C Rodríguez & María E Pedreira, 2011. "Repeated Labilization-Reconsolidation Processes Strengthen Declarative Memory in Humans," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(8), pages 1-14, August.
    5. Megan E. Speer & Sandra Ibrahim & Daniela Schiller & Mauricio R. Delgado, 2021. "Finding positive meaning in memories of negative events adaptively updates memory," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-11, December.
    6. Simon P Orozco & Scott T Albert & Reza Shadmehr, 2021. "Adaptive control of movement deceleration during saccades," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(7), pages 1-30, July.
    7. Mouna Maroun & Alexandra Kavushansky & Andrew Holmes & Cara Wellman & Helen Motanis, 2012. "Enhanced Extinction of Aversive Memories by High-Frequency Stimulation of the Rat Infralimbic Cortex," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(5), pages 1-8, May.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:463:y:2010:i:7277:d:10.1038_nature08637. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.