scholarly journals Individual Differences in Conditioned Fear and Extinction in Female Rats

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah C. Tryon ◽  
Iris M. Sakamoto ◽  
Devin M. Kellis ◽  
Kris F. Kaigler ◽  
Marlene A. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Conditioned Fear ◽  
Fear Extinction ◽  
Freezing Behavior ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Fear Learning ◽  
Initial Exposure ◽  
Testing Environment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Distress Vocalizations

The inability to extinguish a traumatic memory is a key aspect of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While PTSD affects 10–20% of individuals who experience a trauma, women are particularly susceptible to developing the disorder. Despite this notable female vulnerability, few studies have investigated this particular resistance to fear extinction observed in females. Similar to humans, rodent models of Pavlovian fear learning and extinction show a wide range of individual differences in fear learning and extinction, although female rodents are considerably understudied. Therefore, the present study examined individual differences in fear responses, including freezing behavior and ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), of female Long–Evans rats during acquisition of fear conditioning and cued fear extinction. Similar to prior studies in males, female rats displayed individual variation in freezing during cued fear extinction and were divided into extinction competent (EC) and extinction resistant (ER) phenotypes. Differences in freezing between ER and EC females were accompanied by shifts in rearing during extinction, but no darting was seen in any trial. Freezing behavior during fear learning did not differ between the EC and ER females. Vocalizations emitted in the 22 and 50 kHz ranges during fear learning and extinction were also examined. Unlike vocalizations seen in previous studies in males, very few 22 kHz distress vocalizations were emitted by female rats during fear acquisition and extinction, with no difference between ER and EC groups. Interestingly, all female rats produced significant levels of 50 kHz USVs, and EC females emitted significantly more 50 kHz USVs than ER rats. This difference in 50 kHz USVs was most apparent during initial exposure to the testing environment. These results suggest that like males, female rodents show individual differences in both freezing and USVs during fear extinction, although females appear to vocalize more in the 50 kHz range, especially during initial periods of exposure to the testing environment, and emit very few of the 22 kHz distress calls that are typically observed in males during fear learning or extinction paradigms. Overall, these findings show that female rodents display fear behavior repertoires divergent from males.

scholarly journals Fear Extinction and Predictive Trait-Like Inter-Individual Differences in Rats Lacking the Serotonin Transporter

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 7088
Author(s):  
Maria Willadsen ◽  
Metin Üngör ◽  
Anna Sługocka ◽  
Rainer K. W. Schwarting ◽  
Judith R. Homberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Fear Conditioning ◽  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Fear Extinction ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Novelty Seeking ◽  
Conditioning Paradigm ◽  
Predictive Quality ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Wildtype Littermate

Anxiety disorders are associated with a failure to sufficiently extinguish fear memories. The serotonergic system (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) with the 5-HT transporter (5-HTT, SERT) is strongly implicated in the regulation of anxiety and fear. In the present study, we examined the effects of SERT deficiency on fear extinction in a differential fear conditioning paradigm in male and female rats. Fear-related behavior displayed during acquisition, extinction, and recovery, was measured through quantification of immobility and alarm 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USV). Trait-like inter-individual differences in novelty-seeking, anxiety-related behavior, habituation learning, cognitive performance, and pain sensitivity were examined for their predictive value in forecasting fear extinction. Our results show that SERT deficiency strongly affected the emission of 22-kHz USV during differential fear conditioning. During acquisition, extinction, and recovery, SERT deficiency consistently led to a reduction in 22-kHz USV emission. While SERT deficiency did not affect immobility during acquisition, genotype differences started to emerge during extinction, and during recovery rats lacking SERT showed higher levels of immobility than wildtype littermate controls. Recovery was reflected in increased levels of immobility but not 22-kHz USV emission. Prominent sex differences were evident. Among several measures for trait-like inter-individual differences, anxiety-related behavior had the best predictive quality.

scholarly journals Individual differences in fear acquisition: multivariate analyses of different emotional negativity scales, physiological responding, subjective measures, and neural activation

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Sjouwerman ◽  
Robert Scharfenort ◽  
Tina B. Lonsdorf
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Conditioned Fear ◽  
Negative Emotionality ◽  
Fear Learning ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Latent Factors ◽  
Sampling Distributions ◽  
Behavioral Studies ◽  
Shared Variance

Abstract Negative emotionality is a well-established and stable risk factor for affective disorders. Individual differences in negative emotionality have been linked to associative learning processes which can be captured experimentally by computing CS-discrimination values in fear conditioning paradigms. Literature suffers from underpowered samples, suboptimal methods, and an isolated focus on single questionnaires and single outcome measures. First, the specific and shared variance across three commonly employed questionnaires [STAI-T, NEO-FFI-Neuroticism, Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) Scale] in relation to CS-discrimination during fear-acquisition in multiple analysis units (ratings, skin conductance, startle) is addressed (NStudy1 = 356). A specific significant negative association between STAI-T and CS-discrimination in SCRs and between IU and CS-discrimination in startle responding was identified in multimodal and dimensional analyses, but also between latent factors negative emotionality and fear learning, which capture shared variance across questionnaires/scales and across outcome measures. Second, STAI-T was positively associated with CS-discrimination in a number of brain areas linked to conditioned fear (amygdala, putamen, thalamus), but not to SCRs or ratings (NStudy2 = 113). Importantly, we replicate potential sampling biases between fMRI and behavioral studies regarding anxiety levels. Future studies are needed to target wide sampling distributions for STAI-T and verify whether current findings are generalizable to other samples.

Estradiol and Sex Differences in Generalized Fear

2020 ◽  
pp. 433-455
Author(s):  
Jordan M. Adkins ◽  
Aaron M. Jasnow ◽  
Joseph F. Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Fear Extinction ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Fear Learning ◽  
Ca1 Region ◽  
Glutamatergic Signaling ◽  
Fear Generalization

In the United States, the prevalence of psychiatric disorders has reached nearly epidemic proportions. Years of research has focused on the link between 17β‎-estradiol and the sex differences observed in anxiety disorders. Evidence suggests that estradiol plays a critical role in the way female rodents and women respond in various tasks assessing anxiety-like behaviors, fear learning, and fear extinction. One hallmark feature of many anxiety disorders is the tendency to express fear to nonthreatening contexts or cues. This generalized fear supports spreading of fear responses and can serve to maintain anxiety states. This chapter reviews the literature linking estradiol to anxiety behavior in female rodents and anxiety in women, including research on estradiol in fear learning and fear extinction. The chapter also presents data suggesting that female rats generalize fear at a faster rate than males, and this is due to estradiol. Through a series of experiments, the authors determine that estradiol promotes contextual fear generalization in female rats through activation of cytosolic estrogen receptor beta (ERβ‎) within the dorsal CA1 region of the hippocampus (dCA1). Additionally, estradiol promotes fear generalization likely through augmented glutamatergic signaling within the dCA1 and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). However, in males, estradiol (and testosterone) function to reduce fear generalization and do so by activation of both ERβ‎ and ERα‎ within the dCA1. Understanding the neural mechanisms underlying the critical role of estradiol in context fear generalization will yield the knowledge and information necessary for developing novel, sex-specific, treatments for anxiety disorders.

Group Experiences and Individual Differences in Stuttering

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (12) ◽  
pp. 4335-4350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth E. Tichenor ◽  
J. Scott Yaruss
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Group Experiences ◽  
History Of ◽  
Adults Who Stutter

Purpose This study explored group experiences and individual differences in the behaviors, thoughts, and feelings perceived by adults who stutter. Respondents' goals when speaking and prior participation in self-help/support groups were used to predict individual differences in reported behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. Method In this study, 502 adults who stutter completed a survey examining their behaviors, thoughts, and feelings in and around moments of stuttering. Data were analyzed to determine distributions of group and individual experiences. Results Speakers reported experiencing a wide range of both overt behaviors (e.g., repetitions) and covert behaviors (e.g., remaining silent, choosing not to speak). Having the goal of not stuttering when speaking was significantly associated with more covert behaviors and more negative cognitive and affective states, whereas a history of self-help/support group participation was significantly associated with a decreased probability of these behaviors and states. Conclusion Data from this survey suggest that participating in self-help/support groups and having a goal of communicating freely (as opposed to trying not to stutter) are associated with less negative life outcomes due to stuttering. Results further indicate that the behaviors, thoughts, and experiences most commonly reported by speakers may not be those that are most readily observed by listeners.

The effect of compound stimulus to conditioned fear extinction in retrieval-extinction paradigm

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 329
Author(s):  
Chuqun ZHUANG ◽  
Wenqing WANG ◽  
Jingchu HU ◽  
Weixin ZHANG ◽  
Penggui WANG ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Compound Stimulus ◽  
Conditioned Fear ◽  
Fear Extinction

scholarly journals Observational Fear Learning in Rats: Role of Trait Anxiety and Ultrasonic Vocalization

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 423
Author(s):  
Markus Fendt ◽  
Claudia Paulina Gonzalez-Guerrero ◽  
Evelyn Kahl
Keyword(s):  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Conditioned Fear ◽  
Ultrasonic Vocalization ◽  
Fear Learning ◽  
Anxiety State ◽  
Learning Procedure ◽  
The Social ◽  
Medium Level ◽  
Male Wistar Rats

Rats can acquire fear by observing conspecifics that express fear in the presence of conditioned fear stimuli. This process is called observational fear learning and is based on the social transmission of the demonstrator rat’s emotion and the induction of an empathy-like or anxiety state in the observer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of trait anxiety and ultrasonic vocalization in observational fear learning. Two experiments with male Wistar rats were performed. In the first experiment, trait anxiety was assessed in a light–dark box test before the rats were submitted to the observational fear learning procedure. In the second experiment, ultrasonic vocalization was recorded throughout the whole observational fear learning procedure, and 22 kHz and 50 kHz calls were analyzed. The results of our study show that trait anxiety differently affects direct fear learning and observational fear learning. Direct fear learning was more pronounced with higher trait anxiety, while observational fear learning was the best with a medium-level of trait anxiety. There were no indications in the present study that ultrasonic vocalization, especially emission of 22 kHz calls, but also 50 kHz calls, are critical for observational fear learning.

scholarly journals Fear conditioning and stimulus generalization in association with age in children and adolescents

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Reinhard ◽  
Anna Slyschak ◽  
Miriam A. Schiele ◽  
Marta Andreatta ◽  
Katharina Kneer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Fear Conditioning ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Conditioned Fear ◽  
Fear Learning ◽  
Stimulus Generalization ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Current Task

AbstractThe aim of the study was to investigate age-related differences in fear learning and generalization in healthy children and adolescents (n = 133), aged 8–17 years, using an aversive discriminative fear conditioning and generalization paradigm adapted from Lau et al. (2008). In the current task, participants underwent 24 trials of discriminative conditioning of two female faces with neutral facial expressions, with (CS+) or without (CS−) a 95-dB loud female scream, presented simultaneously with a fearful facial expression (US). The discriminative conditioning was followed by 72 generalization trials (12 CS+, 12 GS1, 12 GS2, 12 GS3, 12 GS4, and 12 CS−): four generalization stimuli depicting gradual morphs from CS+ to CS− in 20%-steps were created for the generalization phases. We hypothesized that generalization in children and adolescents is negatively correlated with age. The subjective ratings of valence, arousal, and US expectancy (the probability of an aversive noise following each stimulus), as well as skin conductance responses (SCRs) were measured. Repeated-measures ANOVAs on ratings and SCR amplitudes were calculated with the within-subject factors stimulus type (CS+, CS−, GS1-4) and phase (Pre-Acquisition, Acquisition 1, Acquisition 2, Generalization 1, Generalization 2). To analyze the modulatory role of age, we additionally calculated ANCOVAs considering age as covariate. Results indicated that (1) subjective and physiological responses were generally lower with increasing age irrespective to the stimulus quality, and (2) stimulus discrimination improved with increasing age paralleled by reduced overgeneralization in older individuals. Longitudinal follow-up studies are required to analyze fear generalization with regard to brain maturational aspects and clarify whether overgeneralization of conditioned fear promotes the development of anxiety disorders or vice versa.

scholarly journals Npas4a expression in the teleost forebrain is associated with stress coping style differences in fear learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew R. Baker ◽  
Ryan Y. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Coping Style ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Conditioned Fear ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Contextual Fear Conditioning ◽  
Fear Learning ◽  
Stress Coping ◽  
Contextual Fear

AbstractLearning to anticipate potentially dangerous contexts is an adaptive behavioral response to coping with stressors. An animal’s stress coping style (e.g. proactive–reactive axis) is known to influence how it encodes salient events. However, the neural and molecular mechanisms underlying these stress coping style differences in learning are unknown. Further, while a number of neuroplasticity-related genes have been associated with alternative stress coping styles, it is unclear if these genes may bias the development of conditioned behavioral responses to stressful stimuli, and if so, which brain regions are involved. Here, we trained adult zebrafish to associate a naturally aversive olfactory cue with a given context. Next, we investigated if expression of two neural plasticity and neurotransmission-related genes (npas4a and gabbr1a) were associated with the contextual fear conditioning differences between proactive and reactive stress coping styles. Reactive zebrafish developed a stronger conditioned fear response and showed significantly higher npas4a expression in the medial and lateral zones of the dorsal telencephalon (Dm, Dl), and the supracommissural nucleus of the ventral telencephalon (Vs). Our findings suggest that the expression of activity-dependent genes like npas4a may be differentially expressed across several interconnected forebrain regions in response to fearful stimuli and promote biases in fear learning among different stress coping styles.

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