Abstract
Background: Unpredictability has been postulated to be fundamental to anxiety and
mood disorders. The origin of this unpredictability remains obscure. Because classical
conditioning promotes predictability, this study investigated whether failure to learn
conditioned stimulus (CS)-unconditioned stimulus (US) relationship during fear conditioning
increased anxiety and avoidance.
Methods: Healthy subjects participated in two similar differential fear conditioning
sessions separated by 1 week (n = 72) or a month (n = 61) in which one of two conditioned stimuli was associated with a shock/US. Following
initial acquisition, subjects’ awareness of CS-US relationship was assessed. Conditioned
responses (CR) to the CS and to the experimental context were examined using the startle
reflex and the skin conductance. Avoidance was operationally defined as failure to
return for the second session.
Results: Only aware subjects showed differential CR. In the unaware subjects, the
deficit in differential conditioning was associated with increased signs of anxiety
during the first and second sessions. In addition, there was greater avoidance in
the unaware subjects.
Conclusions: Deficits in explicit cue fear conditioning can enhance anxiety. These
findings are consistent with theories that associate anxiety and mood disorders with
perceived unpredictability. Contextual conditioning models may be relevant to study
chronic forms of anxiety.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
December 6,
2001
Received in revised form:
November 30,
2001
Received:
September 17,
2001
Identification
Copyright
© 2002 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
