Extinction depends, at least partly, on new learning that is specific to the context
in which it is learned. Several behavioral phenomena (renewal, reinstatement, spontaneous
recovery, and rapid reacquisition) suggest the importance of context in extinction.
The present article reviews research on the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms
of contextual influences on extinction learning and retrieval. Contexts appear to
select or retrieve the current relationship of the conditional stimulus (CS) with
the unconditional stimulus (US), and they are provided by physical background cues,
interoceptive drug cues, emotions, recent trials, and the passage of time. The current
article pays particular attention to the effects of recent trials and trial spacing.
Control of fear extinction by physical context involves interactions between the dorsal
hippocampus and the lateral nucleus of the amygdala. This interaction may be mediated
by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic and adrenergic mechanisms.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 10, 2006
Accepted:
December 22,
2005
Received in revised form:
November 23,
2005
Received:
June 15,
2005
Identification
Copyright
© 2006 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
