6533b82dfe1ef96bd1291490
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Beyond the classic extinction network: a wider, comparative view
Dagmar TimmannMichael A. NitscheMaik C. StüttgenSarah StarostaRoland PuschMeng GaoMark E. LaddThomas M. ErnstHarald H. QuickOnur Güntürkünsubject
0303 health sciencesExtinctionMedizinAstronomysocial sciencesmusculoskeletal systemhumanities03 medical and health sciences0302 clinical medicineNeurologynatural sciencesNeurology (clinical)Psychologygeographic locations030217 neurology & neurosurgery030304 developmental biologydescription
Abstract Extinction learning modifies the dynamics of brain circuits such that a previously learned conditioned response is no longer generated. The majority of extinction studies use fear conditioning in rodents and identified the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus, and the amygdala as core regions of the extinction circuit. We sought to find answers to two questions: First, do we find a similar functional brain circuit in birds, which underwent a 300-million-year separate evolution from mammals? Second, do we have to incorporate the cerebellum as a key component of the central extinction circuit? We indeed show that the avian extinction pathways are not identical but highly similar to those of mammals. In addition, we reveal that the human cerebellum processes prediction errors, a key element driving extinction of learned fear responses, and contributes to context-related effects of extinction.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-07-31 | Neuroforum |