Brain mechanisms controlling Pavlovian fear conditioning.

A key insight of associative learning theory is that learning depends on the actions of prediction error: a discrepancy between the actual and expected outcomes of a conditioning trial. This view of learning has inspired, and in turn been supported by, work in the neurosciences ranging from single unit recording and neuroimaging studies to pharmacological, chemogenetic, and optogenetic interventions. Here we review evidence describing how error-correcting learning rules are instantiated in the activity of distributed neural circuits controlling the effectiveness of unconditioned stimuli during Pavlovian fear conditioning.

Distinct Accumbens Shell Output Pathways Promote versus Prevent Relapse to Alcohol Seeking.

Contexts exert bi-directional control over relapse to drug seeking. Contexts associated with drug self-administration promote relapse, whereas contexts associated with the absence of self-administration protect against relapse. The nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh) is a key brain region determining these roles of context.

Basolateral Amygdala Neurons Maintain Aversive Emotional Salience.

BLA neurons serve a well-accepted role in fear conditioning and fear extinction. However, the specific learning processes related to their activity at different times during learning remain poorly understood. We addressed this using behavioral tasks isolating distinct aspects of fear learning in male rats.