Citation

Lebois LAM, Seligowski AV, Wolff JD, Hill SB, Ressler KJ. Annu. Rev. Clin. Psychol. 2019; 15: 257-284.

Affiliation

Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478, USA; email: kressler@mclean.harvard.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Annual Reviews)

DOI

10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050718-095634

PMID

30698994

Abstract

Although the fear response is an adaptive response to threatening situations, a number of psychiatric disorders feature prominent fear-related symptoms caused, in part, by failures of extinction and inhibitory learning. The translational nature of fear conditioning paradigms has enabled us to develop a nuanced understanding of extinction and inhibitory learning based on the molecular substrates to systems neural circuitry and psychological mechanisms. This knowledge has facilitated the development of novel interventions that may augment extinction and inhibitory learning. These interventions include nonpharmacological techniques, such as behavioral methods to implement during psychotherapy, as well as device-based stimulation techniques that enhance or reduce activity in different regions of the brain. There is also emerging support for a number of psychopharmacological interventions that may augment extinction and inhibitory learning specifically if administered in conjunction with exposure-based psychotherapy. This growing body of research may offer promising novel techniques to address debilitating transdiagnostic fear-related symptoms. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology Volume 15 is May 7, 2019 Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Language: en