Contingency Awareness and Fear Inhibition in a Human Fear-Potentiated Startle Paradigm

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Tanja Jovanovic, Emory University; Seth Davin Norrholm, Emory University; Ana Fiallos, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Karyn M. Myers, Emory University; Michael Davis, Emory University; Megan Keyes, Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Sasa Jovanovic, OKI Telecom; Erica Duncan, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2006-10
• Publisher: American Psychological Association
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: Copyright 2006 by the American Psychological Association
• Final Published Version (URL): http://www.apa.org/
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Behavioral Neuroscience
• ISSN: 0735-7044
• Volume: 120
• Issue: 5
• Start Page: 995
• End Page: 1004
• Grant/Funding Information: This research was supported by the Mental Health Service, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center; the Science and Technology Center Program, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, National Science Foundation under Agreement No. IBN-9876754 (Venture grant to Erica J. Duncan, principal investigator [PI]); the American Psychiatric Association and GlaxoSmithKline (Erica J. Duncan, PI); National Institute of Mental Health Grants 1R24MH067314-01A1 (B. Rothbaum, PI) and R37 MH47840 (Michael Davis, PI); Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Fellowship 1F32 MH070129-01A2 (Tanja Jovanovic, PI); and the Woodruff Foundation, Emory University School of Medicine.
• Keywords: fear inhibition; contingency awareness; human startle response; discrimination learning
• Research Categories: Psychology, Behavioral; Biology, Neuroscience

Abstract

Fear-potentiated startle is defined as an increase in the magnitude of the startle reflex in the presence of a stimulus that was previously paired with an aversive event. It has been proposed that a subject’s awareness of the contingencies in the experiment may affect fear-potentiated startle. The authors adapted a conditional discrimination procedure (AX+/BX−), previously validated in animals, to a human fear-potentiated startle paradigm in 50 healthy volunteers. This paradigm allows for an assessment of fear-potentiated startle during threat conditions as well as inhibition of fear-potentiated startle during safety conditions. A response keypad was used to assess contingency awareness on a trial-by-trial basis. Both aware and unaware subjects showed fear-potentiated startle. However, awareness was related to stimulus discrimination and fear inhibition.