Influence of Perceptual and Conceptual Information on Fear Generalization: A Behavioral and Event-Related Potential Study.
Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci
; 21(5): 1054-1065, 2021 10.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34021495
ABSTRACT
Learned fear can be generalized through both perceptual and conceptual information. This study investigated how perceptual and conceptual similarities influence this generalization process. Twenty-three healthy volunteers completed a fear-generalization test as brain activity was recorded in the form of event-related potentials (ERPs). Participants were exposed to a de novo fear acquisition paradigm with four categories of conditioned stimuli (CS) two conceptual cues (animals and furniture); and two perceptual cues (blue and purple shapes). Animals (C+) and purple shapes (P+) were paired with the unconditioned stimulus (US), whereas furniture (C-) and blue shapes (P-) never were. The generalized stimuli were thus blue animals (C+P+, determined danger), blue furniture (C-P+, perceptual danger), purple animals (C+P-, conceptual danger), and purple furniture (C-P-, determined safe). We found that perceptual cues elicited larger fear responses and shorter reaction times than did conceptual cues during fear acquisition. This suggests that a perceptually related pathway might evoke greater fear than a conceptually based route. During generalization, participants were more afraid of C+ exemplars than of C- exemplars. Furthermore, C+ trials elicited greater N400 amplitudes. Thus, participants appear able to use conceptually based cues to infer the value of the current stimuli. Additionally, compared with C+ exemplars, we found an enhanced late positive potential effect in response to C- exemplars, which seems to reflect a late inhibitory process and might index safety learning. These findings may offer new insights into the pathological mechanism of anxiety disorders.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Eletroencefalografia
/
Potenciais Evocados
Limite:
Female
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Humans
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Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci
Assunto da revista:
CIENCIAS DO COMPORTAMENTO
/
NEUROLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
China