Psychological Development and Education ›› 2022, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (2): 295-304.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2022.02.17

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Neurobehavioral Perspectives on the Developmental of Fear Learning

ZHOU Xiao1, ZHAO Yiyan2, HUANG Lihui1, LEI Yi2   

  1. 1. Faculty of Educational Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610101;
    2. Institute for Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610101
  • Published:2022-03-24

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Abstract: Fear can help individuals defend against threatening situations. Studies demonstrate that fear develops in infancy, but amygdala-dependent fear learning does not occur in this period. Whereas, amygdala functional connectivity can predict the early fear response. Fear in childhood is characterized by deficit in safety learning and over-generalization, which are consistent with a slowly developing hippocampal learning system that leads to a dissociation between old and new stimuli. Adolescents exhibit impairing fear extinction due to the late maturation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Although fear is essential for survival, its impairment is a hallmark of psychiatric disorders including anxiety disorder. We review the existing evidence for the abnormal acquisition, extinction and generalization in adolescents with anxiety disorders. Finally, we provide an updated view for future research including increasing research on developmental populations especially in infantcy, innovating fear research paradigm which is more suitable for adolescents and developing safe and effective interventions to further promote our understanding of anxiety disorders in adolescents.

Key words: fear learning, adolescent, neural mechanism, anxiety disorder

CLC Number: 

  • B844
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