AUTHOR=Salinas-Hernández Ximena I. , Duvarci Sevil TITLE=Dopamine in Fear Extinction JOURNAL=Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience VOLUME=13 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/synaptic-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnsyn.2021.635879 DOI=10.3389/fnsyn.2021.635879 ISSN=1663-3563 ABSTRACT=

The ability to extinguish fear memories when threats are no longer present is critical for adaptive behavior. Fear extinction represents a new learning process that eventually leads to the formation of extinction memories. Understanding the neural basis of fear extinction has considerable clinical significance as deficits in extinction learning are the hallmark of human anxiety disorders. In recent years, the dopamine (DA) system has emerged as one of the key regulators of fear extinction. In this review article, we highlight recent advances that have demonstrated the crucial role DA plays in mediating different phases of fear extinction. Emerging concepts and outstanding questions for future research are also discussed.