Differential Acquisition, Extinction, and Reinstatement of Conditioned Suppression in Mice

Abstract

In animals, the reappearance of conditioned fear responses after extinction has been primarily investigated using single-cue conditioning paradigms. However, a differential paradigm can overcome several of the disadvantages associated with a single-cue procedure. In the present study, the reinstatement phenomenon was assessed in mice using a differential conditioned suppression paradigm. In a first phase, one conditioned stimulus (CS +) was consistently paired with an unconditioned stimulus (US; footshock) while another CS (CS–) was not, resulting in selective suppression of previously trained instrumental behaviour during the CS +. After the extinction phase, half of the animals (reinstatement group) were presented with unsignalled USs, while the other half were not (control group). A differential return of conditioned responding was observed in the reinstatement group, but not in the control group. The implications of these findings for future conditioning research are discussed.