Abstract

LABRADOR ENCINAS, Francisco Javier  and  RESTREPO-CASTRO, Juan C. Intervention on the Reconsolidation Mechanism. Univ. Psychol. [online]. 2015, vol.14, n.3, pp.961-966. ISSN 1657-9267.  https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.upsy14-3.ismr.

At the present, effective treatments are available to reduce anxiety symptoms and their associated distress. Nevertheless, it is frequently observed that anxiety responses are recovered after extinction, without being clear the responsible mechanism of such phenomenon. For decades, it has been presumed the existence of a reconsolidation mechanism. Such mechanism is thought to participate in the re-storage of memories that have been evoked. Recent research apparently reveals that intervention on reconsolidation mechanisms prevents the recovery of anxiety responses that have been previously extinguished. Intervention on these mechanisms could represent an alternative to current psychological treatments for anxiety disorders based on exposure procedures. The objective of the present work is to review the evidence on reconsolidation mechanisms and its effects on the reduction of anxiety responses. Finally some clinical implications will be discussed.

Keywords : reconsolidation; extinction; fear conditioning; anxiety disorders.

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