RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Prefrontal inputs to the amygdala instruct fear extinction memory formation JF Science Advances JO Sci Adv FD American Association for the Advancement of Science SP e1500251 DO 10.1126/sciadv.1500251 VO 1 IS 6 A1 Bukalo, Olena A1 Pinard, Courtney R. A1 Silverstein, Shana A1 Brehm, Christina A1 Hartley, Nolan D. A1 Whittle, Nigel A1 Colacicco, Giovanni A1 Busch, Erica A1 Patel, Sachin A1 Singewald, Nicolas A1 Holmes, Andrew YR 2015 UL http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/6/e1500251.abstract AB Persistent anxiety after a psychological trauma is a hallmark of many anxiety disorders. However, the neural circuits mediating the extinction of traumatic fear memories remain incompletely understood. We show that selective, in vivo stimulation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC)–amygdala pathway facilitated extinction memory formation, but not retrieval. Conversely, silencing the vmPFC-amygdala pathway impaired extinction formation and reduced extinction-induced amygdala activity. Our data demonstrate a critical instructional role for the vmPFC-amygdala circuit in the formation of extinction memories. These findings advance our understanding of the neural basis of persistent fear, with implications for posttraumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders.