The Neural Basis of Avoidance Learning and Its Relation to Safety Processing

Abstract

Persistent avoidance plays a major role in maintaining anxiety disorders. The few studies that have explored the neural basis of avoidance have predominantly examined established avoidance behaviors rather than the learning processes that establish avoidance responses. We aimed to characterize the temporal dynamics and neural mechanisms of avoidance learning using a novel paradigm combined with 7 tesla fMRI in 82 healthy participants (37 male and 45 female). Participants were first conditioned to two threat stimuli and a compound safety stimulus. Next, they were trained to avoid one threat stimulus while the other remained unavoidable. Behavioral data confirmed accurate learning of task cont..