Figure 2.

Fear extinction and brain processes. (A) Schematic representation of fear extinction. (B) Conceptualisation of fear extinction in terms of the top-down regulation of the amygdala by the medial prefrontal cortex, with additional variables influencing the process. (C) Schematic representation of the connections between some of the brain regions involved, emphasising a non-hierarchical view of the processes leading to fear extinction. The descriptors “valence,” “regulation,” and so on, are not tied to brain areas in any straightforward one-to-one fashion. Abbreviations: CS, conditioned stimulus; MPFC, medial prefrontal cortex OFC, orbitofrontal cortex.