Circuit-informed modulation of traumatic memory in PTSD: integrating extinction, suppression, and reconsolidation.
Xin Yi, Yuan-Bo Zhang, Tong-Zhou Yu, Xiaoyu Yang, Peng He, Hai-Ling Li, Wei-Guang Li
Molecular Psychiatry June 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-026-03458-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | PTSD |
| Key findings | Integrating extinction reinforcement with voluntary memory control and reconsolidation editing offers a coherent route to more durable relief from traumatic memories in PTSD. |
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) persists when stress biases memory systems-broadening threat engrams, weakening context-appropriate inhibition, and rendering extinction fragile. Integrating preclinical and human evidence, we argue that these liabilities are tractable within a circuit-informed framework that aligns behavioral procedures with the biology of fear memory. Extinction can be stabilized by preferentially engaging hippocampal-prefrontal-amygdala pathways and their thalamic coordinators; targeted training and sleep-based reactivation strengthen top-down control over intrusions and sharpen discrimination between safety and threat. Brief, prediction-error-rich retrieval opens a reconsolidation window through which maladaptive content can be updated; pairing this window with state-aligned neuromodulation or phase-specific psychedelic pharmacology biases plasticity toward safety without relying on nonspecific anxiolysis. Framed this way, integrating extinction reinforcement with voluntary memory control and reconsolidation editing offers a coherent route to more durable relief from traumatic memories in PTSD.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on PTSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychedelic Psychiatry's Brave New World. | 2020 | Review | |
| Reviewing the Potential of Psychedelics for the Treatment of PTSD | 2020 | Review | |
| Novel psychopharmacological therapies for psychiatric disorders: psilocybin and MDMA. | 2016 | Review | |
| MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD: Are memory reconsolidation and fear extinction underlying mechanisms? | 2018 | Review | |
| Clinical applications of hallucinogens: A review. | 2016 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 19
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- Ketamine: a paradigm shift for depression research and treatment Neuron March 1, 2019
- MDMA-assisted therapy for moderate to severe PTSD: a randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial. Nature Medicine October 1, 2023
and 14 more in the library