Source Paper
No effect of partial reinforcement on fear extinction learning and memory in C57BL/6J mice
Su CJ, Fukunaga Y, Penna S, Cazares VA
Learn Mem • 2025
Cued Fear Conditioning
Objective: To assess Pavlovian fear learning and extinction through cued fear conditioning using tone-shock pairings
This is a Cued Fear Conditioning protocol using Mouse as the model organism. The procedure involves 6 procedural steps, 4 equipment items, 2 materials. Extracted from a 2025 paper published in Learn Mem.
Model and subjects
Mouse • C57BL/6J • Male and female • Not specified • Not specified
Study window
~4.3 week study window
Core workflow
Context A Setup for Fear Conditioning • Fear Conditioning Training • CS-US Pairing Schedule
Primary readouts
- Percent time freezing during CS presentations
- Freezing behavior defined as absence of movement except breathing in 1-second bins
- Motion index based on variance of pixel intensity across video frames
Key equipment and reagents
Use this page as an execution guide, then fall back to the source paper whenever you need exact exclusions, dosing details, or assay-specific caveats.
Confirm first
- Verify the animal model, intervention setup, and collection timepoints against the source paper.
- Check that every direct vendor link matches the exact specification your lab plans to run.
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- Work through the protocol steps in order and use the inline vendor chips only when you need to source or verify an item.
- Jump to Experimental Context for readouts, data shape, and analysis flow before planning downstream analysis.
Protocol Steps
Start here. The step list is optimized for running the experiment, with direct vendor links available inline when you need to source a cited item.
Context A Setup for Fear Conditioning
Set up conditioning context with metal rod floor grid, clean with 30% vinegar solution, use standard walls and lights on
View evidence from paper
“FC training took place in context A: a metal rod floor grid, scented and cleaned with 30% white vinegar”
Fear Conditioning Training
Present 10 or 25 second tones (50 dB, 4.0 kHz) immediately followed by 0.75 or 0.3 mA footshocks for 1-2 days
View evidence from paper
“10 or 25 sec tones (50 db, 4.0 kHz), serving as conditioned stimuli (CS), immediately preceded 0.75 or 0.3 mA footshocks”
CS-US Pairing Schedule
Administer varying reinforcement schedules: 3:3 or 6:6 CS:US pairings for consistent reinforcement, or partial reinforcement with 6:3, 12:6, or 30:3 CS:US pairs
View evidence from paper
“Mice that were consistently reinforced during FC received 3:3 or 6:6 CS:US pairings”
Context B Setup for Extinction
Switch to extinction context with semicircular white acrylic wall, white acrylic flooring, clean with 75% ethanol, and lights off
View evidence from paper
“conducted in context B: a semicircular white acrylic wall and white acrylic flooring, scented and cleaned with 75% ethanol”
Fear Extinction Training
Conduct 1-3 consecutive days of extinction training with 12 unreinforced CS presentations per day
View evidence from paper
“mice received between one and three consecutive days of FE training, each day of which consisted of 12 unreinforced exposures”
Memory Testing
Test recent and remote extinction memory by exposing mice to 4 CS presentations at 2 and 30 days after extinction training
View evidence from paper
“mice were exposed to four CS at 2 and 30 days after extinction training”