Spaced conditioned stimulus presentation facilitates the extinction of strong fear memory in mice

Inducing fear memory extinction by re-presenting a conditioned stimulus (CS) is the foundation of exposure therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Investigating differences in the ability of different CS presentation patterns to induce extinction learning is crucial for improving this type of therapy. Using a trace fear conditioning paradigm in mice, we demonstrate that spaced presentation of the CS facilitated the extinction of a strong fear memory to a greater extent than continuous CS presentation. These results lay the groundwork for developing more effective exposure therapy techniques for PTSD. •A spaced CS extinguished fear memory similarly for all shock intensities.•A continuous CS extinguished fear memory differently according to shock intensity.•A spaced CS facilitated extinction of a strong fear memory.•A spaced CS extinguished fear memory irrespective of context fear generalization.