Neural Basis of Observational Fear Learning: A Potential Model of Affective Empathy.

Observational fear learning in rodents is a type of context-dependent fear conditioning in which an unconditioned stimulus (US) is provided vicariously by observing conspecific others receiving foot shocks. This suggests the involvement of affective empathy, with several recent studies showing many similarities between this behavior and human empathy. Neurobiologically, it is important to understand the neural mechanisms by which the vicarious US activates the fear circuit via the affective pain system, obviating the sensory pain pathway and eventually leading to fear memory formation. This paper reviews current studies on the neural mechanisms underlying observational fear learning and provides a perspective on future research on this subject.