Contextual Fear Conditioning
Overview
Contextual fear conditioning is a Pavlovian learning paradigm in which an animal associates an environmental context — the constellation of visual, olfactory, tactile, and spatial cues in the conditioning chamber — with an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US), typically a mild foot shock. Upon re-exposure to the same context, the animal expresses conditioned fear responses including freezing, a species-typical defensive behavior.
This paradigm is critically dependent on hippocampal function. Lesions of the dorsal hippocampus selectively impair contextual, but not cued, fear memory (Phillips & LeDoux, 1992), making it a powerful tool for studying hippocampal-dependent associative learning, memory consolidation, and extinction.
ConductMaze automates the entire protocol: it delivers precisely timed shocks through the grid floor, manages context configurations (scent cartridges, wall inserts, floor textures), and generates TTL pulses for synchronization with electrophysiology or calcium imaging systems. The software supports multi-day protocols with configurable acquisition, consolidation, and retrieval test sessions.
Trial Flow
Habituation
Place subject in Context A, 2-min baseline
CS-US Pairing
Foot shock (0.5mA, 2s) at specified intervals
Post-Shock Interval
Record immediate post-shock freezing
Return to Home Cage
End acquisition session
Consolidation
24h in home cage
Context Test
Re-expose to Context A, no shock, 5 min
Freezing Scored
Automated freezing analysis via sensors
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shock Intensity | mA | 0.5 | Foot shock intensity (0.1 – 1.5 mA) |
| Shock Duration | seconds | 2 | Duration of each foot shock |
| Number of Shocks | integer | 3 | Number of US presentations during acquisition |
| Inter-Shock Interval | seconds | 60 | Time between successive shocks |
| Baseline Duration | seconds | 120 | Pre-shock habituation period in the context |
| Test Duration | seconds | 300 | Duration of the context re-exposure test session |
| Context Configuration | enum | Standard | Chamber wall inserts, floor type, and scent cartridge combination |
| Freezing Threshold | seconds | 1 | Minimum immobility duration to score as a freezing bout |
Metrics
| Metric | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Freezing Percentage | % | Proportion of test session spent freezing — primary memory index |
| Freezing Bout Count | count | Number of discrete freezing episodes |
| Mean Bout Duration | seconds | Average duration of each freezing episode |
| Latency to First Freeze | seconds | Time from context entry to first freezing bout |
| Baseline Freezing | % | Pre-shock freezing during acquisition (anxiety control) |
| Post-Shock Freezing | % | Immediate freezing after each US delivery |
Sample Data
| Subject | Group | Baseline_Freeze_pct | PostShock_Freeze_pct | Test_Freeze_pct | Bout_Count | Mean_Bout_s |
|---|
Representative data for illustration purposes. Actual values will vary by species, strain, and experimental conditions.
Applications
- 1Memory consolidation — testing the role of protein synthesis in long-term fear memory formation
- 2PTSD modeling — fear generalization and resistance to extinction as translational endpoints
- 3Hippocampal function — contextual processing after lesions, optogenetic silencing, or pharmacological manipulation
- 4Anxiolytic drug screening — dose-response effects on conditioned freezing
- 5Aging research — age-related decline in contextual discrimination
Related Protocols
Compatible Products
Ready to Automate Your Behavioral Protocols?
Contact us for a demo and pricing information.
