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The process by which a learned fear response fades when the feared stimulus repeatedly occurs without the expected bad outcome — a leading neuroscience model for how trauma-focused therapies, including MDMA-assisted therapy, are thought to work.

Example: Animal studies found MDMA enhances long-term fear extinction through a BDNF-dependent mechanism in the amygdala (see both entries above) — a proposed biological explanation for why the VA's MDMA-PTSD trials are built around pairing the drug with therapy sessions, not just administering it alone.