 Abstract observers learn to fear the context in which they witness the demonstrator's aversive experience, known as observational contextual fear conditioning, OCFC. This memory can be either recently formed or long-term, depending on the context in which it was observed. Recent OCFC memories are recalled in the observer's context only, whereas remote memories are recalled in both the observer's and demonstrator's contexts. These memories require different brain regions for their formation and retrieval, with recent memories requiring activation of the dorsal hippocampus and remote memories involving activation of the medial prefrontal cortex, MPFC, and basilateral amygdala circuitry. Additionally, distinct populations of MPFC neurons are responsible for retrieving these memories in either context. This article was authored by Joseph I. Teranova, Janyokos, Hisayuki Ozanai, and others.