Basolateral amygdala and hippocampal imputs to prefrontal cortex neurons, activated by high and low levels of fear

• Autorzy: Bukowczan J. , Szadzinska W. , Knapska E.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Fear extinction is a useful model for exposure-based therapies for the treatment of human anxiety disorders, such as phobias and posttraumatic stress disorder. Extinction of conditioned fear leads to formation of a new memory trace. Extinction memory is susceptible to the change of environment (context) in which conditioned stimulus (CS) is presented (promoting fear renewal), and to the passage of time (leading to spontaneous recovery of fear). Though the return of fear after extinction is a considerable challenge for the efficacy of exposure-based therapies, the neuronal basis of this phenomenon is not fully understood. METHODS: To understand better the neuronal bases of extinction memory, we characterize the amygdalar and hippocampal active projections to prefrontal cortex during retrieval of extinction memory. We use anterograde tracing in a transgenic rat in which neurons express a dendritically-targeted PSD-95:Venus fusion protein under the control of a c-fos promoter. Rats were subjected to auditory fear conditioning, followed by fear extinction and then presented to the extinguished CS in the extinction or fear conditioning context. RESULTS: Rats showed low levels of freezing when tested in the extinction context 24 hours after extinction and high levels of fear when tested in the conditioning context (either 24 hour or 28 days after extinction) or in the extinction context after 28 days (spontaneous recovery). The analysis of active projections shows that prefrontal cortex receives equal number of inputs from both basolateral amygdala and ventral hippocampus. However, the basolateral projections are dominant in neurons activated by high levels of fear. CONCLUSION: The obtained results suggest that basolateral inputs to the prefrontal cortex may drive retrieval of fear memory, as opposed to hippocampal inputs.

• Wydawca: -
• Czasopismo: Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis
• Rocznik: 2015
• Tom: 75
• Numer: Supl.
• Opis fizyczny: p.S80-S81

Twórcy

autor

Bukowczan J.

• Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland

autor

Szadzinska W.

• Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland

autor

Knapska E.

• Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland