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The vestibulocochlear bases for wartime posttraumatic stress disorder manifestations. Med Hypotheses 2017; 106:44-56. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2017.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Braem S, De Houwer J, Demanet J, Yuen KSL, Kalisch R, Brass M. Pattern Analyses Reveal Separate Experience-Based Fear Memories in the Human Right Amygdala. J Neurosci 2017; 37:8116-8130. [PMID: 28733358 PMCID: PMC6596782 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0908-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Revised: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Learning fear via the experience of contingencies between a conditioned stimulus (CS) and an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US) is often assumed to be fundamentally different from learning fear via instructions. An open question is whether fear-related brain areas respond differently to experienced CS-US contingencies than to merely instructed CS-US contingencies. Here, we contrasted two experimental conditions where subjects were instructed to expect the same CS-US contingencies while only one condition was characterized by prior experience with the CS-US contingency. Using multivoxel pattern analysis of fMRI data, we found CS-related neural activation patterns in the right amygdala (but not in other fear-related regions) that dissociated between whether a CS-US contingency had been instructed and experienced versus merely instructed. A second experiment further corroborated this finding by showing a category-independent neural response to instructed and experienced, but not merely instructed, CS presentations in the human right amygdala. Together, these findings are in line with previous studies showing that verbal fear instructions have a strong impact on both brain and behavior. However, even in the face of fear instructions, the human right amygdala still shows a separable neural pattern response to experience-based fear contingencies.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In our study, we addressed a fundamental problem of the science of human fear learning and memory, namely whether fear learning via experience in humans relies on a neural pathway that can be separated from fear learning via verbal information. Using two new procedures and recent advances in the analysis of brain imaging data, we localized purely experience-based fear processing and memory in the right amygdala, thereby making a direct link between human and animal research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Senne Braem
- Department of Experimental Psychology and
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium, and
| | - Jan De Houwer
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium, and
| | | | - Kenneth S L Yuen
- Neuroimaging Center Mainz, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience and
| | - Raffael Kalisch
- Neuroimaging Center Mainz, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience and
- Deutsches Resilienz-Zentrum, Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center, Mainz 55131, Germany
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53
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Wang Y, Ma N, He X, Li N, Wei Z, Yang L, Zha R, Han L, Li X, Zhang D, Liu Y, Zhang X. Neural substrates of updating the prediction through prediction error during decision making. Neuroimage 2017; 157:1-12. [PMID: 28536046 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.05.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Revised: 05/13/2017] [Accepted: 05/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Learning of prediction error (PE), including reward PE and risk PE, is crucial for updating the prediction in reinforcement learning (RL). Neurobiological and computational models of RL have reported extensive brain activations related to PE. However, the occurrence of PE does not necessarily predict updating the prediction, e.g., in a probability-known event. Therefore, the brain regions specifically engaged in updating the prediction remain unknown. Here, we conducted two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments, the probability-unknown Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and the probability-known risk decision task (RDT). Behavioral analyses confirmed that PEs occurred in both tasks but were only used for updating the prediction in the IGT. By comparing PE-related brain activations between the two tasks, we found that the rostral anterior cingulate cortex/ventral medial prefrontal cortex (rACC/vmPFC) and the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) activated only during the IGT and were related to both reward and risk PE. Moreover, the responses in the rACC/vmPFC and the PCC were modulated by uncertainty and were associated with reward prediction-related brain regions. Electric brain stimulation over these regions lowered the performance in the IGT but not in the RDT. Our findings of a distributed neural circuit of PE processing suggest that the rACC/vmPFC and the PCC play a key role in updating the prediction through PE processing during decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Ning Ma
- Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Xiaosong He
- Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Nan Li
- Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Zhengde Wei
- Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Lizhuang Yang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Rujing Zha
- Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Long Han
- Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Xiaoming Li
- Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China; Department of Medical Psychology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China
| | - Daren Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230001, China.
| | - Xiaochu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China; School of Humanities & Social Science, University of Science and Technology of China Hefei, Anhui 230026, China; Centers for Biomedical Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China Hefei, Anhui 230027, China.
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54
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Sabihi S, Dong SM, Maurer SD, Post C, Leuner B. Oxytocin in the medial prefrontal cortex attenuates anxiety: Anatomical and receptor specificity and mechanism of action. Neuropharmacology 2017; 125:1-12. [PMID: 28655609 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Revised: 06/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Numerous studies in animals and humans have established that oxytocin (OT) reduces anxiety. In rats, the prelimbic (PL) subregion of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is among the brain areas implicated in the anxiolytic actions of OT. However, questions remain about the anatomical and receptor specificity of OT and its mechanism of action. Here we assessed whether the regulation of anxiety by mPFC OT is restricted to the PL subregion and evaluated whether oxytocin receptor (OTR) activation is required for OT to have an anxiolytic effect. We also examined whether OT interacts with GABA in the mPFC to reduce anxiety and investigated the extent to which OT in the mPFC affects activation of mPFC GABA neurons as well as neuronal activation in the amygdala, a primary target of the mPFC which is part of the neural network regulating anxiety. We found that OT reduced anxiety-like behavior when delivered to the PL, but not infralimbic or anterior cingulate subregions of the mPFC. The anxiolytic effect of OT in the PL mPFC was blocked by pretreatment with an OTR, but not a vasopressin receptor, antagonist as well as with a GABAA receptor antagonist. Lastly, administration of OT to the PL mPFC was accompanied by increased activation of GABA neurons in the PL mPFC and altered neuronal activation of the amygdala following anxiety testing. These results demonstrate that OT in the PL mPFC attenuates anxiety-related behavior and may do so by engaging GABAergic neurons which ultimately modulate downstream brain regions implicated in anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Sabihi
- The Ohio State University, Department of Psychology, Columbus, OH 43210, United States
| | - Shirley M Dong
- The Ohio State University, Department of Psychology, Columbus, OH 43210, United States
| | - Skyler D Maurer
- The Ohio State University, Department of Psychology, Columbus, OH 43210, United States
| | - Caitlin Post
- The Ohio State University, Department of Psychology, Columbus, OH 43210, United States
| | - Benedetta Leuner
- The Ohio State University, Department of Psychology, Columbus, OH 43210, United States; The Ohio State University, Department of Neuroscience, Columbus, OH 43210, United States; The Ohio State University, Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Group, Columbus, OH 43210, United States.
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55
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Martinez E, Lin HH, Zhou H, Dale J, Liu K, Wang J. Corticostriatal Regulation of Acute Pain. Front Cell Neurosci 2017; 11:146. [PMID: 28603489 PMCID: PMC5445115 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2017.00146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms for acute pain regulation in the brain are not well understood. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) provides top-down control of emotional processes, and it projects to the nucleus accumbens (NAc). This corticostriatal projection forms an important regulatory pathway within the brain’s reward system. Recently, this projection has been suggested to control both sensory and affective phenotypes specifically associated with chronic pain. As this projection is also known to play a role in the transition from acute to chronic pain, we hypothesized that this corticostriatal circuit can also exert a modulatory function in the acute pain state. Here, we used optogenetics to specifically target the projection from the PFC to the NAc. We tested sensory pain behaviors with Hargreaves’ test and mechanical allodynia, and aversive pain behaviors with conditioned place preference (CPP) test. We found that the activation of this corticostriatal circuit gave rise to bilateral relief from peripheral nociceptive inputs. Activation of this circuit also provided important control for the aversive response to transient noxious stimulations. Hence, our results support a novel role for corticostriatal circuitry in acute pain regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Martinez
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care and Pain Medicine, New York University School of MedicineNew York, NY, United States
| | - Harvey H Lin
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care and Pain Medicine, New York University School of MedicineNew York, NY, United States
| | - Haocheng Zhou
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care and Pain Medicine, New York University School of MedicineNew York, NY, United States
| | - Jahrane Dale
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care and Pain Medicine, New York University School of MedicineNew York, NY, United States
| | - Kevin Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care and Pain Medicine, New York University School of MedicineNew York, NY, United States
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care and Pain Medicine, New York University School of MedicineNew York, NY, United States.,Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of MedicineNew York, NY, United States
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56
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Debiec J, Olsson A. Social Fear Learning: from Animal Models to Human Function. Trends Cogn Sci 2017; 21:546-555. [PMID: 28545935 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2017.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2017] [Revised: 04/23/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Learning about potential threats is critical for survival. Learned fear responses are acquired either through direct experiences or indirectly through social transmission. Social fear learning (SFL), also known as vicarious fear learning, is a paradigm successfully used for studying the transmission of threat information between individuals. Animal and human studies have begun to elucidate the behavioral, neural and molecular mechanisms of SFL. Recent research suggests that social learning mechanisms underlie a wide range of adaptive and maladaptive phenomena, from supporting flexible avoidance in dynamic environments to intergenerational transmission of trauma and anxiety disorders. This review discusses recent advances in SFL studies and their implications for basic, social and clinical sciences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacek Debiec
- Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Andreas Olsson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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57
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Effect of diazepam and yohimbine on neuronal activity in sham and hemiparkinsonian rats. Neuroscience 2017; 351:71-83. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.03.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Revised: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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58
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Hamilton GF, Hernandez IJ, Krebs CP, Bucko PJ, Rhodes JS. Neonatal alcohol exposure reduces number of parvalbumin-positive interneurons in the medial prefrontal cortex and impairs passive avoidance acquisition in mice deficits not rescued from exercise. Neuroscience 2017; 352:52-63. [PMID: 28391014 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.03.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Revised: 03/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Developmental alcohol exposure causes a host of cognitive and neuroanatomical abnormalities, one of which is impaired executive functioning resulting from medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) damage. This study determined whether third-trimester equivalent alcohol exposure reduced the number of mPFC GABAergic parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneurons, hypothesized to play an important role in local inhibition of the mPFC. The impact on passive avoidance learning and the therapeutic role of aerobic exercise in adulthood was also explored. Male C57BL/6J mice received either saline or 5g/kg ethanol (two doses, two hours apart) on PD 5, 7, and 9. On PD 35, animals received a running wheel or remained sedentary for 48days before behavioral testing and perfusion on PD 83. The number of PV+ interneurons was stereologically measured in three separate mPFC subregions: infralimbic, prelimbic and anterior cingulate cortices (ACC). Neonatal alcohol exposure decreased number of PV+ interneurons and volume of the ACC, but the other regions of the mPFC were spared. Alcohol impaired acquisition, but not retrieval of passive avoidance, and had no effect on motor performance on the rotarod. Exercise had no impact on PV+ cell number, mPFC volume, or acquisition of passive avoidance, but enhanced retrieval in both control and alcohol-exposed groups, and enhanced rotarod performance in the control mice. Results support the hypothesis that part of the behavioral deficits associated with developmental alcohol exposure are due to reduced PV+ interneurons in the ACC, but unfortunately exercise does not appear to be able to reverse any of these deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- G F Hamilton
- Department of Psychology, The Beckman Institute, 405 N Mathews Ave, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
| | - I J Hernandez
- Department of Psychology, The Beckman Institute, 405 N Mathews Ave, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - C P Krebs
- Department of Psychology, The Beckman Institute, 405 N Mathews Ave, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - P J Bucko
- Department of Psychology, The Beckman Institute, 405 N Mathews Ave, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - J S Rhodes
- Department of Psychology, The Beckman Institute, 405 N Mathews Ave, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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59
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Rǎdulescu A, Marra R. A mathematical model of reward and executive circuitry in obsessive compulsive disorder. J Theor Biol 2016; 414:165-175. [PMID: 27915073 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2016.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2016] [Revised: 10/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The neuronal circuit that controls obsessive and compulsive behaviors involves a complex network of brain regions (some with known involvement in reward processing). Among these are cortical regions, the striatum and the thalamus (which compose the CSTC pathway), limbic areas such as the amygdala and the hippocampus, as well as dopamine pathways. Abnormal dynamic behavior in this brain network is a hallmark feature of patients with increased anxiety and motor activity, like the ones affected by OCD. There is currently no clear understanding of precisely what mechanisms generate these behaviors. We attempt to investigate a collection of connectivity hypotheses of OCD by means of a computational model of the brain circuitry that governs reward and motion execution. Mathematically, we use methods from ordinary differential equations and continuous time dynamical systems. We use classical analytical methods as well as computational approaches to study phenomena in the phase plane (e.g., behavior of the system's solutions when given certain initial conditions) and in the parameter space (e.g., sensitive dependence of initial conditions). We find that different obsessive-compulsive subtypes may correspond to different abnormalities in the network connectivity profiles. We suggest that it is a combination of parameters (connectivity strengths between regions), rather than the value of any one parameter taken independently, that provide the best basis for predicting behavior, and for understanding the heterogeneity of the illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anca Rǎdulescu
- Department of Mathematics, State University of New York at New Paltz, New Paltz, NY, USA.
| | - Rachel Marra
- Department of Astronomy, State University of New York at New Paltz, New Paltz, NY 12561, USA
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60
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Chagraoui A, Skiba M, Thuillez C, Thibaut F. To what extent is it possible to dissociate the anxiolytic and sedative/hypnotic properties of GABAA receptors modulators? Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2016; 71:189-202. [PMID: 27495357 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2016.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2016] [Revised: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 08/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The relatively common view indicates a possible dissociation between the anxiolytic and sedative/hypnotic properties of benzodiazepines (BZs). Indeed, GABAA receptor (GABAAR) subtypes have specific cerebral distribution in distinct neural circuits. Thus, GABAAR subtype-selective drugs may be expected to perform distinct functions. However, standard behavioral test assays provide limited direction towards highlighting new action mechanisms of ligands targeting GABAARs. Automated behavioral tests, lack sensitivity as some behavioral characteristics or subtle behavioral changes of drug effects or that are not considered in the overall analysis (Ohl et al., 2001) and observation-based analyses are not always performed. In addition, despite the use of genetically engineered mice, any possible dissociation between the anxiolytic and sedative properties of BZs remains controversial. Moreover, the involvement the different subtypes of GABAAR subtypes in the anxious behavior and the mechanism of action of anxiolytic agents remains unclear since there has been little success in the pharmacological investigations so far. This raises the question of the involvement of the different subunits in anxiolytic-like and/or sedative effects; and the actual implication of these subunits, particularly, α-subunits in the modulation of sedation and/or anxiety-related disorders. This present review was prompted by several conflicting studies on the degree of involvement of these subunits in anxiolytic-like and/or sedative effects. To this end, we explored the GABAergic system, particularly, the role of different subunits containing synaptic GABAARs. We report herein the targeting gene encoding the different subunits and their contribution in anxiolytic-like and/or sedative actions, as well as, the mechanism underlying tolerance to BZs.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Chagraoui
- Inserm U982, Laboratory of Neuronal and Neuroendocrine Differentiation and Communication, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedecine, Normandy University, France; Department of Medical Biochemistry, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France.
| | - M Skiba
- Inserm U982, Laboratory of Neuronal and Neuroendocrine Differentiation and Communication, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedecine, Normandy University, France
| | - C Thuillez
- Department of Pharmacology, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, and INSERM U1096, Laboratory of New Pharmacological Targets for Endothelial Protection and Heart Failure, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine, Normandy University, France
| | - F Thibaut
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Cochin (site Tarnier), University of Paris-Descartes and INSERM U 894 Laboratory of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Paris, France
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Ramírez-Lugo L, Peñas-Rincón A, Ángeles-Durán S, Sotres-Bayon F. Choice Behavior Guided by Learned, But Not Innate, Taste Aversion Recruits the Orbitofrontal Cortex. J Neurosci 2016; 36:10574-10583. [PMID: 27733609 PMCID: PMC6601934 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0796-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2016] [Revised: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 08/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to select an appropriate behavioral response guided by previous emotional experiences is critical for survival. Although much is known about brain mechanisms underlying emotional associations, little is known about how these associations guide behavior when several choices are available. To address this, we performed local pharmacological inactivations of several cortical regions before retrieval of an aversive memory in choice-based versus no-choice-based conditioned taste aversion (CTA) tasks in rats. Interestingly, we found that inactivation of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), but not the dorsal or ventral medial prefrontal cortices, blocked retrieval of choice CTA. However, OFC inactivation left retrieval of no-choice CTA intact, suggesting its role in guiding choice, but not in retrieval of CTA memory. Consistently, OFC activity increased in the choice condition compared with no-choice, as measured with c-Fos immunolabeling. Notably, OFC inactivation did not affect choice behavior when it was guided by innate taste aversion. Consistent with an anterior insular cortex (AIC) involvement in storing taste memories, we found that AIC inactivation impaired retrieval of both choice and no-choice CTA. Therefore, this study provides evidence for OFC's role in guiding choice behavior and shows that this is dissociable from AIC-dependent taste aversion memory. Together, our results suggest that OFC is required and recruited to guide choice selection between options of taste associations relayed from AIC. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Survival and mental health depend on being able to choose stimuli not associated with danger. This is particularly important when danger is associated with stimuli that we ingest. Although much is known about the brain mechanisms that underlie associations with dangerous taste stimuli, very little is known about how these stored emotional associations guide behavior when it involves choice. By combining pharmacological and immunohistochemistry tools with taste-guided tasks, our study provides evidence for the key role of orbitofrontal cortex activity in choice behavior and shows that this is dissociable from the adjacent insular cortex-dependent taste aversion memory. Understanding the brain mechanisms that underlie the impact that emotional associations have on survival choice behaviors may lead to better treatments for mental disorders characterized by emotional decision-making deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leticia Ramírez-Lugo
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular-Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Ciudad de México, México
| | - Ana Peñas-Rincón
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular-Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Ciudad de México, México
| | - Sandybel Ángeles-Durán
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular-Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Ciudad de México, México
| | - Francisco Sotres-Bayon
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular-Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Ciudad de México, México
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Connor DA, Gould TJ. The role of working memory and declarative memory in trace conditioning. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2016; 134 Pt B:193-209. [PMID: 27422017 PMCID: PMC5755400 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2016.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Revised: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Translational assays of cognition that are similarly implemented in both lower and higher-order species, such as rodents and primates, provide a means to reconcile preclinical modeling of psychiatric neuropathology and clinical research. To this end, Pavlovian conditioning has provided a useful tool for investigating cognitive processes in both lab animal models and humans. This review focuses on trace conditioning, a form of Pavlovian conditioning typified by the insertion of a temporal gap (i.e., trace interval) between presentations of a conditioned stimulus (CS) and an unconditioned stimulus (US). This review aims to discuss pre-clinical and clinical work investigating the mnemonic processes recruited for trace conditioning. Much work suggests that trace conditioning involves unique neurocognitive mechanisms to facilitate formation of trace memories in contrast to standard Pavlovian conditioning. For example, the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) appear to play critical roles in trace conditioning. Moreover, cognitive mechanistic accounts in human studies suggest that working memory and declarative memory processes are engaged to facilitate formation of trace memories. The aim of this review is to integrate cognitive and neurobiological accounts of trace conditioning from preclinical and clinical studies to examine involvement of working and declarative memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Connor
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, United States
| | - Thomas J Gould
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, United States.
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Abstract
The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is activated in both acute and chronic pain. In this Review, we discuss increasing evidence from rodent studies that ACC activation contributes to chronic pain states and describe several forms of synaptic plasticity that may underlie this effect. In particular, one form of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the ACC, which is triggered by the activation of NMDA receptors and expressed by an increase in AMPA-receptor function, sustains the affective component of the pain state. Another form of LTP in the ACC, which is triggered by the activation of kainate receptors and expressed by an increase in glutamate release, may contribute to pain-related anxiety.
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64
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Knox D. The role of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in fear and extinction memory. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2016; 133:39-52. [PMID: 27264248 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2016.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2015] [Revised: 05/26/2016] [Accepted: 06/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Cholinergic input to the neocortex, dorsal hippocampus (dHipp), and basolateral amygdala (BLA) is critical for neural function and synaptic plasticity in these brain regions. Synaptic plasticity in the neocortex, dHipp, ventral Hipp (vHipp), and BLA has also been implicated in fear and extinction memory. This finding raises the possibility that basal forebrain (BF) cholinergic neurons, the predominant source of acetylcholine in these brain regions, have an important role in mediating fear and extinction memory. While empirical studies support this hypothesis, there are interesting inconsistencies among these studies that raise questions about how best to define the role of BF cholinergic neurons in fear and extinction memory. Nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM) cholinergic neurons that project to the BLA are critical for fear memory and contextual fear extinction memory. NBM cholinergic neurons that project to the neocortex are critical for cued and contextual fear conditioned suppression, but are not critical for fear memory in other behavioral paradigms and in the inhibitory avoidance paradigm may even inhibit contextual fear memory formation. Medial septum and diagonal band of Broca cholinergic neurons are critical for contextual fear memory and acquisition of cued fear extinction. Thus, even though the results of previous studies suggest BF cholinergic neurons modulate fear and extinction memory, inconsistent findings among these studies necessitates more research to better define the neural circuits and molecular processes through which BF cholinergic neurons modulate fear and extinction memory. Furthermore, studies determining if BF cholinergic neurons can be manipulated in such a manner so as to treat excessive fear in anxiety disorders are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dayan Knox
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States.
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Chakraborty T, Asok A, Stanton ME, Rosen JB. Variants of contextual fear conditioning induce differential patterns of Egr-1 activity within the young adult prefrontal cortex. Behav Brain Res 2016; 302:122-30. [PMID: 26778782 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2015] [Revised: 12/24/2015] [Accepted: 01/05/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Contextual fear conditioning is a form of associative learning where animals must experience a context before they can associate it with an aversive stimulus. Single-trial contextual fear conditioning (sCFC) and the context preexposure facilitation effect (CPFE) are two variants of CFC where learning about the context is temporally contiguous (sCFC) with or separated (CPFE) from receiving a footshock in that context. Neural activity within CA1 of the dorsal hippocampus (CA1), amygdala (LA), and prefrontal cortex (PFC) may play a critical role when animals learn to associate a context with a footshock (i.e., training). Previous studies from our lab have found that early-growth-response gene 1 (Egr-1), an immediate early gene, exhibits unique patterns of activity within regions of the PFC following training in sCFC and the CPFE of juvenile rats. In the present study, we extended our studies by examining Egr-1 expression in young adult rats to determine (1) if our previous work reflected changes unique to development or extend into adulthood and (2) to contrast expression profiles between sCFC and the CPFE. Rats that learned context fear with sCFC showed increased Egr-1 in the anterior cingulate, orbitofrontal and infralimbic cortices relative to non-associative controls following training, but expression in prelimbic cortex did not differ between fear conditioned and non-associative controls. In contrast, rats trained in the CPFE also showed increased Egr-1 in all the prefrontal cortex regions, including prelimbic cortex. These findings replicate our previous findings in juveniles and suggest that Egr-1 in specific PFC subregions may be uniquely involved in learning context-fear in the CPFE compared to sCFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Chakraborty
- University of Delaware, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Newark, DE 19716, United States
| | - A Asok
- University of Delaware, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Newark, DE 19716, United States
| | - M E Stanton
- University of Delaware, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Newark, DE 19716, United States
| | - J B Rosen
- University of Delaware, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Newark, DE 19716, United States.
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66
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Giustino TF, Maren S. The Role of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex in the Conditioning and Extinction of Fear. Front Behav Neurosci 2015; 9:298. [PMID: 26617500 PMCID: PMC4637424 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 348] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2015] [Accepted: 10/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Once acquired, a fearful memory can persist for a lifetime. Although learned fear can be extinguished, extinction memories are fragile. The resilience of fear memories to extinction may contribute to the maintenance of disorders of fear and anxiety, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As such, considerable effort has been placed on understanding the neural circuitry underlying the acquisition, expression, and extinction of emotional memories in rodent models as well as in humans. A triad of brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala, form an essential brain circuit involved in fear conditioning and extinction. Within this circuit, the prefrontal cortex is thought to exert top-down control over subcortical structures to regulate appropriate behavioral responses. Importantly, a division of labor has been proposed in which the prelimbic (PL) and infralimbic (IL) subdivisions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) regulate the expression and suppression of fear in rodents, respectively. Here, we critically review the anatomical and physiological evidence that has led to this proposed dichotomy of function within mPFC. We propose that under some conditions, the PL and IL act in concert, exhibiting similar patterns of neural activity in response to aversive conditioned stimuli and during the expression or inhibition of conditioned fear. This may stem from common synaptic inputs, parallel downstream outputs, or cortico-cortical interactions. Despite this functional covariation, these mPFC subdivisions may still be coding for largely opposing behavioral outcomes, with PL biased towards fear expression and IL towards suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas F Giustino
- Department of Psychology and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University College Station, TX, USA
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychology and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University College Station, TX, USA
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67
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Caldwell BM, Harenski CL, Harenski KA, Fede SJ, Steele VR, Koenigs MR, Kiehl KA. Abnormal frontostriatal activity in recently abstinent cocaine users during implicit moral processing. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9:565. [PMID: 26528169 PMCID: PMC4608360 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Investigations into the neurobiology of moral cognition are often done by examining clinical populations characterized by diminished moral emotions and a proclivity toward immoral behavior. Psychopathy is the most common disorder studied for this purpose. Although cocaine abuse is highly co-morbid with psychopathy and cocaine-dependent individuals exhibit many of the same abnormalities in socio-affective processing as psychopaths, this population has received relatively little attention in moral psychology. To address this issue, the authors used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to record hemodynamic activity in 306 incarcerated male adults, stratified into regular cocaine users (n = 87) and a matched sample of non-cocaine users (n = 87), while viewing pictures that did or did not depict immoral actions and determining whether each depicted scenario occurred indoors or outdoors. Consistent with expectations, cocaine users showed abnormal neural activity in several frontostriatial regions during implicit moral picture processing compared to their non-cocaine using peers. This included reduced moral/non-moral picture discrimination in the vACC, vmPFC, lOFC, and left vSTR. Additionally, psychopathy was negatively correlated with activity in an overlapping region of the ACC and right lateralized vSTR. These results suggest that regular cocaine abuse may be associated with affective deficits which can impact relatively high-level processes like moral cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan M. Caldwell
- The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research InstituteAlbuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Carla L. Harenski
- The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research InstituteAlbuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Keith A. Harenski
- The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research InstituteAlbuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Samantha J. Fede
- The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research InstituteAlbuquerque, NM, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of New MexicoAlbuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Vaughn R. Steele
- Intramural Research Program, Neuroimaging Research Branch, National Institute of Drug Abuse, National Institutes of HealthBaltimore, MD, USA
| | - Michael R. Koenigs
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadison, WI, USA
| | - Kent A. Kiehl
- The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research InstituteAlbuquerque, NM, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of New MexicoAlbuquerque, NM, USA
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68
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Abstract
Neural circuits that determine the perception and modulation of pain remain poorly understood. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) provides top-down control of sensory and affective processes. While animal and human imaging studies have shown that the PFC is involved in pain regulation, its exact role in pain states remains incompletely understood. A key output target for the PFC is the nucleus accumbens (NAc), an important component of the reward circuitry. Interestingly, recent human imaging studies suggest that the projection from the PFC to the NAc is altered in chronic pain. The function of this corticostriatal projection in pain states, however, is not known. Here we show that optogenetic activation of the PFC produces strong antinociceptive effects in a rat model (spared nerve injury model) of persistent neuropathic pain. PFC activation also reduces the affective symptoms of pain. Furthermore, we show that this pain-relieving function of the PFC is likely mediated by projections to the NAc. Thus, our results support a novel role for corticostriatal circuitry in pain regulation.
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69
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Sevel LS, Craggs JG, Price DD, Staud R, Robinson ME. Placebo analgesia enhances descending pain-related effective connectivity: a dynamic causal modeling study of endogenous pain modulation. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2015; 16:760-8. [PMID: 26022539 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2015.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2015] [Revised: 04/22/2015] [Accepted: 05/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED The use of placebo to reduce pain is well documented; however, knowledge of the neural mechanisms underlying placebo analgesia remains incomplete. This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 30 healthy individuals and dynamic causal modeling to investigate changes in effective connectivity associated with the placebo analgesic response. Before scanning, participants were conditioned to expect less thermal pain at 2 of 4 sites on their feet. Visual analog scale pain ratings revealed a significant but small difference between the baseline and placebo sites (mean difference = 6.63, t(29) = 3.91, P ≤ .001, d = .97), confirming an analgesic effect. However, no significant differences in the magnitude of brain activation between conditions were observed via traditional random effects general linear modeling. Dynamic causal modeling was then used to investigate changes in effective connectivity during placebo analgesia. The results indicate that during placebo analgesia but not baseline condition, couplings between brain regions, including those involved in cognitive processes (eg, attention, expectation, evaluation), were significantly enhanced. Specifically, a significantly consistent decrease in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex → periaqueductal gray coupling was found. These findings highlight the differences between pain processing and modulation at the network level. Moreover, our results suggest that small placebo effects may be better characterized via changes in the temporal dynamics among pain modulatory regions than only via changes in the magnitude of blood oxygenation level dependent activation. Further application of nuanced analytical approaches that are sensitive to temporal dynamics of pain-related processes such as dynamic causal modeling are necessary to better understand the neural mechanisms underlying pain processing in patient populations. PERSPECTIVE Changes in effective connectivity among pain-related brain regions may be more sensitive detectors of the neural representation of small placebo effects than are changes in the magnitude of brain activation. Knowledge of these mechanisms highlights the importance of integrated neural networks in the understanding of pain modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Landrew S Sevel
- Department of Clinical & Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Jason G Craggs
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Donald D Price
- Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Roland Staud
- Department of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Michael E Robinson
- Department of Clinical & Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
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70
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Erlich JC, Brunton BW, Duan CA, Hanks TD, Brody CD. Distinct effects of prefrontal and parietal cortex inactivations on an accumulation of evidence task in the rat. eLife 2015; 4:e05457. [PMID: 25869470 PMCID: PMC4392479 DOI: 10.7554/elife.05457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2014] [Accepted: 03/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous brain regions have been shown to have neural correlates of gradually accumulating evidence for decision-making, but the causal roles of these regions in decisions driven by accumulation of evidence have yet to be determined. Here, in rats performing an auditory evidence accumulation task, we inactivated the frontal orienting fields (FOF) and posterior parietal cortex (PPC), two rat cortical regions that have neural correlates of accumulating evidence and that have been proposed as central to decision-making. We used a detailed model of the decision process to analyze the effect of inactivations. Inactivation of the FOF induced substantial performance impairments that were quantitatively best described as an impairment in the output pathway of an evidence accumulator with a long integration time constant (>240 ms). In contrast, we found a minimal role for PPC in decisions guided by accumulating auditory evidence, even while finding a strong role for PPC in internally-guided decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey C Erlich
- NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, NYU Shanghai, Shanghai, China
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Bingni W Brunton
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
- Department of Biology, UW Institute of Neuroengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
| | - Chunyu A Duan
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Timothy D Hanks
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Carlos D Brody
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
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71
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Rozeske RR, Valerio S, Chaudun F, Herry C. Prefrontal neuronal circuits of contextual fear conditioning. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2014; 14:22-36. [PMID: 25287656 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2014] [Revised: 09/17/2014] [Accepted: 10/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Over the past years, numerous studies have provided a clear understanding of the neuronal circuits and mechanisms involved in the formation, expression and extinction phases of conditioned cued fear memories. Yet, despite a strong clinical interest, a detailed understanding of these memory phases for contextual fear memories is still missing. Besides the well-known role of the hippocampus in encoding contextual fear behavior, growing evidence indicates that specific regions of the medial prefrontal cortex differentially regulate contextual fear acquisition and storage in both animals and humans that ultimately leads to expression of contextual fear memories. In this review, we provide a detailed description of the recent literature on the role of distinct prefrontal subregions in contextual fear behavior and provide a working model of the neuronal circuits involved in the acquisition, expression and generalization of contextual fear memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- R R Rozeske
- INSERM U862, Neurocenter Magendie, Bordeaux, France
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72
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Oxytocin in the prelimbic medial prefrontal cortex reduces anxiety-like behavior in female and male rats. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2014; 45:31-42. [PMID: 24845174 PMCID: PMC4067951 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2013] [Revised: 03/18/2014] [Accepted: 03/20/2014] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) is anxiolytic in rodents and humans. However, the specific brain regions where OT acts to regulate anxiety requires further investigation. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been shown to play a role in the modulation of anxiety-related behavior. In addition, the mPFC contains OT-sensitive neurons, expresses OT receptors, and receives long range axonal projections from OT-producing neurons in the hypothalamus, suggesting that the mPFC may be a target where OT acts to diminish anxiety. To investigate this possibility, female rats were administered OT bilaterally into the prelimbic (PL) region of the mPFC and anxiety-like behavior assessed. In addition, to determine if the effects of OT on anxiety-like behavior are sex dependent and to evaluate the specificity of OT, male and female anxiety-like behavior was tested following delivery of either OT or the closely related neuropeptide arginine vasopressin (AVP) into the PL mPFC. Finally, the importance of endogenous OT in the regulation of anxiety-like behavior was examined in male and female rats that received PL infusions of an OT receptor antagonist (OTR-A). Overall, even though males and females showed some differences in their baseline levels of anxiety-like behavior, OT in the PL region of the mPFC decreased anxiety regardless of sex. In contrast, neither AVP nor an OTR-A affected anxiety-like behavior in males or females. Together, these findings suggest that although endogenous OT in the PL region of the mPFC does not influence anxiety, the PL mPFC is a site where exogenous OT may act to attenuate anxiety-related behavior independent of sex.
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73
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Whitford TJ, Lee SW, Oh JS, de Luis-Garcia R, Savadjiev P, Alvarado JL, Westin CF, Niznikiewicz M, Nestor PG, McCarley RW, Kubicki M, Shenton ME. Localized abnormalities in the cingulum bundle in patients with schizophrenia: a Diffusion Tensor tractography study. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2014; 5:93-9. [PMID: 25003032 PMCID: PMC4081981 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2014.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2014] [Revised: 05/27/2014] [Accepted: 06/07/2014] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The cingulum bundle (CB) connects gray matter structures of the limbic system and as such has been implicated in the etiology of schizophrenia. There is growing evidence to suggest that the CB is actually comprised of a conglomeration of discrete sub-connections. The present study aimed to use Diffusion Tensor tractography to subdivide the CB into its constituent sub-connections, and to investigate the structural integrity of these sub-connections in patients with schizophrenia and matched healthy controls. Diffusion Tensor Imaging scans were acquired from 24 patients diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia and 26 matched healthy controls. Deterministic tractography was used in conjunction with FreeSurfer-based regions-of-interest to subdivide the CB into 5 sub-connections (I1 to I5). The patients with schizophrenia exhibited subnormal levels of FA in two cingulum sub-connections, specifically the fibers connecting the rostral and caudal anterior cingulate gyrus (I1) and the fibers connecting the isthmus of the cingulate with the parahippocampal cortex (I4). Furthermore, while FA in the I1 sub-connection was correlated with the severity of patients' positive symptoms (specifically hallucinations and delusions), FA in the I4 sub-connection was correlated with the severity of patients' negative symptoms (specifically affective flattening and anhedonia/asociality). These results support the notion that the CB is a conglomeration of structurally interconnected yet functionally distinct sub-connections, of which only a subset are abnormal in patients with schizophrenia. Furthermore, while acknowledging the fact that the present study only investigated the CB, these results suggest that the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia may have distinct neurobiological underpinnings. Cingulum bundle was divided into 5 sub-regions using DTI tractography. Fractional Anisotropy of these 5 sub-regions was assessed in schizophrenia patients. Schizophrenia patients exhibited FA reductions in only 2 of 5 cingulum sub-regions. One sub-region correlated with positive symptoms and other with negative symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J. Whitford
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sun Woo Lee
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Jungsu S. Oh
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Rodrigo de Luis-Garcia
- Laboratory of Mathematics in Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Laboratorio de Procesado de Imagen, Universidad de Valladolid, Spain
| | - Peter Savadjiev
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Laboratory of Mathematics in Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jorge L. Alvarado
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Carl-Fredrik Westin
- Laboratory of Mathematics in Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Margaret Niznikiewicz
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Boston Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Brockton Division, Brockton, MA, USA and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paul G. Nestor
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Boston Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Brockton Division, Brockton, MA, USA and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Boston Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Brockton Division, Brockton, MA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert W. McCarley
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Boston Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Brockton Division, Brockton, MA, USA and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marek Kubicki
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Martha E. Shenton
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Boston Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Brockton Division, Brockton, MA, USA
- Corresponding author at: Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. Tel.: + 1 617 525 6117.
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Wei CJ, Augusto E, Gomes CA, Singer P, Wang Y, Boison D, Cunha RA, Yee BK, Chen JF. Regulation of fear responses by striatal and extrastriatal adenosine A2A receptors in forebrain. Biol Psychiatry 2014; 75:855-63. [PMID: 23820821 PMCID: PMC4058554 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2012] [Revised: 04/15/2013] [Accepted: 05/02/2013] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adenosine A2A receptors (A2ARs) are enriched in the striatum but are also present at lower levels in the extrastriatal forebrain (i.e., hippocampus, cortex), integrating dopamine, glutamate, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling, and are thus essential for striatal neuroplasticity and fear and anxiety behavior. METHODS We tested two brain region-specific A2AR knockout lines with A2ARs selectively deleted either in the striatum (st-A2AR KO) or the entire forebrain (striatum, hippocampus, and cortex [fb-A2AR KO]) on fear and anxiety-related responses. We also examined the effect of hippocampus-specific A2AR deletion by local injection of adeno-associated virus type 5 (AAV5)-Cre into floxed-A2AR knockout mice. RESULTS Selectively deleting A2ARs in the striatum increased Pavlovian fear conditioning (both context and tone) in st-A2AR KO mice, but extending the deletion to the rest of the forebrain apparently spared context fear conditioning and attenuated tone fear conditioning in fb-A2AR KO mice. Moreover, focal deletion of hippocampal A2ARs by AAV5-Cre injection selectively attenuated context (but not tone) fear conditioning. Deletion of A2ARs in the entire forebrain in fb-A2AR KO mice also produced an anxiolytic phenotype in both the elevated plus maze and open field tests, and increased the startle response. These extrastriatal forebrain A2AR behavioral effects were associated with reduced BDNF levels in the fb-A2AR KO hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence that inactivation of striatal A2ARs facilitates Pavlovian fear conditioning, while inactivation of extrastriatal A2ARs in the forebrain inhibits fear conditioning and also affects anxiety-related behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine J. Wei
- Molecular Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, and Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Elisabete Augusto
- Molecular Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, and Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118,CNC- Center for Neurosciences of Coimbra, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal,Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Catarina A. Gomes
- CNC- Center for Neurosciences of Coimbra, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Philipp Singer
- R.S. Dow Neurobiology Laboratories, Legacy Research Institute, Portland, Oregon 97232,Laboratory of Behavioural Neurobiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Schorenstrasse 16, CH 8603 Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
| | - Yumei Wang
- Molecular Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, and Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Detlev Boison
- R.S. Dow Neurobiology Laboratories, Legacy Research Institute, Portland, Oregon 97232
| | - Rodrigo A. Cunha
- CNC- Center for Neurosciences of Coimbra, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal,Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Benjamin K. Yee
- R.S. Dow Neurobiology Laboratories, Legacy Research Institute, Portland, Oregon 97232,Laboratory of Behavioural Neurobiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Schorenstrasse 16, CH 8603 Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
| | - Jiang-Fan Chen
- Molecular Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, and Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
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Ash ES, Heal DJ, Clare Stanford S. Contrasting changes in extracellular dopamine and glutamate along the rostrocaudal axis of the anterior cingulate cortex of the rat following an acute d-amphetamine or dopamine challenge. Neuropharmacology 2014; 87:180-7. [PMID: 24747182 PMCID: PMC4226319 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2013] [Revised: 03/07/2014] [Accepted: 04/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
There is evidence for functional specificity of subregions along the rostrocaudal axis of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). The subregion-specific distribution of dopaminergic afferents and glutamatergic efferents along the ACC make these obvious candidates for coding such regional responses. We investigated this possibility using microdialysis in freely-moving rats to compare changes in extracellular dopamine and glutamate in the rostral (‘rACC': Cg1 and Cg3 (prelimbic area)) and caudal (‘cACC’: Cg1 and Cg2) ACC induced by systemic or local administration of d-amphetamine. Systemic administration of d-amphetamine (3 mg/kg, i.p.) caused a transient increase in extracellular dopamine in the rACC, but an apparent increase in the cACC of the same animals was less clearly defined. Local infusion of d-amphetamine increased dopamine efflux in the rACC, only. Glutamate efflux in the rACC was increased by local infusion of dopamine (5–50 μM), which had negligible effect in the cACC, but only systemic administration of d-amphetamine increased glutamate efflux and only in the cACC. The asymmetry in the neurochemical responses within the rACC and cACC, to the same experimental challenges, could help explain why different subregions are recruited in the response to specific environmental and somatosensory stimuli and should be taken into account when studying the regulation of neurotransmission in the ACC. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled ‘CNS Stimulants’. Dopamine and glutamate efflux in two anterior cingulate subregions were compared. Responses to d-amphetamine depended on subregion and route of drug administration. These findings could help explain the disparate roles of the two subregions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth S Ash
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - David J Heal
- RenaSci Ltd., Pennyfoot Street, Nottingham NG1 1GF, UK
| | - S Clare Stanford
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
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76
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Canteras NS, Graeff FG. Executive and modulatory neural circuits of defensive reactions: implications for panic disorder. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 46 Pt 3:352-64. [PMID: 24709069 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2013] [Revised: 02/08/2014] [Accepted: 03/27/2014] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The present review covers two independent approaches, a neuroanatomical and a pharmacological (focused on serotonergic transmission), which converge in highlighting the critical role of the hypothalamus and midbrain periaqueductal gray matter in the generation of panic attacks and in the mechanism of action of current antipanic medication. Accordingly, innate and learned fear responses to different threats (i.e., predator, aggressive members of the same species, interoceptive threats and painful stimuli) are processed by independent circuits involving corticolimbic regions (the amygdala, the hippocampus and the prefrontal and insular cortices) and downstream hypothalamic and brainstem circuits. As for the drug treatment, animal models of panic indicate that the drugs currently used for treating panic disorder should work by enhancing 5-HT inhibition of neural systems that command proximal defense in both the dorsal periaqueductal gray and in the medial hypothalamus. For the anticipatory anxiety, the reviewed evidence points to corticolimbic structures, such as the amygdala, the septo-hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, as its main neural substrate, modulated by stimulation of 5-HT2C and 5-HT1A receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Newton S Canteras
- Departamento de Anatomia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-000 São Paulo, Brazil; Núcleo de Apoio à Pesquisa em Neurobiologia das Emoções (NAP-NuPNE), Universidade de São Paulo, 14049-900 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Frederico G Graeff
- Instituto de Neurociências e Comportamento (INeC), Universidade de São Paulo, 14049-900 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; Núcleo de Apoio à Pesquisa em Neurobiologia das Emoções (NAP-NuPNE), Universidade de São Paulo, 14049-900 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
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77
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Abstract
From a neurobiological perspective there is no such thing as bipolar disorder. Rather, it is almost certainly the case that many somewhat similar, but subtly different, pathological conditions produce a disease state that we currently diagnose as bipolarity. This heterogeneity - reflected in the lack of synergy between our current diagnostic schema and our rapidly advancing scientific understanding of the condition - limits attempts to articulate an integrated perspective on bipolar disorder. However, despite these challenges, scientific findings in recent years are beginning to offer a provisional "unified field theory" of the disease. This theory sees bipolar disorder as a suite of related neurodevelopmental conditions with interconnected functional abnormalities that often appear early in life and worsen over time. In addition to accelerated loss of volume in brain areas known to be essential for mood regulation and cognitive function, consistent findings have emerged at a cellular level, providing evidence that bipolar disorder is reliably associated with dysregulation of glial-neuronal interactions. Among these glial elements are microglia - the brain's primary immune elements, which appear to be overactive in the context of bipolarity. Multiple studies now indicate that inflammation is also increased in the periphery of the body in both the depressive and manic phases of the illness, with at least some return to normality in the euthymic state. These findings are consistent with changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which are known to drive inflammatory activation. In summary, the very fact that no single gene, pathway, or brain abnormality is likely to ever account for the condition is itself an extremely important first step in better articulating an integrated perspective on both its ontological status and pathogenesis. Whether this perspective will translate into the discovery of innumerable more homogeneous forms of bipolarity is one of the great questions facing the field and one that is likely to have profound treatment implications, given that fact that such a discovery would greatly increase our ability to individualize - and by extension, enhance - treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Maletic
- Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of South Carolina School of Medicine , Columbia, SC , USA
| | - Charles Raison
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Arizona , Tucson, AZ , USA ; Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona , Tucson, AZ , USA
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78
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A role for anterior thalamic nuclei in contextual fear memory. Brain Struct Funct 2013; 219:1575-86. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-013-0586-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2013] [Accepted: 05/17/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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79
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Courtin J, Bienvenu T, Einarsson E, Herry C. Medial prefrontal cortex neuronal circuits in fear behavior. Neuroscience 2013; 240:219-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2012] [Revised: 02/28/2013] [Accepted: 03/01/2013] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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80
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Dupire A, Kant P, Mons N, Marchand AR, Coutureau E, Dalrymple-Alford J, Wolff M. A role for anterior thalamic nuclei in affective cognition: Interaction with environmental conditions. Hippocampus 2013; 23:392-404. [DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2012] [Revised: 01/04/2013] [Accepted: 01/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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81
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Weible AP. Remembering to attend: the anterior cingulate cortex and remote memory. Behav Brain Res 2013; 245:63-75. [PMID: 23453992 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2012] [Revised: 02/08/2013] [Accepted: 02/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Damage to the hippocampus, as first demonstrated with patient HM, results in a profound anterograde and temporally-graded retrograde amnesia. The observation that older memories could still be consciously recollected led to the proposal that, over time, information initially processed in the hippocampus is stored in a distributed cortical network. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has recently been implicated in this process. Studies in rodents have demonstrated that the ACC is necessary for recalling behaviors learned a month or more in the past, but not for the same behaviors learned the previous day. Precisely how the ACC contributes to the recall of remote memories is unknown. Is this role distinct from myriad others proposed for the ACC, or has the approach taken in these studies of assessing function at different points after learning provided a new window through which to view established processes? The present review seeks to address this question. First, the data will be presented implicating the ACC in recall of remote memory. This will be followed by a discussion of studies describing two other primary roles of the ACC, mediating attention and premotor planning, with an emphasis on data collected in rodents, as these will be most directly comparable to the memory studies presented. The available evidence supports a connection among these roles, and suggests a possible synthesis for otherwise seemingly disparate functions reported for the ACC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aldis P Weible
- Institute of Neuroscience, 212 Lewis Integrative Science Building, University of Oregon, Eugene 97405, OR, USA.
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82
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The dorsolateral periaqueductal gray and its role in mediating fear learning to life threatening events. PLoS One 2012; 7:e50361. [PMID: 23209724 PMCID: PMC3508919 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2012] [Accepted: 10/19/2012] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The dorsolateral column of the periaqueductal gray (dlPAG) integrates aversive emotional experiences and represents an important site responding to life threatening situations, such as hypoxia, cardiac pain and predator threats. Previous studies have shown that the dorsal PAG also supports fear learning; and we have currently explored how the dlPAG influences associative learning. We have first shown that N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) 100 pmol injection in the dlPAG works as a valuable unconditioned stimulus (US) for the acquisition of olfactory fear conditioning (OFC) using amyl acetate odor as conditioned stimulus (CS). Next, we revisited the ascending projections of the dlPAG to the thalamus and hypothalamus to reveal potential paths that could mediate associative learning during OFC. Accordingly, the most important ascending target of the dlPAG is the hypothalamic defensive circuit, and we were able to show that pharmacological inactivation using β-adrenoceptor blockade of the dorsal premammillary nucleus, the main exit way for the hypothalamic defensive circuit to thalamo-cortical circuits involved in fear learning, impaired the acquisition of the OFC promoted by NMDA stimulation of the dlPAG. Moreover, our tracing study revealed multiple parallel paths from the dlPAG to several thalamic targets linked to cortical-hippocampal-amygdalar circuits involved in fear learning. Overall, the results point to a major role of the dlPAG in the mediation of aversive associative learning via ascending projections to the medial hypothalamic defensive circuit, and perhaps, to other thalamic targets, as well. These results provide interesting perspectives to understand how life threatening events impact on fear learning, and should be useful to understand pathological fear memory encoding in anxiety disorders.
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83
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Browne CA, Clarke G, Hanke J, Dinan TG, Schwegler H, Yilmazer-Hanke DM, Cryan JF. Alterations in prefrontal cortical serotonin and antidepressant-like behavior in a novel C3H/HeJxDBA/2J recombinant inbred mouse strain. Behav Brain Res 2012; 236:283-288. [PMID: 22960457 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2012] [Accepted: 08/10/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, two genetically related inbred mouse strains selectively bred for high and low fear-sensitized acoustic startle reflex (FSS) were assessed in the forced swim test model of anti-depressant action and central monoamine concentrations in several brain regions were investigated. These mice were generated through backcrossing C3H/HeJ mice on DBA/2J mice, followed by inbreeding for several generations. The high-FSS and low-FSS strains are known to differ in their acquisition and extinction of fear following auditory fear conditioning. Significantly increased concentrations of 5-HT and its metabolite 5-HIAA were observed in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) but not in the hypothalamus, striatum, hippocampus, amygdala, or midbrain of high-FSS mice compared to low-FSS mice. In addition the concentration of DOPAC, the major metabolite of dopamine was also significantly increased in the mPFC. Furthermore, the high-FSS mice displayed significantly higher levels of immobility in the forced swim test but not the tail suspension test in comparison to the low-FSS group. The mPFC is not only important in the regulation of fear extinction, but also a key region of interest in the study of depression and maintenance of depressive-like behaviors. These data implicate serotonergic modulation in the mPFC in the maintenance of antidepressant-like behavior in a highly fearful mouse strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline A Browne
- Neuropharmacology Research Group, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University College Cork, Ireland
| | - Gerard Clarke
- Department of Psychiatry, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Ireland
| | - Joachim Hanke
- Institut für Anatomie, Medizinische Fakultät, Otto-von-Guerike Universität, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Timothy G Dinan
- Department of Psychiatry, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Ireland
| | - Herbert Schwegler
- Institut für Anatomie, Medizinische Fakultät, Otto-von-Guerike Universität, Magdeburg, Germany
| | | | - John F Cryan
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Ireland; Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
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84
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Abstract
Fear is an emotion that has powerful effects on behaviour and physiology across animal species. It is accepted that the amygdala has a central role in processing fear. However, it is less widely appreciated that distinct amygdala outputs and downstream circuits are involved in different types of fear. Data show that fear of painful stimuli, predators and aggressive members of the same species are processed in independent neural circuits that involve the amygdala and downstream hypothalamic and brainstem circuits. Here, we discuss data supporting multiple fear pathways and the implications of this distributed system for understanding and treating fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelius T Gross
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy.
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85
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Canteras NS, Mota-Ortiz SR, Motta SC. What ethologically based models have taught us about the neural systems underlying fear and anxiety. Braz J Med Biol Res 2012; 45:321-7. [PMID: 22450374 PMCID: PMC3854166 DOI: 10.1590/s0100-879x2012007500042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2011] [Accepted: 03/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Classical Pavlovian fear conditioning to painful stimuli has provided the generally accepted view of a core system centered in the central amygdala to organize fear responses. Ethologically based models using other sources of threat likely to be expected in a natural environment, such as predators or aggressive dominant conspecifics, have challenged this concept of a unitary core circuit for fear processing. We discuss here what the ethologically based models have told us about the neural systems organizing fear responses. We explored the concept that parallel paths process different classes of threats, and that these different paths influence distinct regions in the periaqueductal gray - a critical element for the organization of all kinds of fear responses. Despite this parallel processing of different kinds of threats, we have discussed an interesting emerging view that common cortical-hippocampal-amygdalar paths seem to be engaged in fear conditioning to painful stimuli, to predators and, perhaps, to aggressive dominant conspecifics as well. Overall, the aim of this review is to bring into focus a more global and comprehensive view of the systems organizing fear responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- N S Canteras
- Departamento de Anatomia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
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86
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Predicting aversive events and terminating fear in the mouse anterior cingulate cortex during trace fear conditioning. J Neurosci 2012; 32:1082-95. [PMID: 22262906 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5566-11.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A variety of studies have implicated the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in fear, including permanent storage of fear memory. Recent pharmacological and genetic studies indicate that early synaptic plasticity in the ACC may also contribute to certain forms of fear memory at early time points. However, no study has directly examined the possible changes in neuronal activity of ACC neurons in freely behaving mice during early learning. In the present study, we examined the neural responses of the ACC during trace fear conditioning. We found that ACC putative pyramidal and nonpyramidal neurons were involved in the termination of fear behavior ("un-freezing"), and the spike activity of these neurons was reduced during freezing. Some of the neurons were also found to acquire un-freezing locked activity and change their tuning. The results implicate the ACC neurons in fear learning and controlling the abolition of fear behavior. We also show that the ACC is important for making cue-related fear memory associations in the trace fear paradigm as measured with tone-evoked potentials and single-unit activity. Collectively, our findings indicate that the ACC is involved in predicting future aversive events and terminating fear during trace fear.
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87
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Sadler TR, Nguyen PT, Yang J, Givrad TK, Mayer EA, Maarek JMI, Hinton DR, Holschneider DP. Antenatal maternal stress alters functional brain responses in adult offspring during conditioned fear. Brain Res 2012; 1385:163-74. [PMID: 21300034 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.01.104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2010] [Revised: 12/10/2010] [Accepted: 01/29/2011] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Antenatal maternal stress has been shown in rodent models and in humans to result in altered behavioral and neuroendocrine responses, yet little is known about its effects on functional brain activation. Pregnant female rats received a daily foot-shock stress or sham-stress two days after testing plug-positive and continuing for the duration of their pregnancy. Adult male offspring (age 14 weeks) with and without prior maternal stress (MS) were exposed to an auditory fear conditioning (CF) paradigm. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was assessed during recall of the tone cue in the nonsedated, nontethered animal using the ((14))C-iodoantipyrine method, in which the tracer was administered intravenously by remote activation of an implantable minipump. Regional CBF distribution was examined by autoradiography and analyzed by statistical parametric mapping in the three-dimensionally reconstructed brains. Presence of fear memory was confirmed by behavioral immobility ("freezing"). Corticosterone plasma levels during the CF paradigm were measured by ELISA in a separate group of rats. Antenatal MS exposure altered functional brain responses to the fear conditioned cue in adult offspring. Rats with prior MS exposure compared to those without demonstrated heightened fear responsivity, exaggerated and prolonged corticosterone release, increased functional cerebral activation of limbic/paralimbic regions (amygdala, ventral hippocampus, insula, ventral striatum, and nucleus accumbens), the locus coeruleus, and white matter, and deactivation of medial prefrontal cortical regions. Dysregulation of corticolimbic circuits may represent risk factors in the future development of anxiety disorders and associated alterations in emotional regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodore R Sadler
- Department of Pathology, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
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88
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Ross LA, Olson IR. What's unique about unique entities? An fMRI investigation of the semantics of famous faces and landmarks. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 22:2005-15. [PMID: 22021913 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhr274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Famous people and artifacts are referred to as "unique entities" (UEs) due to the unique nature of the knowledge we have about them. Past imaging and lesion experiments have indicated that the anterior temporal lobes (ATLs) as having a special role in the processing of UEs. It has remained unclear which attributes of UEs were responsible for the observed effects in imaging experiments. In this study, we investigated what factors of UEs influence brain activity. In a training paradigm, we systematically varied the uniqueness of semantic associations, the presence/absence of a proper name, and the number of semantic associations to determine factors modulating activity in regions subserving the processing of UEs. We found that a conjunction of unique semantic information and proper names modulated activity within a section of the left ATL. Overall, the processing of UEs involved a wider left-hemispheric cortical network. Within these regions, brain activity was significantly affected by the unique semantic attributes especially in the presence of a proper name, but we could not find evidence for an effect of the number of semantic associations. Findings are discussed in regard to current models of ATL function, the neurophysiology of semantics, and social cognitive processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars A Ross
- Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA.
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89
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Interplay of amygdala and cingulate plasticity in emotional fear. Neural Plast 2011; 2011:813749. [PMID: 21912749 PMCID: PMC3168900 DOI: 10.1155/2011/813749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2011] [Accepted: 06/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The amygdala is known to be a critical brain region for emotional fear. It is believed that synaptic plasticity within the amygdala is the cellular basis of fear memory. Recent studies demonstrate that cortical areas such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) may also contribute to the formation of fear memory, including trace fear memory and remote fear memory. At synaptic level, fear conditioning also triggers plastic changes within the cortical areas immediately after the condition. These results raise the possibility that certain forms of synaptic plasticity may occur within the cortex while synaptic potentiation takes place within synapses in the hippocampus and amygdala. This hypothesis is supported by electrophysiological evidence obtained from freely moving animals that neurons in the hippocampus/amygdala fire synchronous activities with cortical neurons during the learning. To study fear-related synaptic plasticity in the cortex and its functional connectivity with neurons in the amygdala and hippocampus will help us understand brain mechanisms of fear and improve clinical treatment of emotional disorders in patients.
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90
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Pang RD, Wang Z, Klosinski LP, Guo Y, Herman DH, Celikel T, Dong HW, Holschneider DP. Mapping functional brain activation using [14C]-iodoantipyrine in male serotonin transporter knockout mice. PLoS One 2011; 6:e23869. [PMID: 21886833 PMCID: PMC3160305 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2011] [Accepted: 07/27/2011] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Serotonin transporter knockout mice have been a powerful tool in understanding the role played by the serotonin transporter in modulating physiological function and behavior. However, little work has examined brain function in this mouse model. We tested the hypothesis that male knockout mice show exaggerated limbic activation during exposure to an emotional stressor, similar to human subjects with genetically reduced transcription of the serotonin transporter. Methodology/Principal Findings Functional brain mapping using [14C]-iodoantipyrine was performed during recall of a fear conditioned tone. Regional cerebral blood flow was analyzed by statistical parametric mapping from autoradiographs of the three-dimensionally reconstructed brains. During recall, knockout mice compared to wild-type mice showed increased freezing, increased regional cerebral blood flow of the amygdala, insula, and barrel field somatosensory cortex, decreased regional cerebral blood flow of the ventral hippocampus, and conditioning-dependent alterations in regional cerebral blood flow in the medial prefrontal cortex (prelimbic, infralimbic, and cingulate). Anxiety tests relying on sensorimotor exploration showed a small (open field) or paradoxical effect (marble burying) of loss of the serotonin transporter on anxiety behavior, which may reflect known abnormalities in the knockout animal's sensory system. Experiments evaluating whisker function showed that knockout mice displayed impaired whisker sensation in the spontaneous gap crossing task and appetitive gap cross training. Conclusions This study is the first to demonstrate altered functional activation in the serotonin transporter knockout mice of critical nodes of the fear conditioning circuit. Alterations in whisker sensation and functional activation of barrel field somatosensory cortex extend earlier reports of barrel field abnormalities, which may confound behavioral measures relying on sensorimotor exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raina D. Pang
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Zhuo Wang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Lauren P. Klosinski
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Yumei Guo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - David H. Herman
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Tansu Celikel
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Department of Cell and Neurobiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Hong Wei Dong
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Daniel P. Holschneider
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Department of Neurology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Department of Cell and Neurobiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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91
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McNally GP, Johansen JP, Blair HT. Placing prediction into the fear circuit. Trends Neurosci 2011; 34:283-92. [PMID: 21549434 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2011.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 193] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2011] [Revised: 03/28/2011] [Accepted: 03/29/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Pavlovian fear conditioning depends on synaptic plasticity at amygdala neurons. Here, we review recent electrophysiological, molecular and behavioral evidence suggesting the existence of a distributed neural circuitry regulating amygdala synaptic plasticity during fear learning. This circuitry, which involves projections from the midbrain periaqueductal gray region, can be linked to prediction error and expectation modulation of fear learning, as described by associative and computational learning models. It controls whether, and how much, fear learning occurs by signaling aversive events when they are unexpected. Functional neuroimaging and clinical studies indicate that this prediction circuit is recruited in humans during fear learning and contributes to exposure-based treatments for clinical anxiety. This aversive prediction error circuit might represent a conserved mechanism for regulating fear learning in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavan P McNally
- School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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92
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Andreescu C, Gross JJ, Lenze E, Edelman KD, Snyder S, Tanase C, Aizenstein H. Altered cerebral blood flow patterns associated with pathologic worry in the elderly. Depress Anxiety 2011; 28:202-9. [PMID: 21394853 PMCID: PMC3225118 DOI: 10.1002/da.20799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is the most prevalent anxiety disorder among the elderly and has high functional and cognitive morbidity. However, late-life GAD is relatively understudied and its functional neuroanatomy is uncharted. Several imaging studies have suggested abnormalities in the cognitive control systems of emotion regulation in anxiety disorders in young adults. The aim of this study was to examine the neural correlates of emotion regulation in late-life GAD. METHOD We compared 7 elderly GAD subjects and 10 elderly nonanxious comparison subjects using functional MRI. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured using pulsed arterial spin labeling perfusion MRI at rest and during an emotion regulation paradigm. RESULTS Relative to the rest condition, elderly nonanxious comparison subjects had increased rCBF during worry induction (WI) in the right insula, bilateral amygdala, and associative temporooccipital areas. Elderly GAD subjects had increased rCBF during WI in the associative temporooccipital areas, but not in the insula or the amygdala. During worry suppression (WS), elderly nonanxious comparison subjects had increased rCBF in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and dorsal ACC. Elderly GAD subjects had no changes in rCBF during WS in the PFC. CONCLUSIONS When attempting to regulate their emotional responses, elderly anxious subjects failed to activate prefrontal regions involved in the downregulation of negative emotions. These results, showing that elderly anxious subjects are not effectively engaging the PFC in suppressing worry, may be clinically relevant for developing personalized therapeutic strategies for the treatment of late-life GAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Andreescu
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic,3811 O’Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - James J. Gross
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Saint Louis
| | - Eric Lenze
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis
| | | | - Sara Snyder
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh
| | - Costin Tanase
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Imaging Research Center, University of California Davis
| | - Howard Aizenstein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Bioengineering Department, University of Pittsburgh
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93
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Selective suppression of plasticity in amygdala inputs from temporal association cortex by the external capsule. J Neurosci 2011; 31:339-45. [PMID: 21209220 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5537-10.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
GABAergic neurons in the external capsule (EC) provide feedforward inhibition in the lateral amygdala (LA), but how EC affects synaptic transmission and plasticity in inputs from specific cortical areas remains unknown; this is because axonal fibers from different cortical areas are intermingled in the amygdala and cannot be activated selectively using conventional electrical stimulation. Here, we achieved selective activation of fibers from the temporal association cortex (TeA) or the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) by using channelrhodopsin-2. Long-term potentiation (LTP) in the TeA-LA pathway, which runs through EC, was enabled by cutting connections between EC and LA or by blocking GABA(A) receptor-mediated transmission. In contrast, LTP in the ACC-LA pathway, which bypasses EC, was GABA(A) receptor independent. The EC transection shifted balance between inhibitory and excitatory responses in the TeA-LA pathway toward excitation, but had no effect on the ACC-LA pathway. Thus, EC provides pathway-specific suppression of amygdala plasticity.
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94
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Gulick D, Gould TJ. Nicotine acts in the anterior cingulate, but not dorsal or ventral hippocampus, to reverse ethanol-induced learning impairments in the plus-maze discriminative avoidance task. Addict Biol 2011; 16:176-88. [PMID: 20331558 DOI: 10.1111/j.1369-1600.2010.00209.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The current study examines the role of the dorsal and ventral hippocampus, and anterior cingulate in the interactive effects of ethanol and nicotine on learning, anxiety and locomotion in the plus-maze discriminative avoidance task, which allows dissociation of drug effects on each behaviour. At training, time spent in each of the arms of the elevated plus-maze was recorded for 5 minutes. Each time that the mouse entered the aversive enclosed arm, a light and white noise were turned on. At testing, no cues were turned on and time spent in each arm was recorded for 3 minutes. The effects of systemic ethanol (1.0 or 1.4 g/kg) and nicotine (0.35 µg/0.50 µl/side) infused into the anterior cingulate, dorsal and ventral hippocampus were examined, as were the interactive effects of systemic ethanol (1.0 g/kg) and nicotine (0.09 mg/kg) with the high-affinity nicotinic receptor antagonist dihydro-beta-erythroidine (DHβE) (18.0 µg/0.50 µl/side) infused into the anterior cingulate. Ethanol dose dependently decreased anxiety, increased locomotion, and decreased learning. Anterior cingulate-infused nicotine decreased anxiety and reversed ethanol-associated learning deficits. Anterior cingulate-infused DHβE blocked reversal of ethanol-induced learning deficits by systemic nicotine. Dorsal hippocampus-infused nicotine reversed ethanol-induced anxiolysis and hyper-locomotion (1.4 g/kg) but produced no behavioural changes in ethanol-naïve mice. Ventral hippocampus-infused nicotine enhanced anxiolysis associated with 1.4 g/kg ethanol, but had no other effects. The anterior cingulate is necessary and sufficient for nicotine reversal of ethanol-induced learning deficits. In addition, the anterior cingulate, dorsal hippocampus and ventral hippocampus may mediate drug-induced changes in anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Gulick
- Department of Psychology, Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
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95
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Radwanska A, Debowska W, Liguz-Lecznar M, Brzezicka A, Kossut M, Cybulska-Klosowicz A. Involvement of retrosplenial cortex in classical conditioning. Behav Brain Res 2010; 214:231-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2010.05.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2009] [Revised: 05/17/2010] [Accepted: 05/21/2010] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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96
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Fan J, Gu X, Liu X, Guise KG, Park Y, Martin L, de Marchena A, Tang CY, Minzenberg MJ, Hof PR. Involvement of the anterior cingulate and frontoinsular cortices in rapid processing of salient facial emotional information. Neuroimage 2010; 54:2539-46. [PMID: 20937394 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2009] [Revised: 09/04/2010] [Accepted: 10/04/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and frontoinsular cortex (FI) have been implicated in processing information across a variety of domains, including those related to attention and emotion. However, their role in rapid information processing, for example, as required for timely processing of salient stimuli, is not well understood. Here, we designed an emotional face priming paradigm and employed functional magnetic resonance imaging to elucidate their role in these mechanisms. Target faces with either neutral or fearful emotion were briefly primed by either neutral or fearful faces, or by blank ovals. The pregenual ACC and the FI, together with other regions, such as the amygdala, were preferentially activated in response to fearful face priming, suggesting that these regions are involved in the rapid processing of salient facial emotional information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Fan
- Department of Psychology, Queens College, The City University of New York, Flushing, NY 11367, USA.
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97
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O'Mahony CM, Sweeney FF, Daly E, Dinan TG, Cryan JF. Restraint stress-induced brain activation patterns in two strains of mice differing in their anxiety behaviour. Behav Brain Res 2010; 213:148-54. [PMID: 20435071 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2010.04.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2010] [Revised: 04/20/2010] [Accepted: 04/23/2010] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Genetically identical inbred mouse strains are one of the most useful tools in dissecting the genetic basis of complex disorders. C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice differ markedly in emotionality. In particular, BALB/c mice are more stress-sensitive and have been proposed to be a model of pathological anxiety. There is a paucity of studies investigating whether brain activation in response to a stressor is different in these two strains. To this end, having confirmed that the strains differ in anxiety responses in a light-dark box test, we then examined if restraint stress induced increases in c-Fos protein expression in selective regions of the mouse brain. The areas of interest analysed were the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex (PFC), the paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PV) and the hippocampus. These areas were chosen due to their known involvement in stress response. Our data demonstrate that BALB/c showed a similar cellular activation pattern to stress, with respect to c-Fos expression, in the PVN, PV and in the hippocampus. On the other hand, BALB/c showed markedly blunted stress-induced brain activation compared with stressed C57BL/6 mice in both the CG1 and CG2 regions of the PFC. The lower levels of stress-induced activity in high anxiety BALB/c mice, possibly indicate a circuit dysregulation at the cortico-limbic level in response to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cliona M O'Mahony
- Neuropharmacology Research Group, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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98
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Jeon D, Kim S, Chetana M, Jo D, Ruley HE, Lin SY, Rabah D, Kinet JP, Shin HS. Observational fear learning involves affective pain system and Cav1.2 Ca2+ channels in ACC. Nat Neurosci 2010. [PMID: 20190743 DOI: 10.1038/nn.2504/0/0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Fear can be acquired vicariously through social observation of others suffering from aversive stimuli. We found that mice (observers) developed freezing behavior by observing other mice (demonstrators) receive repetitive foot shocks. Observers had higher fear responses when demonstrators were socially related to themselves, such as siblings or mating partners. Inactivation of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and parafascicular or mediodorsal thalamic nuclei, which comprise the medial pain system representing pain affection, substantially impaired this observational fear learning, whereas inactivation of sensory thalamic nuclei had no effect. The ACC neuronal activities were increased and synchronized with those of the lateral amygdala at theta rhythm frequency during this learning. Furthermore, an ACC-limited deletion of Ca(v)1.2 Ca(2+) channels in mice impaired observational fear learning and reduced behavioral pain responses. These results demonstrate the functional involvement of the affective pain system and Ca(v)1.2 channels of the ACC in observational social fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daejong Jeon
- Center for Neural Science, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Korea
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99
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Observational fear learning involves affective pain system and Cav1.2 Ca2+ channels in ACC. Nat Neurosci 2010; 13:482-8. [PMID: 20190743 DOI: 10.1038/nn.2504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 445] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2009] [Accepted: 01/15/2010] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Fear can be acquired vicariously through social observation of others suffering from aversive stimuli. We found that mice (observers) developed freezing behavior by observing other mice (demonstrators) receive repetitive foot shocks. Observers had higher fear responses when demonstrators were socially related to themselves, such as siblings or mating partners. Inactivation of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and parafascicular or mediodorsal thalamic nuclei, which comprise the medial pain system representing pain affection, substantially impaired this observational fear learning, whereas inactivation of sensory thalamic nuclei had no effect. The ACC neuronal activities were increased and synchronized with those of the lateral amygdala at theta rhythm frequency during this learning. Furthermore, an ACC-limited deletion of Ca(v)1.2 Ca(2+) channels in mice impaired observational fear learning and reduced behavioral pain responses. These results demonstrate the functional involvement of the affective pain system and Ca(v)1.2 channels of the ACC in observational social fear.
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100
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