101
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McDonald AJ. Immunohistochemical Identification of Interneuronal Subpopulations in the Basolateral Amygdala of the Rhesus Monkey (Macaca mulatta). Neuroscience 2021; 455:113-127. [PMID: 33359654 PMCID: PMC7855802 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Inhibitory circuits in the basolateral nuclear complex of the amygdala (BNC) critical for controlling the acquisition, expression, and extinction of emotional responses are mediated by GABAergic interneurons (INs). Studies in rodents have demonstrated that separate IN subpopulations, identified by their expression of calcium-binding proteins and neuropeptides, play discrete roles in the intrinsic circuitry of the BNC. Far less is known about IN subpopulations in primates. In order to fill in this gap in our understanding of primate INs, the present investigation used dual-labeling immunohistochemistry for IN markers to identify subpopulations expressing cholecystokinin (CCK), calbindin (CB), calretinin (CR), and somatostatin (SOM) in somata and axon terminals in the monkey BNC. In general, colocalization patterns seen in somata and axon terminals were similar. It was found that there was virtually no colocalization of CB and CR, the two calcium-binding proteins investigated. Three subtypes of CCK-immunoreactive (CCK+) INs were identified on the basis of their expression of CR or CB: (1) CCK+/CR+; (2) CCK+/CB+); and (3) CCK+/CR-/CB-. Almost no colocalization of CCK with SOM was observed, but there was extensive colocalization of SOM and CB. CCK+, CR+, and CCK+/CR+ double-labeled axon terminals were seen surrounding pyramidal cell somata in basket-like plexuses, as well as in the neuropil. CB+, SOM+, and CB+/SOM+ terminals did not form baskets, suggesting that these IN subpopulations are mainly dendrite-targeting neurons. In general, the IN subpopulations in the monkey are not dissimilar to those seen in rodents but, unlike rodents, CB+ INs in the monkey are not basket cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J McDonald
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
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102
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McDonald AJ. Expression of the type 1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1R) in CCK-immunoreactive axon terminals in the basolateral amygdala of the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta). Neurosci Lett 2021; 745:135503. [PMID: 33352287 PMCID: PMC7870532 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 11/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Studies in rodents have shown that interactions between cholecystokinin (CCK) and the endogenous cannabinoid system in the basolateral nuclear complex of the amygdala (BNC) modulate anxiety-like behavior and fear learning/expression. One of the main cell types implicated is a CCK-immunoreactive (CCK+) basket cell that innervates the somata of pyramidal projection neurons (PNs) and expresses the type 1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1R) in its axon terminals. Although numerous studies have elucidated the anatomy and physiology of these CCK+/CB1R + interneurons in rodents, it has not been determined if they exist in primates. The present investigation used immunohistochemical techniques in the monkey to answer this question. It was found that the monkey BNC, as in rodents, has a very high density of CB1R + axons, including CB1R + axon terminals that form basket-like plexuses contacting somata of PNs. These axons, as well as axons in the neuropil, exhibit extensive colocalization of CCK and CB1R. These findings suggest that the same synaptic mechanisms involved in CCK-CB1R interactions in rodents may also apply to primates, and that therapies that target the cannabinoid system in the BNC may be useful for treating fear and anxiety in human patients.
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103
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Neural Predictors of Changes in Party Closeness after Exposure to Corruption Messages: An fMRI Study. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11020158. [PMID: 33530314 PMCID: PMC7912174 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11020158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Daily worldwide newspapers are filled with campaigning unveiling political corruption. Despite this information be worrying to many citizens, political researchers have not identified any consistent trend of decline of support among party sympathizers. This study utilizes neuroimaging for the first time to examine the neuropsychological origin of party closeness variation among backers of a liberal (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, PSOE) and a conservative party (Popular Party, PP) in Spain after a month receiving corruption messages among their preferred party. Brain data provide some explanation as to the origin of party closeness reduction among liberal sympathizers: areas involved with negative feelings, disappointment and self-relevance served to predict party closeness reduction 30 days in advance. Implications for liberals and conservatives’ campaigns are discussed.
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104
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Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide plasma levels associated with affective symptoms and brain structure and function in healthy females. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1406. [PMID: 33446759 PMCID: PMC7809454 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80873-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) is a neuroendocrine peptide distributed throughout the human body, including the CNS, where it is particularly abundant in brain regions associated with anxiety and depression. Based on earlier studies indicating that peripheral VIP may cross through the blood–brain barrier, we hypothesized plasma VIP levels to be associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as brain volume and resting-state functional connectivity in the amygdala, hippocampus, parahippocampus, and orbitofrontal cortex. Plasma VIP concentrations and anxiety/depression symptoms were measured in 37 healthy females. Functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging were used to evaluate functional connectivity and brain volume respectively, and their associations with VIP concentrations within brain regions associated with anxiety and depression. Negative correlations were found between VIP levels and symptoms of anxiety (r = − 0.44, p = 0.002) and depression (r = − 0.50, p = 0.001). Functional connectivity demonstrated significant VIP-dependent positive associations between the amygdala seed region with both the right parahippocampus (t(33) = 3.1, pFDR = 0.02) and right lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC; t(33) = 2.9, pFDR = 0.02). Moreover, VIP concentrations were significantly, positively correlated with brain volume in the left amygdala (r = 0.28, p = 0.007) and left lateral OFC (r = 0.29, p = 0.004). The present findings highlight a potential role for VIP in the neurobiology of affective symptoms.
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105
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Liu J, Hu T, Zhang MQ, Xu CY, Yuan MY, Li RX. Differential efferent projections of GABAergic neurons in the basolateral and central nucleus of amygdala in mice. Neurosci Lett 2021; 745:135621. [PMID: 33421491 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The Basolateral amygdala (BLA) and central nucleus of the amygdala (CEA) have been proved to play a key role in the control of anxiety, stress and fear-related behaviors. BLA is a cortex-like complex consisting of both γ-aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) interneurons and glutamatergic neurons. The CEA is a striatum-like output of the amygdala, consisting almost exclusively of GABAergic medium spiny neurons. In this study, we explored the morphology and axonal projections of the GABAergic neurons in BLA and CEA, using conditional anterograde axonal tracing, immunohistochemistry, and VGAT-Cre transgenic mice to further understand their functional roles. We found that the axonal projections of GABAergic neurons from the BLA mainly distributed to the forebrain, whilst GABAergic neurons from the CEA distributed to the forebrain, midbrain and brainstem. In the forebrain, the axonal projections of GABAergic neurons from the BLA projected to the anterior olfactory nucleus, the cerebral cortex, the septum, the striatum, the thalamus, the amygdala and the hippocampus. The axonal projections of GABAergic neurons from the CEA distributed to the nuclei of the prefrontal cortex, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, the hypothalamus and the thalamus. In the midbrain and brainstem, the axonal projections of GABAergic neurons from the CEA were found in the periaqueductal gray, the substantia nigra, and the locus coeruleus. These data reveal the neuroanatomical basis for exploring the function of GABAergic neurons in the BLA and CEA, particularly during the processing of fear-related behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Liu
- Department of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Life Sciences College, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.
| | - Tao Hu
- Department of Anatomy, Basic Medical College, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Meng-Qi Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Institutes of Brain Science and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chuan-Ying Xu
- Department of Neurology, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Mao-Yun Yuan
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Rui-Xi Li
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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106
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Wang N, Liu X, Li XT, Li XX, Ma W, Xu YM, Liu Y, Gao Q, Yang T, Wang H, Peng Y, Zhu XF, Guan YZ. 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone Alleviates Anxiety-Like Behavior Induced by Chronic Alcohol Exposure in Mice Involving Tropomyosin-Related Kinase B in the Amygdala. Mol Neurobiol 2021; 58:92-105. [PMID: 32895785 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-020-02111-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol use-associated disorders are highly comorbid with anxiety disorders; however, their mechanism remains unknown. The amygdala plays a central role in anxiety. We recently found that 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF) significantly reduces withdrawal symptoms in a rat model of chronic intermittent alcohol (ethanol) exposure. This study aimed to determine the role of 7,8-DHF in regulating anxiety induced by chronic alcohol exposure and its associated underlying mechanism. Male C57BL/6J mice were exposed to chronic intermittent alcohol for 3 weeks followed by alcohol withdrawal for 12 h with or without 7,8-DHF administered intraperitoneally. All mice were tested using an open field test and elevated plus maze to assess anxiety-like behaviors. Synaptic activity and intrinsic excitability in basal and lateral amygdala (BLA) neurons were assessed using electrophysiological recordings. 7,8-DHF alleviated alcohol-induced anxiety-like behavior and attenuated alcohol-induced enhancement of activities in BLA pyramidal neurons. Furthermore, 7,8-DHF prevented alcohol withdrawal-evoked augmentation of glutamatergic transmission in the amygdala and had no effect on GABAergic transmission in the amygdala, as demonstrated by unaltered frequency and amplitude of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents. Microinjection of K252a, a tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB) antagonist, into the BLA blocked the effects of 7,8-DHF on anxiety-like behavior and neuronal activity in the BLA. Our findings suggest that 7,8-DHF alleviates alcohol-induced anxiety-like behavior induced by chronic alcohol exposure through regulation of glutamate transmission involving TrKB in the BLA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Wang
- Department of Physiology & Neurobiology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, China
| | - Xing Liu
- Department of Physiology & Neurobiology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, China
| | - Xin-Tong Li
- Department of Neurology, The Affiliated First Hospital of Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, 154000, China
| | - Xin-Xin Li
- Department of Physiology & Neurobiology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, China
| | - Wei Ma
- Department of Physiology & Neurobiology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, China
| | - Yan-Min Xu
- Department of Physiology & Neurobiology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, China
| | - Yong Liu
- Department of Physiology & Neurobiology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, China
| | - Qing Gao
- Department of Physiology & Neurobiology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, China
| | - Tao Yang
- Department of Physiology & Neurobiology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, China
| | - Hongxuan Wang
- Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510828, China
| | - Ying Peng
- Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510828, China
| | - Xiao-Feng Zhu
- Department of Physiology & Neurobiology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, China.
| | - Yan-Zhong Guan
- Department of Physiology & Neurobiology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, China.
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107
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Sizer SE, Parrish BC, McCool BA. Chronic Ethanol Exposure Potentiates Cholinergic Neurotransmission in the Basolateral Amygdala. Neuroscience 2020; 455:165-176. [PMID: 33385490 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure dysregulates glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmission, facilitating basolateral amygdala (BLA) pyramidal neuron hyperexcitability and the expression of anxiety during withdrawal. It is unknown whether ethanol-induced alterations in nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM) cholinergic projections to the BLA mediate anxiety-related behaviors through direct modulation of GABA and glutamate afferents. Following 10 days of CIE exposure and 24 h of withdrawal, we recorded GABAergic and glutamatergic synaptic responses in BLA pyramidal neurons with electrophysiology, assessed total protein expression of cholinergic markers, and quantified acetylcholine and choline concentrations using a colorimetric assay. We measured α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) dependent modulation of presynaptic function at distinct inputs in AIR- and CIE-exposed BLA coronal slices as a functional read-out of cholinergic neurotransmission. CIE/withdrawal upregulates the endogenous activity of α7 nAChRs, facilitating release at both GABAergic' local' interneuron and glutamatergic synaptic responses to stria terminalis (ST) stimulation, with no effect at GABAergic lateral paracapsular cells (LPCs). CIE caused a three-fold increase in BLA acetylcholine concentration, with no changes in α7 nAChR or cholinergic marker expression. These data illustrate that α7 nAChR-dependent changes in presynaptic function serve as a proxy for CIE-dependent alterations in synaptic acetylcholine levels. Thus, cholinergic projections appear to mediate CIE-induced alterations at GABA/glutamate inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Sizer
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Piedmont Triad Community Research Center (PTCRC), Wake Forest School of Medicine, 115 S Chestnut Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA.
| | - Brian C Parrish
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Piedmont Triad Community Research Center (PTCRC), Wake Forest School of Medicine, 115 S Chestnut Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA.
| | - Brian A McCool
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Piedmont Triad Community Research Center (PTCRC), Wake Forest School of Medicine, 115 S Chestnut Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA.
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108
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Distributed coding in auditory thalamus and basolateral amygdala upon associative fear learning. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2020; 67:183-189. [PMID: 33373858 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2020.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Associative fear learning is a fundamental learning mechanism that is crucial for an animal's survival. The amygdala's role in fear memory formation has been studied extensively and molecular, cell type and circuit-specific learning mechanisms as well as population level encoding of threatful stimuli within the amygdala are at the core of fear learning. Nevertheless, increasing evidence suggests that fear memories are acquired, stored and modulated by a distributed neuronal network across many brain areas. Here we review recent studies that particularly re-assessed the role of auditory/lateral thalamus, which is one synapse upstream of the lateral amygdala, required for fear learning and exhibits a striking functional resemblance and plasticity pattern to downstream amygdala neurons on the single cell level, yet distinct population level coding.
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109
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Yaeger JD, Krupp KT, Gale JJ, Summers CH. Counterbalanced microcircuits for Orx1 and Orx2 regulation of stress reactivity. MEDICINE IN DRUG DISCOVERY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.medidd.2020.100059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
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110
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Hofmann D, Straube T. Effective connectivity between bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and amygdala: Reproducibility and relation to anxiety. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 42:824-836. [PMID: 33155747 PMCID: PMC7814768 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In a previous study, we investigated the resting‐state fMRI effective connectivity (EC) between the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and the laterobasal (LB), centromedial (CM), and superficial (SF) amygdala. We found strong negative EC from all amygdala nuclei to the BNST, while the BNST showed positive EC to the amygdala. However, the validity of these findings remains unclear, since a reproduction in different samples has not been done. Moreover, the association of EC with measures of anxiety offers deeper insight, due to the known role of the BNST and amygdala in fear and anxiety. Here, we aimed to reproduce our previous results in three additional samples. We used spectral Dynamic Causal Modeling to estimate the EC between the BNST, the LB, CM, and SF, and its association with two measures of self‐reported anxiety. Our results revealed consistency over samples with regard to the negative EC from the amygdala nuclei to the BNST, while the positive EC from BNST to the amygdala was also found, but weaker and more heterogenic. Moreover, we found the BNST‐BNST EC showing a positive and the CM‐BNST EC, showing a negative association with anxiety. Our study suggests a reproducible pattern of negative EC from the amygdala to the BNST along with weaker positive EC from the BNST to the amygdala. Moreover, less BNST self‐inhibition and more inhibitory influence from the CM to the BNST seems to be a pattern of EC that is related to higher anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Hofmann
- University Hospital Muenster, Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, Muenster, Germany
| | - Thomas Straube
- University Hospital Muenster, Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, Muenster, Germany
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111
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Mattera A, Pagani M, Baldassarre G. A Computational Model Integrating Multiple Phenomena on Cued Fear Conditioning, Extinction, and Reinstatement. Front Syst Neurosci 2020; 14:569108. [PMID: 33132856 PMCID: PMC7550679 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2020.569108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Conditioning, extinction, and reinstatement are fundamental learning processes of animal adaptation, also strongly involved in human pathologies such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and dependencies. Cued fear conditioning, extinction, restatement, and systematic manipulations of the underlying brain amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex, represent key experimental paradigms to study such processes. Numerous empirical studies have revealed several aspects and the neural systems and plasticity underlying them, but at the moment we lack a comprehensive view. Here we propose a computational model based on firing rate leaky units that contributes to such integration by accounting for 25 different experiments on fear conditioning, extinction, and restatement, on the basis of a single neural architecture having a structure and plasticity grounded in known brain biology. This allows the model to furnish three novel contributions to understand these open issues: (a) the functioning of the central and lateral amygdala system supporting conditioning; (b) the role played by the endocannabinoids system in within- and between-session extinction; (c) the formation of three important types of neurons underlying fear processing, namely fear, extinction, and persistent neurons. The model integration of the results on fear conditioning goes substantially beyond what was done in previous models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Mattera
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Pagani
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Gianluca Baldassarre
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
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112
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Campese VD, Kim IT, Kurpas B, Branigan L, Draus C, LeDoux JE. Motivational factors underlying aversive Pavlovian-instrumental transfer. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 27:477-482. [PMID: 33060285 PMCID: PMC7571266 DOI: 10.1101/lm.052316.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
While interest in active avoidance has recently been resurgent, many concerns relating to the nature of this form of learning remain unresolved. By separating stimulus and response acquisition, aversive Pavlovian-instrumental transfer can be used to measure the effect of avoidance learning on threat processing with more control than typical avoidance procedures. However, the motivational substrates that contribute to the aversive transfer effect have not been thoroughly examined. In three studies using rodents, the impact of a variety of aversive signals on shock-avoidance responding (i.e., two-way shuttling) was evaluated. Fox urine, as well as a tone paired with the delivery of the predator odor were insufficient modulatory stimuli for the avoidance response. Similarly, a signal for the absence of food did not generate appropriate aversive motivation to enhance shuttling. Only conditioned Pavlovian stimuli that had been paired with unconditioned threats were capable of augmenting shock-avoidance responding. This was true whether the signaled outcome was the same (e.g., shock) or different (e.g., klaxon) from the avoidance outcome (i.e., shock). These findings help to characterize the aversive transfer effect and provide a more thorough analysis of its generalization to warning signals for different kinds of threats. This feature of aversive motivation has not been demonstrated using conventional avoidance procedures and could be potentially useful for applying avoidance in treatment settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinn D Campese
- Department of Psychology, University of Evansville, Evansville, Indiana 47722, USA
| | - Ian T Kim
- Behavioral and Neural Sciences Graduate Program, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey 07102, USA.,Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey 07102, USA
| | - Botagoz Kurpas
- Department of Psychology, Kingsborough College, Brooklyn, New York 11235, USA
| | - Lauren Branigan
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10010, USA
| | - Cassandra Draus
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10010, USA
| | - Joseph E LeDoux
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10010, USA.,Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA
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113
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Xiao Q, Xu X, Tu J. Chronic optogenetic manipulation of basolateral amygdala astrocytes rescues stress-induced anxiety. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 533:657-664. [PMID: 33019977 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.09.106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Chronic exposure to stressors can disrupt normal brain function and induce anxiety-like behavior and neurobiological alterations in the basolateral amygdala (BLA). Here, we showed that unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) induced anxiety-like behavior, lowered glutamatergic neuronal activity and reactive astrocytes in the BLA. Using optogenetic tools, we found that activation of BLA glutamatergic neurons did not rescue anxiety-like behavior in stressed mice. In contrast, however, optogenetic activation of the BLA astrocytes relieved stress-induced anxiety, and, interestingly, chronic optogenetic manipulation fully restored the UCMS-induced behavioral and neurobiological dysfunctions, including anxiety-like behavior, lower c-Fos expression in the BLA, S100 overexpression in the BLA, and higher serum corticosterone concentration. Thus, our findings suggest that chronic manipulation of BLA astrocytes is a potential therapeutic intervention target for pathological anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Xiao
- The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenzhen, 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xirong Xu
- The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenzhen, 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jie Tu
- The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenzhen, 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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114
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A New Look at the Role of Mesoamygdaloid Dopamine Neurons in Aversive Conditioning. J Neurosci 2020; 40:7590-7592. [PMID: 32998956 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1483-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 08/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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115
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Kim CM, Egert U, Kumar A. Dynamics of multiple interacting excitatory and inhibitory populations with delays. Phys Rev E 2020; 102:022308. [PMID: 32942361 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.102.022308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
A network consisting of excitatory and inhibitory (EI) neurons is a canonical model for understanding local cortical network activity. In this study, we extended the local circuit model and investigated how its dynamical landscape can be enriched when it interacts with another excitatory (E) population with long transmission delays. Through analysis of a rate model and numerical simulations of a corresponding network of spiking neurons, we studied the transition from stationary to oscillatory states by analyzing the Hopf bifurcation structure in terms of two network parameters: (1) transmission delay between the EI subnetwork and the E population and (2) inhibitory couplings that induced oscillatory activity in the EI subnetwork. We found that the critical coupling strength can strongly modulate as a function of transmission delay, and consequently the stationary state can be interwoven intricately with the oscillatory state. Such a dynamical landscape gave rise to an isolated stationary state surrounded by multiple oscillatory states that generated different frequency modes, and cross-frequency coupling developed naturally at the bifurcation points. We identified the network motifs with short- and long-range inhibitory connections that underlie the emergence of oscillatory states with multiple frequencies. Thus, we provided a mechanistic explanation of how the transmission delay to and from the additional E population altered the dynamical landscape. In summary, our results demonstrated the potential role of long-range connections in shaping the network activity of local cortical circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ulrich Egert
- Bernstein Center Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.,Biomicrotechnology, IMTEK-Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Arvind Kumar
- Bernstein Center Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.,Department of Computational Science and Technology, School for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Lindstedtsvägen 3, 11428 Stockholm, Sweden
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116
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Neurotrophin signalling in amygdala-dependent cued fear learning. Cell Tissue Res 2020; 382:161-172. [PMID: 32845430 PMCID: PMC7529623 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-020-03260-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The amygdala is a central hub for fear learning assessed by Pavlovian fear conditioning. Indeed, the prevailing hypothesis that learning and memory are mediated by changes in synaptic strength was shown most convincingly at thalamic and cortical afferents to the lateral amygdala. The neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is known to regulate synaptic plasticity and memory formation in many areas of the mammalian brain including the amygdala, where BDNF signalling via tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB) receptors is prominently involved in fear learning. This review updates the current understanding of BDNF/TrkB signalling in the amygdala related to fear learning and extinction. In addition, actions of proBDNF/p75NTR and NGF/TrkA as well as NT-3/TrkC signalling in the amygdala are introduced.
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117
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Nagaeva E, Zubarev I, Bengtsson Gonzales C, Forss M, Nikouei K, de Miguel E, Elsilä L, Linden AM, Hjerling-Leffler J, Augustine GJ, Korpi ER. Heterogeneous somatostatin-expressing neuron population in mouse ventral tegmental area. eLife 2020; 9:59328. [PMID: 32749220 PMCID: PMC7440918 DOI: 10.7554/elife.59328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The cellular architecture of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), the main hub of the brain reward system, remains only partially characterized. To extend the characterization to inhibitory neurons, we have identified three distinct subtypes of somatostatin (Sst)-expressing neurons in the mouse VTA. These neurons differ in their electrophysiological and morphological properties, anatomical localization, as well as mRNA expression profiles. Importantly, similar to cortical Sst-containing interneurons, most VTA Sst neurons express GABAergic inhibitory markers, but some of them also express glutamatergic excitatory markers and a subpopulation even express dopaminergic markers. Furthermore, only some of the proposed marker genes for cortical Sst neurons were expressed in the VTA Sst neurons. Physiologically, one of the VTA Sst neuron subtypes locally inhibited neighboring dopamine neurons. Overall, our results demonstrate the remarkable complexity and heterogeneity of VTA Sst neurons and suggest that these cells are multifunctional players in the midbrain reward circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elina Nagaeva
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ivan Zubarev
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | | | - Mikko Forss
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kasra Nikouei
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elena de Miguel
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lauri Elsilä
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anni-Maija Linden
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jens Hjerling-Leffler
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - George J Augustine
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Esa R Korpi
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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118
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Nagaeva E, Zubarev I, Bengtsson Gonzales C, Forss M, Nikouei K, de Miguel E, Elsilä L, Linden AM, Hjerling-Leffler J, Augustine GJ, Korpi ER. Heterogeneous somatostatin-expressing neuron population in mouse ventral tegmental area. eLife 2020. [PMID: 32749220 DOI: 10.1038/gene] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The cellular architecture of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), the main hub of the brain reward system, remains only partially characterized. To extend the characterization to inhibitory neurons, we have identified three distinct subtypes of somatostatin (Sst)-expressing neurons in the mouse VTA. These neurons differ in their electrophysiological and morphological properties, anatomical localization, as well as mRNA expression profiles. Importantly, similar to cortical Sst-containing interneurons, most VTA Sst neurons express GABAergic inhibitory markers, but some of them also express glutamatergic excitatory markers and a subpopulation even express dopaminergic markers. Furthermore, only some of the proposed marker genes for cortical Sst neurons were expressed in the VTA Sst neurons. Physiologically, one of the VTA Sst neuron subtypes locally inhibited neighboring dopamine neurons. Overall, our results demonstrate the remarkable complexity and heterogeneity of VTA Sst neurons and suggest that these cells are multifunctional players in the midbrain reward circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elina Nagaeva
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ivan Zubarev
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | | | - Mikko Forss
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kasra Nikouei
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elena de Miguel
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lauri Elsilä
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anni-Maija Linden
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jens Hjerling-Leffler
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - George J Augustine
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Esa R Korpi
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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119
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Manzano Nieves G, Bravo M, Baskoylu S, Bath KG. Early life adversity decreases pre-adolescent fear expression by accelerating amygdala PV cell development. eLife 2020; 9:55263. [PMID: 32692310 PMCID: PMC7413666 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Early life adversity (ELA) is associated with increased risk for stress-related disorders later in life. The link between ELA and risk for psychopathology is well established but the developmental mechanisms remain unclear. Using a mouse model of resource insecurity, limited bedding (LB), we tested the effects of LB on the development of fear learning and neuronal structures involved in emotional regulation, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA). LB delayed the ability of peri-weanling (21 days old) mice to express, but not form, an auditory conditioned fear memory. LB accelerated the developmental emergence of parvalbumin (PV)-positive cells in the BLA and increased anatomical connections between PL and BLA. Fear expression in LB mice was rescued through optogenetic inactivation of PV-positive cells in the BLA. The current results provide a model of transiently blunted emotional reactivity in early development, with latent fear-associated memories emerging later in adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marilyn Bravo
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, United States
| | - Saba Baskoylu
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, United States
| | - Kevin G Bath
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, United States
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120
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Fu JY, Yu XD, Zhu Y, Xie SZ, Tang MY, Yu B, Li XM. Whole-Brain Map of Long-Range Monosynaptic Inputs to Different Cell Types in the Amygdala of the Mouse. Neurosci Bull 2020; 36:1381-1394. [PMID: 32691225 PMCID: PMC7674542 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-020-00545-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The amygdala, which is involved in various behaviors and emotions, is reported to connect with the whole brain. However, the long-range inputs of distinct cell types have not yet been defined. Here, we used a retrograde trans-synaptic rabies virus to generate a whole-brain map of inputs to the main cell types in the mouse amygdala. We identified 37 individual regions that projected to neurons expressing vesicular glutamate transporter 2, 78 regions to parvalbumin-expressing neurons, 104 regions to neurons expressing protein kinase C-δ, and 89 regions to somatostatin-expressing neurons. The amygdala received massive projections from the isocortex and striatum. Several nuclei, such as the caudate-putamen and the CA1 field of the hippocampus, exhibited input preferences to different cell types in the amygdala. Notably, we identified several novel input areas, including the substantia innominata and zona incerta. These findings provide anatomical evidence to help understand the precise connections and diverse functions of the amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Yu Fu
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Xiao-Dan Yu
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yi Zhu
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Shi-Ze Xie
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Meng-Yu Tang
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Bin Yu
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Xiao-Ming Li
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China. .,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Joint Institute for Genetics and Genome Medicine between Zhejiang University and University of Toronto, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
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121
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Deletion of NRXN1α impairs long-range and local connectivity in amygdala fear circuit. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:242. [PMID: 32684634 PMCID: PMC7370229 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-00926-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurexins are a family of presynaptic cell adhesion proteins that regulate synaptic structure and maintain normal synaptic transmission. Mutations in the α-isoform of neurexin1-gene (NRXN1α) are linked with cognitive and emotional dysregulation, which are heavily dependent on the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). It is however not known whether deletion of NRXN1α gene affect specific synaptic elements within the amygdala microcircuit and connectivity with mPFC. In this study, we show that NRXN1α deletion impairs synaptic transmission between the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and basal amygdala (BA) principal neurons. Stimulation of dmPFC fibers resulted in reduced paired pulse ratio (PPR) and AMPA/NMDA ratio at dmPFC to BA synapses in NRXN1α-knockout (KO) (NRXN1α KO) mice suggestive of pre- and postsynaptic deficits but there was no change at the lateral amygdala (LA) to BA synapses following LA stimulation. However, feedforward inhibition from either pathway was significantly reduced, suggestive of input-independent deficit in GABAergic transmission within BA. We further analyzed BA inhibitory network and found reduced connectivity between BA GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons in NRXN1α KO mice. As this circuit is tightly linked with fear regulation, we subjected NRXN1α KO and WT mice to discriminative fear conditioning and found a deficit in fear memory retrieval in NRXN1α KO mice compared with WT mice. Together, we provide novel evidence that deletion of NRNX1α disrupts amygdala fear circuit.
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122
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Guet-McCreight A, Skinner FK, Topolnik L. Common Principles in Functional Organization of VIP/Calretinin Cell-Driven Disinhibitory Circuits Across Cortical Areas. Front Neural Circuits 2020; 14:32. [PMID: 32581726 PMCID: PMC7296096 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2020.00032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In the brain, there is a vast diversity of different structures, circuitries, cell types, and cellular genetic expression profiles. While this large diversity can often occlude a clear understanding of how the brain works, careful analyses of analogous studies performed across different brain areas can hint at commonalities in neuronal organization. This in turn can yield a fundamental understanding of necessary circuitry components that are crucial for how information is processed across the brain. In this review, we outline recent in vivo and in vitro studies that have been performed in different cortical areas to characterize the vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)- and/or calretinin (CR)-expressing cells that specialize in inhibiting GABAergic interneurons. In doing so, we make the case that, across cortical structures, interneuron-specific cells commonly specialize in the synaptic disinhibition of excitatory neurons, which can ungate the integration and plasticity of external inputs onto excitatory neurons. In line with this, activation of interneuron- specific cells enhances animal performance across a variety of behavioral tasks that involve learning, memory formation, and sensory discrimination, and may represent a key target for therapeutic interventions under different pathological conditions. As such, interneuron-specific cells across different cortical structures are an essential network component for information processing and normal brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Guet-McCreight
- Krembil Brain Institute - Division of Clinical and Computational Neuroscience, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Frances K Skinner
- Krembil Brain Institute - Division of Clinical and Computational Neuroscience, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lisa Topolnik
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bio-informatics, Laval University, Québec, QC, Canada.,Neuroscience Axis, CHU de Québec Research Center (CHUL), Québec, QC, Canada
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123
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Quattrini G, Pievani M, Jovicich J, Aiello M, Bargalló N, Barkhof F, Bartres-Faz D, Beltramello A, Pizzini FB, Blin O, Bordet R, Caulo M, Constantinides M, Didic M, Drevelegas A, Ferretti A, Fiedler U, Floridi P, Gros-Dagnac H, Hensch T, Hoffmann KT, Kuijer JP, Lopes R, Marra C, Müller BW, Nobili F, Parnetti L, Payoux P, Picco A, Ranjeva JP, Roccatagliata L, Rossini PM, Salvatore M, Schonknecht P, Schott BH, Sein J, Soricelli A, Tarducci R, Tsolaki M, Visser PJ, Wiltfang J, Richardson JC, Frisoni GB, Marizzoni M. Amygdalar nuclei and hippocampal subfields on MRI: Test-retest reliability of automated volumetry across different MRI sites and vendors. Neuroimage 2020; 218:116932. [PMID: 32416226 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The amygdala and the hippocampus are two limbic structures that play a critical role in cognition and behavior, however their manual segmentation and that of their smaller nuclei/subfields in multicenter datasets is time consuming and difficult due to the low contrast of standard MRI. Here, we assessed the reliability of the automated segmentation of amygdalar nuclei and hippocampal subfields across sites and vendors using FreeSurfer in two independent cohorts of older and younger healthy adults. METHODS Sixty-five healthy older (cohort 1) and 68 younger subjects (cohort 2), from the PharmaCog and CoRR consortia, underwent repeated 3D-T1 MRI (interval 1-90 days). Segmentation was performed using FreeSurfer v6.0. Reliability was assessed using volume reproducibility error (ε) and spatial overlapping coefficient (DICE) between test and retest session. RESULTS Significant MRI site and vendor effects (p < .05) were found in a few subfields/nuclei for the ε, while extensive effects were found for the DICE score of most subfields/nuclei. Reliability was strongly influenced by volume, as ε correlated negatively and DICE correlated positively with volume size of structures (absolute value of Spearman's r correlations >0.43, p < 1.39E-36). In particular, volumes larger than 200 mm3 (for amygdalar nuclei) and 300 mm3 (for hippocampal subfields, except for molecular layer) had the best test-retest reproducibility (ε < 5% and DICE > 0.80). CONCLUSION Our results support the use of volumetric measures of larger amygdalar nuclei and hippocampal subfields in multisite MRI studies. These measures could be useful for disease tracking and assessment of efficacy in drug trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Quattrini
- Laboratory of Alzheimer's Neuroimaging and Epidemiology (LANE), IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy.
| | - Michela Pievani
- Laboratory of Alzheimer's Neuroimaging and Epidemiology (LANE), IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Jorge Jovicich
- Center for Mind Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | | | - Núria Bargalló
- Department of Neuroradiology and Image Research Platform, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Frederik Barkhof
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, UK
| | - David Bartres-Faz
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universitat de Barcelona and IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alberto Beltramello
- Department of Radiology, IRCCS "Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria", Negrar, Verona, Italy
| | - Francesca B Pizzini
- Radiology, Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Olivier Blin
- Aix-Marseille University, UMR-INSERM 1106, Service de Pharmacologie Clinique, APHM, Marseille, France
| | - Regis Bordet
- Aix-Marseille Université, INSERM U 1106, 13005, Marseille, France
| | | | | | - Mira Didic
- Aix-Marseille Université, Inserm, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes (INS) UMR_S 1106, 13005, Marseille, France; APHM, Timone, Service de Neurologie et Neuropsychologie, Hôpital Timone Adultes, Marseille, France
| | | | | | - Ute Fiedler
- Institutes and Clinics of the University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Piero Floridi
- Perugia General Hospital, Neuroradiology Unit, Perugia, Italy
| | - Hélène Gros-Dagnac
- ToNIC, Toulouse NeuroImaging Center, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, UPS, France
| | - Tilman Hensch
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Joost P Kuijer
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Renaud Lopes
- INSERM U1171, Neuroradiology Department, University Hospital, Lille, France
| | - Camillo Marra
- Catholic University, Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Bernhard W Müller
- LVR-Hospital Essen, Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Flavio Nobili
- Department of Neuroscience (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; IRCCS, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | - Lucilla Parnetti
- Section of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Pierre Payoux
- ToNIC, Toulouse NeuroImaging Center, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, UPS, France
| | - Agnese Picco
- Department of Neuroscience (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Luca Roccatagliata
- IRCCS, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy; Department of Health Science (DISSAL), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Paolo M Rossini
- Dept. Neuroscience & Rehabilitation, IRCCS San Raffaele-Pisana, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Peter Schonknecht
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Björn H Schott
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Goettingen (UMG), Göttingen, Germany; Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Goettingen, Germany
| | - Julien Sein
- CRMBM-CEMEREM, UMR 7339, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | | | | | - Magda Tsolaki
- Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Pieter J Visser
- Department of Neurology, Alzheimer Centre, VU Medical Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Jens Wiltfang
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Goettingen (UMG), Göttingen, Germany; Neurosciences and Signaling Group, Institute of Biomedicine (iBiMED), Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Goettingen, Germany
| | - Jill C Richardson
- Neurosciences Therapeutic Area, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, United Kingdom
| | - Giovanni B Frisoni
- Laboratory of Alzheimer's Neuroimaging and Epidemiology (LANE), IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy; Memory Clinic and LANVIE-Laboratory of Neuroimaging of Aging, Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Moira Marizzoni
- Laboratory of Alzheimer's Neuroimaging and Epidemiology (LANE), IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
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Dou H, Lei Y, Cheng X, Wang J, Leppänen P. Social exclusion influences conditioned fear acquisition and generalization: A mediating effect from the medial prefrontal cortex. Neuroimage 2020; 218:116735. [PMID: 32251834 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2019] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Fear acquisition and generalization play key roles in promoting the survival of mammals and contribute to anxiety disorders. While previous research has provided much evidence for the repercussions of social exclusion on mental health, how social exclusion affects fear acquisition and generalization has received scant attention. In our study, participants were divided into two groups according to two Cyberball paradigm conditions (exclusion/inclusion). Both groups underwent a Pavlovian conditioning paradigm, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and skin conductance response (SCR) assessments. We aimed to determine the effects of social exclusion on fear acquisition and generalization and whether modulation of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) mediates this relationship. Our results showed that socially excluded participants featured significantly higher and lower shock risk scores to safety stimuli (conditioned stimulus, CS-) and threatening stimuli (CS+), respectively, than did socially included subjects during fear acquisition. The exclusion group had increased skin conductance responses (SCRs) to CS and exhibited heightened shock risk and increased SCRs to generalized stimuli compared with the inclusion group. The fNIRS results demonstrated that the CS + evoked larger oxy-Hb changes in the mPFC in the inclusion group than in the exclusion group during fear acquisition. Furthermore, the oxy-Hb of left mPFC of CS + mediated the effect on the association between social exclusion and perceived risk of CS+ in the fear acquisition. Our results indicate that social exclusion impairs fear acquisition and generalization via the mediation of the mPFC and that social exclusion increases susceptibility to anxiety disorders through bias processing of fear discrimination in fear acquisition and generalization. By studying the role of social relationship in fear acquisition and generalization, our research provides new insights into the pathological mechanisms of anxiety disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Dou
- Institute for Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, 610068, China; College of Psychology and Society, University of Shenzhen, 518067, China; Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, FI-40014, Finland
| | - Y Lei
- Institute for Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, 610068, China; College of Psychology and Society, University of Shenzhen, 518067, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science, Shenzhen, 518060, China; Center for Language and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, 518057, China.
| | - X Cheng
- College of Psychology and Society, University of Shenzhen, 518067, China
| | - J Wang
- College of Psychology and Society, University of Shenzhen, 518067, China; Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, FI-40014, Finland
| | - Pht Leppänen
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, FI-40014, Finland
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125
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McDonald AJ. Functional neuroanatomy of the basolateral amygdala: Neurons, neurotransmitters, and circuits. HANDBOOK OF BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 26:1-38. [PMID: 34220399 PMCID: PMC8248694 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-815134-1.00001-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J McDonald
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, United States
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126
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Beyeler A, Dabrowska J. Neuronal diversity of the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. HANDBOOK OF BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 26:63-100. [PMID: 32792868 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-815134-1.00003-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Beyeler
- Neurocentre Magendie, French National Institutes of Health (INSERM) unit 1215, Neurocampus of Bordeaux University, Bordeaux, France
| | - Joanna Dabrowska
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States
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127
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Ünal ÇT, Ünal B, Bolton MM. Low-threshold spiking interneurons perform feedback inhibition in the lateral amygdala. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:909-923. [PMID: 32144495 PMCID: PMC7166205 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02051-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Amygdala plays crucial roles in emotional learning. The lateral amygdala (LA) is the input station of the amygdala, where learning related plasticity occurs. The LA is cortical like in nature in terms of its cellular make up, composed of a majority of principal cells and a minority of interneurons with distinct subtypes defined by morphology, intrinsic electrophysiological properties and neurochemical expression profile. The specific functions served by LA interneuron subtypes remain elusive. This study aimed to elucidate the interneuron subtype mediating feedback inhibition. Electrophysiological evidence involving antidromic activation of recurrent LA circuitry via basolateral amygdala stimulation and paired recordings implicate low-threshold spiking interneurons in feedback inhibition. Recordings in somatostatin-cre animals crossed with tdtomato mice have revealed remarkable similarities between a subset of SOM+ interneurons and LTS interneurons. This study concludes that LTS interneurons, most of which are putatively SOM+, mediate feedback inhibition in the LA. Parallels with cortical areas and potential implications for information processing and plasticity are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Çağrı Temuçin Ünal
- Department of Psychology, Comparative Cognition Laboratory, TED University, Ziya Gokalp Caddesi No. 48 06420, Kolej Cankaya, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Bengi Ünal
- Department of Psychology, Comparative Cognition Laboratory, TED University, Ziya Gokalp Caddesi No. 48 06420, Kolej Cankaya, Ankara, Turkey
| | - M McLean Bolton
- Disorders of Neural Circuit Function, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA.
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128
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Mobbs D, Headley DB, Ding W, Dayan P. Space, Time, and Fear: Survival Computations along Defensive Circuits. Trends Cogn Sci 2020; 24:228-241. [PMID: 32029360 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2019.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Revised: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Naturalistic observations show that decisions to avoid or escape predators occur at different spatiotemporal scales and that they are supported by different computations and neural circuits. At their extremes, proximal threats are addressed by a limited repertoire of reflexive and myopic actions, reflecting reduced decision and state spaces and model-free (MF) architectures. Conversely, distal threats allow increased information processing supported by model-based (MB) operations, including affective prospection, replay, and planning. However, MF and MB computations are often intertwined, and under conditions of safety the foundations for future effective reactive execution can be laid through MB instruction of MF control. Together, these computations are associated with distinct population codes embedded within a distributed defensive circuitry whose goal is to determine and realize the best policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean Mobbs
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and Computation, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd, HSS 228-77, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Neural Systems Program at the California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd, HSS 228-77, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
| | - Drew B Headley
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University - Newark, 197 University Avenue, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Weilun Ding
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and Computation, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd, HSS 228-77, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Peter Dayan
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; The University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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129
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Guthman EM, Garcia JD, Ma M, Chu P, Baca SM, Smith KR, Restrepo D, Huntsman MM. Cell-type-specific control of basolateral amygdala neuronal circuits via entorhinal cortex-driven feedforward inhibition. eLife 2020; 9:50601. [PMID: 31916940 PMCID: PMC6984813 DOI: 10.7554/elife.50601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) plays a vital role in associating sensory stimuli with salient valence information. Excitatory principal neurons (PNs) undergo plastic changes to encode this association; however, local BLA inhibitory interneurons (INs) gate PN plasticity via feedforward inhibition (FFI). Despite literature implicating parvalbumin expressing (PV+) INs in FFI in cortex and hippocampus, prior anatomical experiments in BLA implicate somatostatin expressing (Sst+) INs. The lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) projects to BLA where it drives FFI. In the present study, we explored the role of interneurons in this circuit. Using mice, we combined patch clamp electrophysiology, chemogenetics, unsupervised cluster analysis, and predictive modeling and found that a previously unreported subpopulation of fast-spiking Sst+ INs mediate LEC→BLA FFI.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Mae Guthman
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States.,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States
| | - Joshua D Garcia
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States
| | - Ming Ma
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States
| | - Philip Chu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States
| | - Serapio M Baca
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States.,Department of Neurology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States
| | - Katharine R Smith
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States
| | - Diego Restrepo
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States
| | - Molly M Huntsman
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States.,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States
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130
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Hammoud MZ, Foa EB, Milad MR. Oestradiol, threat conditioning and extinction, post-traumatic stress disorder, and prolonged exposure therapy: A common link. J Neuroendocrinol 2020; 32:e12800. [PMID: 31595559 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The accumulating evidence regarding the impact of estradiol on learning and memory synergized studies to examine its influence on enhancing animal's ability to quell fear and anxiety. In this review, we first provide a foundational platform regarding the impact of oestradiol on cellular mechanisms of learning and memory and we review recent advances from rodent and human data showing that oestrogen enhances extinction learning across species. We then propose clinical application to these data. We discuss the potential role of oestradiol variance on the aetiology, maintenance and treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. Specifically, we argue that the use of oestradiol as an adjunct to prolonged exposure (PE) therapy for PTSD may provide a new treatment approach for enhancing the efficacy of PE in women with PTSD. This could advance our understanding of the mechanisms of PTSD and help tailor sex-specific treatments for this disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mira Z Hammoud
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Edna B Foa
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mohammed R Milad
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
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131
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Paul BK, Reuveni I, Barkai E, Lamprecht R. Learning-induced enduring changes in inhibitory synaptic transmission in lateral amygdala are mediated by p21-activated kinase. J Neurophysiol 2020; 123:178-190. [DOI: 10.1152/jn.00559.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study we explored whether learning leads to enduring changes in inhibitory synaptic transmission in lateral amygdala (LA). We revealed that olfactory discrimination (OD) learning in rats led to a long-lasting increase in postsynaptic GABAA channel-mediated miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs) in LA. Olfactory fear conditioning, but not auditory fear conditioning, also led to enduring enhancement in GABAA-mediated mIPSCs. Auditory fear conditioning, but not olfactory fear conditioning or OD learning, induced an enduring reduction in the frequency but not the current of mIPSC events. We found that p21-activated kinase (PAK) activity is needed to maintain OD and olfactory fear conditioning learning-induced enduring enhancement of mIPSCs. Further analysis revealed that OD led to an increase in GABAA channel conductance whereas olfactory fear conditioning increased the number of GABAA channels. These alterations in GABAA channels conductance and level are controlled by PAK activity. Our study shows that the learning-induced increase in postsynaptic inhibitory transmission in LA is specific to the sensory modality. However, the mechanism that mediates the increase in inhibitory transmission, namely the increase in the conductance or in the level of GABAA channel, is learning specific. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Here we studied whether learning leads to long-lasting alterations in inhibitory synaptic transmission in lateral amygdala (LA). We revealed that learning led to enduring changes in inhibitory synaptic transmission in LA that are affected by the sensory modality (auditory or olfaction) used during learning. However, the mechanism that mediated the changes in inhibitory transmission (alterations in GABAA channel level or conductance) depended on the type of learning. These long-lasting alterations are maintained by p21-activated kinase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blesson K. Paul
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Iris Reuveni
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Edi Barkai
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Raphael Lamprecht
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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132
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Ito W, Fusco B, Morozov A. Disinhibition-assisted long-term potentiation in the prefrontal-amygdala pathway via suppression of somatostatin-expressing interneurons. NEUROPHOTONICS 2020; 7:015007. [PMID: 32090134 PMCID: PMC7019182 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.7.1.015007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Significance: Natural brain adaptations often involve changes in synaptic strength. The artificial manipulations can help investigate the role of synaptic strength in a specific brain circuit not only in various physiological phenomena like correlated neuronal firing and oscillations but also in behaviors. High- and low-frequency stimulation at presynaptic sites has been used widely to induce long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression. This approach is effective in many brain areas but not in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) because the robust local GABAergic tone inside BLA restricts synaptic plasticity. Aim: We aimed at identifying the subclass of GABAergic neurons that gate LTP in the BLA afferents from the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). Approach: Chemogenetic or optogenetic suppression of specific GABAergic neurons in BLA was combined with high-frequency stimulation of the BLA afferents as a method for LTP induction. Results: Chemogenetic suppression of somatostatin-positive interneurons (Sst-INs) enabled the ex vivo LTP by high-frequency stimulation of the afferent but the suppression of parvalbumin-positive interneurons (PV-INs) did not. Moreover, optogenetic suppression of Sst-INs with Arch also enabled LTP of the dmPFC-BLA synapses, both ex vivo and in vivo. Conclusions: These findings reveal that Sst-INs but not PV-INs gate LTP in the dmPFC-BLA pathway and provide a method for artificial synaptic facilitation in BLA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wataru Ito
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, Virginia, United States
| | - Brendon Fusco
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, Virginia, United States
| | - Alexei Morozov
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, Virginia, United States
- Virginia Tech, School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States
- Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Roanoke, Virginia, United States
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133
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Fullana M, Dunsmoor J, Schruers K, Savage H, Bach D, Harrison B. Human fear conditioning: From neuroscience to the clinic. Behav Res Ther 2020; 124:103528. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2019.103528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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134
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Li JN, Sheets PL. Spared nerve injury differentially alters parabrachial monosynaptic excitatory inputs to molecularly specific neurons in distinct subregions of the central amygdala. Pain 2020; 161:166-176. [PMID: 31479066 PMCID: PMC6940027 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Revised: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Dissecting the organization of circuit pathways involved in pain affect is pivotal for understanding behavior associated with noxious sensory inputs. The central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) comprises distinct populations of inhibitory GABAergic neurons expressing a wide range of molecular markers. CeA circuits are associated with aversive learning and nociceptive responses. The CeA receives nociceptive signals directly from the parabrachial nucleus (PBn), contributing to the affective and emotional aspects of pain. Although the CeA has emerged as an important node in pain processing, key questions remain regarding the specific targeting of PBn inputs to different CeA subregions and cell types. We used a multifaceted approach involving transgenic reporter mice, viral vector-mediated optogenetics, and brain slice electrophysiology to delineate cell-type-specific functional organization of the PBn-CeA pathway. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings of molecularly defined CeA neurons while optogenetically driving long-range inputs originating from PBn revealed the direct monosynaptic excitatory inputs from PBn neurons to 3 major subdivisions of the CeA: laterocapsular (CeC), lateral (CeL), and medial (CeM). Direct monosynaptic excitatory inputs from PBn targeted both somatostatin-expressing (SOM+) and corticotropin-releasing hormone expressing (CRH+) neurons in the CeA. We find that monosynaptic PBn input is preferentially organized to molecularly specific neurons in distinct subdivisions of the CeA. The spared nerve injury model of neuropathic pain differentially altered PBn monosynaptic excitatory input to CeA neurons based on molecular identity and topographical location within the CeA. These results provide insight into the functional organization of affective pain pathways and how they are altered by chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Nan Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Patrick L. Sheets
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
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135
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Affective memory rehearsal with temporal sequences in amygdala neurons. Nat Neurosci 2019; 22:2050-2059. [DOI: 10.1038/s41593-019-0542-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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136
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Excitation of Diverse Classes of Cholecystokinin Interneurons in the Basal Amygdala Facilitates Fear Extinction. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0220-19.2019. [PMID: 31636080 PMCID: PMC6838687 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0220-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
There is growing evidence that interneurons (INs) orchestrate neural activity and plasticity in corticoamygdala circuits to regulate fear behaviors. However, defining the precise role of cholecystokinin-expressing INs (CCK INs) remains elusive due to the technical challenge of parsing this population from CCK-expressing principal neurons (CCK PNs). Here, we used an intersectional genetic strategy in CCK-Cre;Dlx5/6-Flpe double-transgenic mice to study the anatomical, molecular and electrophysiological properties of CCK INs in the basal amygdala (BA) and optogenetically manipulate these cells during fear extinction. Electrophysiological recordings confirmed that this strategy targeted GABAergic cells and that a significant proportion expressed functional cannabinoid CB1 receptors; a defining characteristic of CCK-expressing basket cells. However, immunostaining showed that subsets of the genetically-targeted cells expressed either neuropeptide Y (NPY; 29%) or parvalbumin (PV; 17%), but not somatostatin (SOM) or Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII)-α. Further morphological and electrophysiological analyses showed that four IN types could be identified among the EYFP-expressing cells: CCK/cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R)-expressing basket cells, neurogliaform cells, PV+ basket cells, and PV+ axo-axonic cells. At the behavioral level, in vivo optogenetic photostimulation of the targeted population during extinction acquisition led to reduced freezing on a light-free extinction retrieval test, indicating extinction memory facilitation; whereas photosilencing was without effect. Conversely, non-selective (i.e., inclusive of INs and PNs) photostimulation or photosilencing of CCK-targeted cells, using CCK-Cre single-transgenic mice, impaired extinction. These data reveal an unexpectedly high degree of phenotypic complexity in a unique population of extinction-modulating BA INs.
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137
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Campese VD, Kim IT, Hou M, Gupta S, Draus C, Kurpas B, Burke K, LeDoux JE. Chemogenetic Inhibition Reveals That Processing Relative But Not Absolute Threat Requires Basal Amygdala. J Neurosci 2019; 39:8510-8516. [PMID: 31492771 PMCID: PMC6807280 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2530-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
While our understanding of appetitive motivation has benefited immensely from the use of selective outcome devaluation tools, the same cannot be said about aversive motivation. Findings from appetitive conditioning studies have shown that basal amygdala is required for behaviors that are sensitive to updates in outcome value, but similar results in aversive motivation are difficult to interpret due to a lack of outcome specificity. The studies reported here sought to develop procedures to isolate sensory-specific processes in aversive learning and behavior and to assess the possible contribution of the basal amygdala. Post-training changes to outcome value produced commensurate changes to subsequently tested conditioned responding in male rodents. Specifically, increases in shock intensity (i.e., inflation) augmented, while repeated exposure to (i.e., habituation of) an aversive sound (klaxon-horn) reduced freezing to conditioned stimuli previously paired with these outcomes. This was extended to a discriminative procedure, in which following revaluation of one event, but not the other, responding was found to be dependent on outcome value signaled by each cue. Chemogenetic inactivation of basal amygdala impaired this discrimination between stimuli signaling differently valued outcomes, but did not affect the revaluation process itself. These findings demonstrate a contribution of the basal amygdala to aversive outcome-dependent motivational processes.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The specific content of pavlovian associative learning has been well studied in appetitive motivation, where the value of different foods can be easily manipulated. This has facilitated our understanding of the neural circuits that generate different forms of motivation (i.e., sensory specific vs general). Studies of aversive learning have not produced the same degree of understanding with regard to sensory specificity due to a lack of tools for evaluating sensory-specific processes. Here we use a variant of outcome devaluation procedures with aversive stimuli to study the role of basal amygdala in discriminating between aversive stimuli conveying different degrees of threat. These findings have implications for how we study generalized threat to identify dysregulation that can contribute to generalized anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent D Campese
- Department of Psychology, University of Evansville, Evansville Indiana 47722,
| | - Ian T Kim
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003
| | - Mian Hou
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003
| | - Saurav Gupta
- Department of Psychology, University of Evansville, Evansville Indiana 47722
| | - Cassandra Draus
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003
| | - Botagoz Kurpas
- Department of Psychology, Kingsborough College, Brooklyn, New York 11235
| | - Kelsey Burke
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, New York, New York 10065, and
| | - Joseph E LeDoux
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg New York 10962
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138
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Adaptive disinhibitory gating by VIP interneurons permits associative learning. Nat Neurosci 2019; 22:1834-1843. [DOI: 10.1038/s41593-019-0508-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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139
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Abstract
Regions of the prefrontal and cingulate cortices play important roles in the regulation of behaviors elicited by threat. Dissecting out their differential involvement will greatly increase our understanding of the varied etiology of symptoms of anxiety. I review evidence for altered activity within the major divisions of the prefrontal cortex, including orbitofrontal, ventrolateral, dorsolateral, and ventromedial sectors, along with the anterior cingulate cortex in patients with clinical anxiety. This review is integrated with a discussion of current knowledge about the causal role of these different prefrontal and cingulate regions in threat-elicited behaviors from experimental studies in rodents and monkeys. I highlight commonalities and inconsistencies between species and discuss the current state of our translational success in relating findings across species. Finally, I identify key issues that, if addressed, may improve that success in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela C. Roberts
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, United Kingdom;
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140
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Kasugai Y, Vogel E, Hörtnagl H, Schönherr S, Paradiso E, Hauschild M, Göbel G, Milenkovic I, Peterschmitt Y, Tasan R, Sperk G, Shigemoto R, Sieghart W, Singewald N, Lüthi A, Ferraguti F. Structural and Functional Remodeling of Amygdala GABAergic Synapses in Associative Fear Learning. Neuron 2019; 104:781-794.e4. [PMID: 31543297 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Associative learning is thought to involve different forms of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity. Although previous studies have mostly focused on learning-related changes occurring at excitatory glutamatergic synapses, we found that associative learning, such as fear conditioning, also entails long-lasting functional and structural plasticity of GABAergic synapses onto pyramidal neurons of the murine basal amygdala. Fear conditioning-mediated structural remodeling of GABAergic synapses was associated with a change in mIPSC kinetics and an increase in the fraction of synaptic benzodiazepine-sensitive (BZD) GABAA receptors containing the α2 subunit without altering the intrasynaptic distribution and overall amount of BZD-GABAA receptors. These structural and functional synaptic changes were partly reversed by extinction training. These findings provide evidence that associative learning, such as Pavlovian fear conditioning and extinction, sculpts inhibitory synapses to regulate inhibition of active neuronal networks, a process that may tune amygdala circuit responses to threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Kasugai
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Vogel
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel 4058, Switzerland
| | - Heide Hörtnagl
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Sabine Schönherr
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Enrica Paradiso
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Markus Hauschild
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Georg Göbel
- Department of Medical Statistics, Informatics and Health Economics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Ivan Milenkovic
- Center for Brain Research, Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Yvan Peterschmitt
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria; Center for Brain Research, Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Ramon Tasan
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Günther Sperk
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Ryuichi Shigemoto
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
| | - Werner Sieghart
- Center for Brain Research, Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Nicolas Singewald
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Andreas Lüthi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel 4058, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Ferraguti
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria.
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141
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Broadhouse KM, Boyes A, Winks N, Dokonal T, McLoughlin L, Parker M, Beaudequin D, Simcock G, Lagopoulos J, Hermens DF. Subcortical Volume Correlates of Psychological Distress in Early Adolescence. Dev Neurosci 2019; 41:193-202. [PMID: 31480044 DOI: 10.1159/000502339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The hippocampus and amygdala have justifiably been the focus of much mental health research due to their putative roles in top-down processing control of emotion, fear, and anxiety. However, understanding the causal relationship between these regions and mental illness has been limited as current literature is lacking in the observation of neuro-structural changes preceding first episodes. Here, we report whole and sub-structural hippocampal and amygdala volume correlates of psychological distress in early adolescence. Automated hippocampal subfield and amygdala nuclei segmentation was carried out in 32 participants (12-13 years old) recruited for the Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study (LABS) who had psychological distress scores measured by the Kessler-10. Partial correlation analyses revealed significant negative association between left whole amygdala volume and psychological distress. Sub-structure analysis revealed that smaller left hippocampal CA1 volume and left basal and accessory basal amygdala nuclei volumes were all significantly associated with higher levels of psychological distress. Four-month follow-up analysis also revealed an association between change in K10 and CA1 volume suggesting a continued relationship between this hippocampal substructure and psychological distress. Grey matter volume of subcortical sub-structures involved within the hippocampal-basolateral amygdala-prefrontal cortex loop are highly correlated and are significantly reduced in adolescents with higher levels of psychological distress, indicating these nuclei and subfields play an important role in the emergence of mental illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn M Broadhouse
- Sunshine Coast Mind and Neuroscience Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Birtinya, Queensland, Australia,
| | - Amanda Boyes
- Sunshine Coast Mind and Neuroscience Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Birtinya, Queensland, Australia
| | - Natalie Winks
- Sunshine Coast Mind and Neuroscience Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Birtinya, Queensland, Australia
| | - Tayla Dokonal
- Sunshine Coast Mind and Neuroscience Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Birtinya, Queensland, Australia
| | - Larisa McLoughlin
- Sunshine Coast Mind and Neuroscience Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Birtinya, Queensland, Australia
| | - Marcella Parker
- Sunshine Coast Mind and Neuroscience Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Birtinya, Queensland, Australia
| | - Denise Beaudequin
- Sunshine Coast Mind and Neuroscience Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Birtinya, Queensland, Australia
| | - Gabrielle Simcock
- Sunshine Coast Mind and Neuroscience Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Birtinya, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jim Lagopoulos
- Sunshine Coast Mind and Neuroscience Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Birtinya, Queensland, Australia
| | - Daniel F Hermens
- Sunshine Coast Mind and Neuroscience Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Birtinya, Queensland, Australia
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142
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Laque A, L De Ness G, Wagner GE, Nedelescu H, Carroll A, Watry D, M Kerr T, Koya E, Hope BT, Weiss F, Elmer GI, Suto N. Anti-relapse neurons in the infralimbic cortex of rats drive relapse-suppression by drug omission cues. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3934. [PMID: 31477694 PMCID: PMC6718661 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11799-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder of compulsive drug use. Studies of the neurobehavioral factors that promote drug relapse have yet to produce an effective treatment. Here we take a different approach and examine the factors that suppress-rather than promote-relapse. Adapting Pavlovian procedures to suppress operant drug response, we determined the anti-relapse action of environmental cues that signal drug omission (unavailability) in rats. Under laboratory conditions linked to compulsive drug use and heightened relapse risk, drug omission cues suppressed three major modes of relapse-promotion (drug-predictive cues, stress, and drug exposure) for cocaine and alcohol. This relapse-suppression is, in part, driven by omission cue-reactive neurons, which constitute small subsets of glutamatergic and GABAergic cells, in the infralimbic cortex. Future studies of such neural activity-based cellular units (neuronal ensembles/memory engram cells) for relapse-suppression can be used to identify alternate targets for addiction medicine through functional characterization of anti-relapse mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Laque
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Genna L De Ness
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Grant E Wagner
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Hermina Nedelescu
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Ayla Carroll
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Debbie Watry
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Tony M Kerr
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Eisuke Koya
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
| | - Bruce T Hope
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH/DHHS, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Friedbert Weiss
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.
| | - Greg I Elmer
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21228, USA.
| | - Nobuyoshi Suto
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.
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143
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Differential Alterations in Cortico-Amygdala Circuitry in Mice with Impaired Fear Extinction. Mol Neurobiol 2019; 57:710-721. [PMID: 31463877 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-019-01741-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
129S1/SvImJ (S1) mice exhibit selective impairments in fear extinction, though the mechanisms underlying these impairments are not fully understood. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) consists of the prelimbic cortex (PL) and infralimbic cortex (IL), which are known to be involved in fear conditioning and extinction, respectively. The PL and IL project to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) that also plays an important role in both mechanisms. In the present study, we utilized optogenetic and electrophysiological approaches to measure inhibitory/excitatory ratios (I/E ratios) in mPFC-BLA circuits of S1 and control C57BL/6 (B6) mice following fear conditioning and extinction. As suggested previously, PL inputs to the BLA became more excitatory after fear conditioning in B6 mice. S1 mice also exhibited strengthened PL-BLA circuit following fear conditioning. Interestingly, fear extinction restored PL-BLA circuit strength to levels comparable to the baseline in B6 mice. However, PL-BLA circuit strength remained abnormally high even after extinction in S1 mice. The IL-BLA circuit became more inhibitory in B6 mice after fear extinction, whereas extinction failed to change the excitability of the IL-BLA circuit in S1 mice. These data suggest that the fear extinction impairments observed in S1 mice may be due to constantly decreased I/E balance in the PL-BLA circuit and lack of changes in I/E balance in the IL-BLA circuit. This further suggests that investigation of both pathways is instrumental in developing more effective therapeutics for psychopathologies that involve impairments in fear extinction, such as chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder.
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144
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Gündüz A, Koçak S, Gez S, Kızıltan ME. Fear leads to a deficit of prepulse inhibition of blink reflex in healthy humans. Neurol Sci 2019; 40:2581-2586. [PMID: 31350658 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-019-04028-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We aimed to analyze whether or not fear conditioning exerts an effect on prepulse inhibition (PPI) of blink reflex (BR). To create fear conditioning, we used fearful faces. Since fearful faces lead to a specific set of fear conditioning, we hypothesized PPI of BR would change under the observation of fearful faces. METHOD We included 17 healthy subjects with a mean age of 30.8 ± 6.9 years and seven healthy subjects with a mean age of 57.7 ± 7.3 years between January 2018 and June 2018 and recorded PPI of BR. The recordings were done before observation of any image, during observation of images, and immediately after observation of images. Observation of images included observation of fearful faces for 30 s and a neutral image of a white screen for 30 s (in a randomized order). RESULTS There was a R2-PPI deficit during observation of fearful faces in each group whereas R2-PPI fully developed at other time points. R1 amplitude and R2 magnitude were lower during observation of any image compared with baseline and post-observation time points. CONCLUSION In conclusion, a deficit of R2-PPI develops during observation of fearful faces in humans which is probably related to activation of the amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayşegül Gündüz
- Department of Neurology, Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Selen Koçak
- Department of Neurology, Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Sedat Gez
- Department of Neurology, Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Meral E Kızıltan
- Department of Neurology, Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey
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145
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Cutsuridis V. Memory Prosthesis: Is It Time for a Deep Neuromimetic Computing Approach? Front Neurosci 2019; 13:667. [PMID: 31333399 PMCID: PMC6624412 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Memory loss, one of the most dreaded afflictions of the human condition, presents considerable burden on the world's health care system and it is recognized as a major challenge in the elderly. There are only a few neuromodulation treatments for memory dysfunctions. Open loop deep brain stimulation is such a treatment for memory improvement, but with limited success and conflicting results. In recent years closed-loop neuroprosthesis systems able to simultaneously record signals during behavioral tasks and generate with the use of internal neural factors the precise timing of stimulation patterns are presented as attractive alternatives and show promise in memory enhancement and restoration. A few such strides have already been made in both animals and humans, but with limited insights into their mechanisms of action. Here, I discuss why a deep neuromimetic computing approach linking multiple levels of description, mimicking the dynamics of brain circuits, interfaced with recording and stimulating electrodes could enhance the performance of current memory prosthesis systems, shed light into the neurobiology of learning and memory and accelerate the progress of memory prosthesis research. I propose what the necessary components (nodes, structure, connectivity, learning rules, and physiological responses) of such a deep neuromimetic model should be and what type of data are required to train/test its performance, so it can be used as a true substitute of damaged brain areas capable of restoring/enhancing their missing memory formation capabilities. Considerations to neural circuit targeting, tissue interfacing, electrode placement/implantation, and multi-network interactions in complex cognition are also provided.
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146
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Fricano-Kugler C, Gordon A, Shin G, Gao K, Nguyen J, Berg J, Starks M, Geschwind DH. CYFIP1 overexpression increases fear response in mice but does not affect social or repetitive behavioral phenotypes. Mol Autism 2019; 10:25. [PMID: 31198525 PMCID: PMC6555997 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-019-0278-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background CYFIP1, a protein that interacts with FMRP and regulates protein synthesis and actin dynamics, is overexpressed in Dup15q syndrome as well as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While CYFIP1 heterozygosity has been rigorously studied due to its loss in 15q11.2 deletion, Prader-Willi and Angelman syndrome, the effects of CYFIP1 overexpression, as is observed in patients with CYFIP1 duplication, are less well understood. Methods We developed and validated a mouse model of human CYFIP1 overexpression (CYFIP1 OE) using qPCR and western blot analysis. We performed a large battery of behavior testing on these mice, including ultrasonic vocalizations, three-chamber social assay, home-cage behavior, Y-maze, elevated plus maze, open field test, Morris water maze, fear conditioning, prepulse inhibition, and the hot plate assay. We also performed RNA sequencing and analysis on the basolateral amygdala. Results Extensive behavioral testing in CYFIP1 OE mice reveals no changes in the core behaviors related to ASD: social interactions and repetitive behaviors. However, we did observe mild learning deficits and an exaggerated fear response. Using RNA sequencing of the basolateral amygdala, a region associated with fear response, we observed changes in pathways related to cytoskeletal regulation, oligodendrocytes, and myelination. We also identified GABA-A subunit composition changes in basolateral amygdala neurons, which are essential components of the neural fear conditioning circuit. Conclusion Overall, this research identifies the behavioral and molecular consequences of CYFIP1 overexpression and how they contribute to the variable phenotype seen in Dup15q syndrome and in ASD patients with excess CYFIP1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Fricano-Kugler
- Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
| | - Aaron Gordon
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Grace Shin
- Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
| | - Kun Gao
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Jade Nguyen
- Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
| | - Jamee Berg
- Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
| | - Mary Starks
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Daniel H. Geschwind
- Program in Neurobehavioral Genetics, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
- Center for Autism Research and Treatment, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
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147
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Anxiety-like features and spatial memory problems as a consequence of hippocampal SV2A expression. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0217882. [PMID: 31166988 PMCID: PMC6550411 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The Synaptic Vesicle Protein 2A (SV2A) is a transmembrane protein whose presence is reduced both in animal models and in patients with chronic epilepsy. Besides its implication in the epileptic process, the behavioural consequences of the changes in its expression remain unclear. The purpose of our research is to better understand the possible role(s) of this protein through the phenotype of cKO (Grik4 Cre+/-, SV2A lox/lox) mice, male and female, which present a specific decrease of SV2A expression levels in the hippocampal glutamatergic neurons but without any epileptic seizures. In this study, we compare the cKO mice with cHZ (Grik4 Cre+/-, SV2A lox/+) and WT (Grik4 Cre+/+, SV2A lox/lox) mice through a battery of tests, used to evaluate different features: the anxiety-related features (Elevated Plus Maze), the locomotor activity (Activity Chambers), the contextual fear-related memory (Contextual Fear Conditioning), and the spatial memory (Barnes Maze). Our results showed statistically significant differences in the habituation to a new environment, an increase in the anxiety levels and spatial memory deficit in the cHZ and cKO groups, compared to the WT group. No statistically significant differences due to the genotype appeared in the spontaneous locomotor activity or the fear-linked memory. However, sexual differences were observed in this last feature. These results highlight not only an important role of the SV2A protein in the cognitive and anxiety problems typically encountered in epileptic patients, but also a possible role in the symptomatology of other neurodegenerative diseases, such as the Alzheimer’s disease.
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148
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Saunders A, Macosko EZ, Wysoker A, Goldman M, Krienen FM, de Rivera H, Bien E, Baum M, Bortolin L, Wang S, Goeva A, Nemesh J, Kamitaki N, Brumbaugh S, Kulp D, McCarroll SA. Molecular Diversity and Specializations among the Cells of the Adult Mouse Brain. Cell 2019; 174:1015-1030.e16. [PMID: 30096299 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.07.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 895] [Impact Index Per Article: 179.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Revised: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The mammalian brain is composed of diverse, specialized cell populations. To systematically ascertain and learn from these cellular specializations, we used Drop-seq to profile RNA expression in 690,000 individual cells sampled from 9 regions of the adult mouse brain. We identified 565 transcriptionally distinct groups of cells using computational approaches developed to distinguish biological from technical signals. Cross-region analysis of these 565 cell populations revealed features of brain organization, including a gene-expression module for synthesizing axonal and presynaptic components, patterns in the co-deployment of voltage-gated ion channels, functional distinctions among the cells of the vasculature and specialization of glutamatergic neurons across cortical regions. Systematic neuronal classifications for two complex basal ganglia nuclei and the striatum revealed a rare population of spiny projection neurons. This adult mouse brain cell atlas, accessible through interactive online software (DropViz), serves as a reference for development, disease, and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arpiar Saunders
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
| | - Evan Z Macosko
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
| | - Alec Wysoker
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Melissa Goldman
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Fenna M Krienen
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Heather de Rivera
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Elizabeth Bien
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Matthew Baum
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Laura Bortolin
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Shuyu Wang
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Aleksandrina Goeva
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - James Nemesh
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Nolan Kamitaki
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Sara Brumbaugh
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - David Kulp
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Steven A McCarroll
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
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149
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Cardenas A, Blanca M, Dimitrov E. Persistent pain intensifies recall of consolidated fear memories. Neurobiol Stress 2019; 10:100163. [PMID: 31193505 PMCID: PMC6535623 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2019.100163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2018] [Revised: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Ensembles of principal neurons in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) generate the initial engrams for fear memories, while projections from the BLA to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are essential for the encoding, transfer and storage of remote fear memories. We tested the effects of chronic pain on remote fear memories in mice. Male mice underwent classic fear conditioning by pairing a single tone (conditional stimulus, CS) with a single electric foot shock (unconditional stimulus, US). Sciatic nerve constriction was used to induce neuropathic pain at various time points before or after the fear conditioning. The mice with sciatic nerve cuffs implanted 48 h after the fear conditioning showed an increased freezing response to CS when compared to mice without cuffs or when compared to mice in which the nerve cuffing was performed 48 h before the fear conditioning. The enhancing effect of pain on consolidated fear memory was further tested and mice in which the nerve cuffing was performed 14 days after the fear conditioning also showed an increased fear response when tested 56 days later. We used immunostaining to detect morphological changes in the BLA that could suggest a mechanism for the observed increase in fear response. We found an increased number of calbindin/parvalbumin positive neurons in the BLA and increased perisomatic density of GAD65 on projection neurons that connect BLA to mPFC in mice with nerve cuffs. Despite the strong increase of c-Fos expression in BLA and mPFC that was induced by fear recall, neither the BLA to mPFC nor the mPFC to BLA projection neurons were activated in mice with nerve cuffs. Furthermore, non-injured mice had an increased fear response when BLA to mPFC projections were inhibited by a chemogenetic method. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that persistent pain has a significant impact on consolidated fear memories. Very likely the underlying mechanism for this phenomenon is increased inhibitory input onto the BLA to mPFC projection neurons, possibly from neurons with induced parvalbumin expression. Conceivably, the increased fear response to consolidated fear memory is a harbinger for the later development of anxiety and depression symptoms associated with chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Cardenas
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
| | - Michelle Blanca
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
| | - Eugene Dimitrov
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
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150
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Park K, Chung C. Systemic Cellular Activation Mapping of an Extinction-Impaired Animal Model. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:99. [PMID: 30941016 PMCID: PMC6433791 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Fear extinction diminishes conditioned fear responses and impaired fear extinction has been reported to be related to anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We and others have reported that 129S1/SvImJ (129S1) strain of mice showed selective impairments in fear extinction following successful auditory or contextual fear conditioning. To investigate brain regions involved in the impaired fear extinction of 129S1 mice, we systemically analyzed c-Fos expression patterns before and after contextual fear conditioning and extinction. After fear conditioning, 129S1 mice showed significantly increased c-Fos expression in the medial division of the central amygdala (CEm), prelimbic (PL) cortex of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and dorsal CA3 of the hippocampus, compared to that of control C57BL/6 mice. Following fear extinction, 129S1 mice exhibited significantly more c-Fos-positive cells in the CEm, PL, and paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) than did C57BL/6 mice. These results reveal the dynamic circuitry involved in different steps of fear memory formation and extinction, thus providing candidate brain regions to study the etiology and pathophysiology underlying impaired fear extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwanghoon Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - ChiHye Chung
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea
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