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Xia Y, Wehrli J, Abivardi A, Hostiuc M, Kleim B, Bach DR. Attenuating human fear memory retention with minocycline: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:28. [PMID: 38233395 PMCID: PMC10794420 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02732-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Pavlovian fear conditioning is widely used as a pre-clinical model to investigate methods for prevention and treatment of anxiety and stress-related disorders. In this model, fear memory consolidation is thought to require synaptic remodeling, which is induced by signaling cascades involving matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9). Here we investigated the effect of the tetracycline antibiotic minocycline, an inhibitor of MMP-9, on fear memory retention. We conducted a pre-registered, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in N = 105 healthy humans (N = 70 female), using a configural fear conditioning paradigm. We administered a single dose of minocycline before configural fear memory acquisition and assessed fear memory retention seven days later in a recall test. To index memory retention, we pre-registered fear-potentially startle (FPS) as our primary outcome, and pupil dilation as the secondary outcome. As control indices of memory acquisition, we analyzed skin conductance responses (SCR) and pupil dilation. We observed attenuated retention of configural fear memory in individuals treated with minocycline compared to placebo, as measured by our primary outcome. In contrast, minocycline did not affect fear memory acquisition or declarative contingency memory. Our findings provide in-vivo evidence for the inhibition of fear memory consolidation by minocycline. This could motivate further research into primary prevention, and given the short uptake time of minocycline, potentially also secondary prevention of PTSD after trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfang Xia
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Transdisciplinary Research Area Life and Health, Hertz Chair for Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Jelena Wehrli
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Aslan Abivardi
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Madalina Hostiuc
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Birgit Kleim
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dominik R Bach
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Transdisciplinary Research Area Life and Health, Hertz Chair for Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging & Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK.
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Nachtigall EG, de C Myskiw J, Izquierdo I, Furini CRG. Cellular mechanisms of contextual fear memory reconsolidation: Role of hippocampal SFKs, TrkB receptors and GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024; 241:61-73. [PMID: 37700085 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06463-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
Memories are stored into long-term representations through a process that depends on protein synthesis. However, a consolidated memory is not static and inflexible and can be reactivated under certain circumstances, the retrieval is able to reactivate memories and destabilize them engaging a process of restabilization known as reconsolidation. Although the molecular mechanisms that mediate fear memory reconsolidation are not entirely known, so here we investigated the molecular mechanisms in the hippocampus involved in contextual fear conditioning memory (CFC) reconsolidation in male Wistar rats. We demonstrated that the blockade of Src family kinases (SFKs), GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors and TrkB receptors (TrkBR) in the CA1 region of the hippocampus immediately after the reactivation session impaired contextual fear memory reconsolidation. These impairments were blocked by the neurotrophin BDNF and the NMDAR agonist, D-Serine. Considering that the study of the link between synaptic proteins is crucial for understanding memory processes, targeting the reconsolidation process may provide new ways of disrupting maladaptive memories, such as those seen in post-traumatic stress disorder. Here we provide new insights into the cellular mechanisms involved in contextual fear memory reconsolidation, demonstrating that SFKs, GluN2B-containing NMDAR, and TrkBR are necessary for the reconsolidation process. Our findings suggest a link between BDNF and SFKs and GluN2B-containing NMDAR as well as a link between NMDAR and SFKs and TrkBR in fear memory reconsolidation. These preliminary pharmacological findings provide new evidence of the mechanisms involved in the reconsolidation of fear memory and have the potential to contribute to the development of treatments for psychiatric disorders involving maladaptive memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduarda G Nachtigall
- Laboratory of Cognition and Memory Neurobiology, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6690 - 3rd floor, Porto Alegre, RS, 90610-000, Brazil
- Memory Center, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6690 - 2nd floor - HSL, Porto Alegre, RS, 90610-000, Brazil
| | - Jociane de C Myskiw
- Memory Center, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6690 - 2nd floor - HSL, Porto Alegre, RS, 90610-000, Brazil
| | - Ivan Izquierdo
- Memory Center, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6690 - 2nd floor - HSL, Porto Alegre, RS, 90610-000, Brazil
| | - Cristiane R G Furini
- Laboratory of Cognition and Memory Neurobiology, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6690 - 3rd floor, Porto Alegre, RS, 90610-000, Brazil.
- Memory Center, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6690 - 2nd floor - HSL, Porto Alegre, RS, 90610-000, Brazil.
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Meister L, Dietrich AC, Stefanovic M, Bavato F, Rosi-Andersen A, Rohde J, Offenhammer B, Seifritz E, Schäfer I, Ehring T, Barth J, Kleim B. Pharmacological memory modulation to augment trauma-focused psychotherapy for PTSD: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:207. [PMID: 37321998 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02495-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Trauma-focused psychotherapy (tf-PT) is the first-line treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Tf-PT focuses on processing and modulating trauma memories. Not all patients benefit, however, and there is room for improvement of efficacy. Pharmacologically augmenting trauma memory modulation in the context of tf-PT may help optimise treatment outcome. To systematically review effects of pharmacologically augmented memory modulation in the context of tf-PT for PTSD (PROSPERO preregistration ID: CRD42021230623). We conducted a systematic review of randomised controlled trials of psychotherapy treatment for PTSD. We included placebo-controlled studies that augmented at least one treatment session pharmacologically targeting memory extinction or reconsolidation. We calculated post-treatment between group (pharmacological augmentation vs placebo control) effect sizes of PTSD symptom severity. We included 13 RCTs. There was large heterogeneity in augmentation procedure and methodological quality. Four studies showed significantly greater PTSD symptom reduction in the pharmacological augmentation group (propranolol, hydrocortisone, dexamethasone, D-cycloserine) compared to placebo. Seven studies showed no significant effect of pharmacological augmentation compared to placebo (D-cycloserine, rapamycin, mifepristone, propranolol, mifepristone combined with D-cycloserine, methylene blue). Two studies showed significantly smaller PTSD symptom reduction in the pharmacological augmentation group (D-cycloserine, dexamethasone) compared to placebo. Results of pharmacological augmentation were mixed overall and heterogenous for the pharmacological agents tested in more than one study. Additional studies and replications are needed to identify which pharmacological agents work, in which combination and to identify patient groups that benefit most to tailor PTSD treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Meister
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Francesco Bavato
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alex Rosi-Andersen
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Chronobiology and Sleep Research Group, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Judith Rohde
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin Offenhammer
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ingo Schäfer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Ehring
- Department of Psychology, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Jürgen Barth
- Institute for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Birgit Kleim
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Nachtigall EG, D R de Freitas J, de C Myskiw J, R G Furini C. Role of hippocampal Wnt signaling pathways on contextual fear memory reconsolidation. Neuroscience 2023:S0306-4522(23)00248-8. [PMID: 37286160 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Memories already consolidated when reactivated return to a labile state and can be modified, this process is known as reconsolidation. It is known the Wnt signaling pathways can modulate hippocampal synaptic plasticity as well as learning and memory. Yet, Wnt signaling pathways interact with NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors. However, whether canonical Wnt/β-catenin and non-canonical Wnt/Ca2+ signaling pathways are required in the CA1 region of hippocampus for contextual fear memory reconsolidation remains unclear. So, here we verified that the inhibition of canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway with DKK1 (Dickkopf-1) into CA1 impaired the reconsolidation of contextual fear conditioning (CFC) memory when administered immediately and 2h after reactivation session but not 6h later, while the inhibition of non-canonical Wnt/Ca2+ signaling pathway with SFRP1 (Secreted frizzled-related protein-1) into CA1 immediately after reactivation session had no effect. Moreover, the impairment induced by DKK1 was blocked by the administration of the agonist of the NMDA receptors glycine site, D-Serine, immediately and 2h after reactivation session. We found that hippocampal canonical Wnt/β-catenin is necessary to the reconsolidation of CFC memory at least two hours after reactivation, while non-canonical Wnt/Ca2+ signaling pathway is not involved in this process and, that there is a link between Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and NMDA receptors. In view of this, this study provides new evidence regarding the neural mechanisms underlying contextual fear memory reconsolidation and contributes to provide a new possible target for the treatment of fear related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduarda G Nachtigall
- Laboratory of Cognition and Memory Neurobiology, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6690 - Bldg. 63, 3(rd) floor, 90610-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Júlia D R de Freitas
- Laboratory of Cognition and Memory Neurobiology, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6690 - Bldg. 63, 3(rd) floor, 90610-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Jociane de C Myskiw
- Psychobiology and Neurocomputation Laboratory (LPBNC), Department of Biophysics, Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Bldg. 43422, room 208A, 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Cristiane R G Furini
- Laboratory of Cognition and Memory Neurobiology, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6690 - Bldg. 63, 3(rd) floor, 90610-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Institute of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6681 - Bldg. 40, 8(th) floor, 90610-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
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5
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Silva BA, Gräff J. Face your fears: attenuating remote fear memories by reconsolidation-updating. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:404-416. [PMID: 36813591 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
Traumatic events generate some of the most enduring memories, yet little is known about how long-lasting fear memories can be attenuated. In this review, we collect the surprisingly sparse evidence on remote fear memory attenuation from both animal and human research. What is becoming apparent is twofold: although remote fear memories are more resistant to change compared with recent ones, they can nevertheless be attenuated when interventions are targeted toward the period of memory malleability instigated by memory recall, the reconsolidation window. We describe the physiological mechanisms underlying remote reconsolidation-updating approaches and highlight how they can be enhanced through interventions promoting synaptic plasticity. By capitalizing on an intrinsically relevant phase of memory, reconsolidation-updating harbors the potential to permanently alter remote fear memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca A Silva
- National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy; IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Johannes Gräff
- Laboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland.
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7
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Merz CJ, Wolf OT. How stress hormones shape memories of fear and anxiety in humans. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 142:104901. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Appraising reconsolidation theory and its empirical validation. Psychon Bull Rev 2022; 30:450-463. [PMID: 36085236 PMCID: PMC7614440 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02173-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Re-exposure to elements of prior experiences can create opportunities for inducing amnesia for those events. The dominant theoretical framework posits that such re-exposure can result in memory destabilization, making the memory representation temporarily sensitive to disruption while it awaits reconsolidation. If true, such a mechanism that allows for memories to be permanently changed could have important implications for the treatment of several forms of psychopathology. However, there have been contradictory findings and elusive occurrences of replication failures within the "reconsolidation" field. Considering its potential relevance for clinical applications, the fact that this "hot" research area is being dominated by a single mechanistic theory, and the presence of unexplainable contradictory findings, we believe that it is both useful and timely to critically evaluate the reconsolidation framework. We discuss potential issues that may arise from how reconsolidation interference has typically been deducted from behavioral observations, and provide a principled assessment of reconsolidation theory that illustrates that the theory and its proposed boundary conditions are vaguely defined, which has made it close to impossible to refute reconsolidation theory. We advocate for caution, encouraging researchers not to blindly assume that a reconsolidation process must underlie their findings, and pointing out the risks of doing so. Finally, we suggest concrete theoretical and methodological advances that can promote a fruitful translation of reminder-dependent amnesia into clinical treatment.
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Ojala KE, Staib M, Gerster S, Ruff CC, Bach DR. Inhibiting Human Aversive Memory by Transcranial Theta-Burst Stimulation to the Primary Sensory Cortex. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 92:149-157. [PMID: 35410762 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Predicting adverse events from past experience is fundamental for many biological organisms. However, some individuals suffer from maladaptive memories that impair behavioral control and well-being, e.g., after psychological trauma. Inhibiting the formation and maintenance of such memories would have high clinical relevance. Previous preclinical research has focused on systemically administered pharmacological interventions, which cannot be targeted to specific neural circuits in humans. Here, we investigated the potential of noninvasive neural stimulation on the human sensory cortex in inhibiting aversive memory in a laboratory threat conditioning model. METHODS We build on an emerging nonhuman literature suggesting that primary sensory cortices may be crucially required for threat memory formation and consolidation. Immediately before conditioning innocuous somatosensory stimuli (conditioned stimuli [CS]) to aversive electric stimulation, healthy human participants received continuous theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (cTBS) to individually localized primary somatosensory cortex in either the CS-contralateral (experimental) or CS-ipsilateral (control) hemisphere. We measured fear-potentiated startle to infer threat memory retention on the next day, as well as skin conductance and pupil size during learning. RESULTS After overnight consolidation, threat memory was attenuated in the experimental group compared with the control cTBS group. There was no evidence that this differed between simple and complex CS or that CS identification or initial learning were affected by cTBS. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that cTBS to the primary sensory cortex inhibits threat memory, likely by an impact on postlearning consolidation. We propose that noninvasive targeted stimulation of the sensory cortex may provide a new avenue for interfering with aversive memories in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karita E Ojala
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Matthias Staib
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Samuel Gerster
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Christian C Ruff
- Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Dominik R Bach
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging and Max-Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
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TrkA-cholinergic signaling modulates fear encoding and extinction learning in PTSD-like behavior. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:111. [PMID: 35301275 PMCID: PMC8931170 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-01869-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have suggested that the use of cognitive enhancers as adjuncts to exposure-based therapy in individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be beneficial. Brain cholinergic signaling through basal forebrain projections to the hippocampus is an established pathway mediating fear response and cognitive flexibility. Here we employed a genetic strategy to enhance cholinergic activity through increased signaling of the NGF receptor TrkA. This strategy leads to increased levels of the marker of cholinergic activation, acetylcholine synthesizing enzyme choline acetyltransferase, in forebrain cholinergic regions and their projection areas such as the hippocampus. Mice with increased cholinergic activity do not display any neurobehavioral abnormalities except a selective attenuation of fear response and lower fear expression in extinction trials. Reduction in fear response is rescued by the GABA antagonist picrotoxin in mutant mice, and, in wild-type mice, is mimicked by the GABA agonist midazolam suggesting that GABA can modulate cholinergic functions on fear circuitries. Importantly, mutant mice also show a reduction in fear processing under stress conditions in a single prolonged stress (SPS) model of PTSD-like behavior, and augmentation of cholinergic signaling by the drug donepezil in wild-type mice promotes extinction learning in a similar SPS model of PTSD-like behavior. Donepezil is already in clinical use for the treatment of dementia suggesting a new translational application of this drug for improving exposure-based psychotherapy in PTSD patients.
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Ritchie JL, Walters JL, Galliou JMC, Christian RJ, Qi S, Savenkova MI, Ibarra CK, Grogan SR, Fuchs RA. Basolateral amygdala corticotropin-releasing factor receptor type 1 regulates context-cocaine memory strength during reconsolidation in a sex-dependent manner. Neuropharmacology 2021; 200:108819. [PMID: 34610289 PMCID: PMC8550898 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a critical brain region for cocaine-memory reconsolidation. Corticotropin-releasing factor receptor type 1 (CRFR1) is densely expressed in the BLA, and CRFR1 stimulation can activate intra-cellular signaling cascades that mediate memory reconsolidation. Hence, we tested the hypothesis that BLA CRFR1 stimulation is necessary and sufficient for cocaine-memory reconsolidation. Using an instrumental model of drug relapse, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats received cocaine self-administration training in a distinct environmental context over 10 days followed by extinction training in a different context over 7 days. Next, rats were re-exposed to the cocaine-paired context for 15 min to initiate cocaine-memory retrieval and destabilization. Immediately or 6 h after this session, the rats received bilateral vehicle, antalarmin (CRFR1 antagonist; 500 ng/hemisphere), or corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF; 0.2, 30 or 500 ng/hemisphere) infusions into the BLA. Resulting changes in drug context-induced cocaine seeking (index of context-cocaine memory strength) were assessed three days later. Female rats self-administered more cocaine infusions and exhibited more extinction responding than males. Intra-BLA antalarmin treatment immediately after memory retrieval (i.e., when cocaine memories were labile), but not 6 h later (i.e., after memory reconsolidation), attenuated drug context-induced cocaine seeking at test independent of sex, relative to vehicle. Conversely, intra-BLA CRF treatment increased this behavior selectively in females, in a U-shaped dose-dependent fashion. In control experiments, a high (behaviorally ineffective) dose of CRF treatment did not reduce BLA CRFR1 cell-surface expression in females. Thus, BLA CRFR1 signaling is necessary and sufficient, in a sex-dependent manner, for regulating cocaine-memory strength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jobe L Ritchie
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Jennifer L Walters
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Justine M C Galliou
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Robert J Christian
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Shuyi Qi
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Marina I Savenkova
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Christopher K Ibarra
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Shayna R Grogan
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Rita A Fuchs
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA; Washington State University Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Program, Pullman, WA, USA.
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Abstract
Emotions can be defined as states elicited by rewards or punishments, and indeed the neurology of emotional disorders can be understood in terms of this foundation. The orbitofrontal cortex in humans and other primates is a critical area in emotion processing, determining the value of stimuli and whether they are rewarding or nonrewarding. The cortical processing that occurs before the orbitofrontal cortex primarily involves defining the identity of stimuli, i.e., "what" is present and not reward value. There is evidence that this holds true for taste, visual, somatosensory, and olfactory stimuli. The human medial orbitofrontal cortex is important in processing many different types of reward, and the lateral orbitofrontal cortex in processing nonreward and punishment. Humans with damage to the orbitofrontal cortex have an impaired ability to identify facial and voice expressions of emotions, and impaired subjective experience of emotion. They can have an altered personality and be impulsive because they are impaired at processing failures to receive expected rewards and at processing punishments. In humans, the role of the amygdala in the processing of emotions is reduced because of the great evolutionary development of the orbitofrontal cortex: amygdala damage has much less effect on emotion than does orbitofrontal cortex damage. The orbitofrontal cortex projects reward value information to the anterior cingulate cortex, which is involved in learning those actions required to obtain rewards and avoid punishments. The cingulate cortex thus provides an output route for emotional behavior. In depression, the medial orbitofrontal cortex has decreased connectivity and sensitivity to reward, and the lateral orbitofrontal cortex has increased connectivity and sensitivity to nonreward. The orbitofrontal cortex has major projections to the anterior cingulate cortex, including its subcommissural region, and the anterior cingulate cortex is also implicated in depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edmund T Rolls
- Oxford Centre for Computational Neuroscience, Oxford, United Kingdom; Department of Computer Science, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.
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Houtekamer MC, Henckens MJAG, Mackey WE, Dunsmoor JE, Homberg JR, Kroes MCW. Investigating the efficacy of the reminder-extinction procedure to disrupt contextual threat memories in humans using immersive Virtual Reality. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16991. [PMID: 33046753 PMCID: PMC7550330 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73139-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Upon reactivation, consolidated memories can enter a temporary labile state and require restabilisation, known as reconsolidation. Interventions during this reconsolidation period can disrupt the reactivated memory. However, it is unclear whether different kinds of memory that depend on distinct brain regions all undergo reconsolidation. Evidence for reconsolidation originates from studies assessing amygdala-dependent memories using cue-conditioning paradigms in rodents, which were subsequently replicated in humans. Whilst studies providing evidence for reconsolidation of hippocampus-dependent memories in rodents have predominantly used context conditioning paradigms, studies in humans have used completely different paradigms such as tests for wordlists or stories. Here our objective was to bridge this paradigm gap between rodent and human studies probing reconsolidation of hippocampus-dependent memories. We modified a recently developed immersive Virtual Reality paradigm to test in humans whether contextual threat-conditioned memories can be disrupted by a reminder-extinction procedure that putatively targets reconsolidation. In contrast to our hypothesis, we found comparable recovery of contextual conditioned threat responses, and comparable retention of subjective measures of threat memory, episodic memory and exploration behaviour between the reminder-extinction and standard extinction groups. Our result provide no evidence that a reminder before extinction can prevent the return of context conditioned threat memories in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime C Houtekamer
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Kapittelweg 29, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Marloes J A G Henckens
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Kapittelweg 29, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Wayne E Mackey
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Judith R Homberg
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Kapittelweg 29, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Marijn C W Kroes
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Kapittelweg 29, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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15
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Bender BN, Torregrossa MM. Molecular and circuit mechanisms regulating cocaine memory. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:3745-3768. [PMID: 32172301 PMCID: PMC7492456 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03498-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Risk of relapse is a major challenge in the treatment of substance use disorders. Several types of learning and memory mechanisms are involved in substance use and have implications for relapse. Associative memories form between the effects of drugs and the surrounding environmental stimuli, and exposure to these stimuli during abstinence causes stress and triggers drug craving, which can lead to relapse. Understanding the neural underpinnings of how these associations are formed and maintained will inform future advances in treatment practices. A large body of research has expanded our knowledge of how associative memories are acquired and consolidated, how they are updated through reactivation and reconsolidation, and how competing extinction memories are formed. This review will focus on the vast literature examining the mechanisms of cocaine Pavlovian associative memories with an emphasis on the molecular memory mechanisms and circuits involved in the consolidation, reconsolidation, and extinction of these memories. Additional research elucidating the specific signaling pathways, mechanisms of synaptic plasticity, and epigenetic regulation of gene expression in the circuits involved in associative learning will reveal more distinctions between consolidation, reconsolidation, and extinction learning that can be applied to the treatment of substance use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke N Bender
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 450 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Mary M Torregrossa
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 450 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA.
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
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16
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Borgomaneri S, Battaglia S, Garofalo S, Tortora F, Avenanti A, di Pellegrino G. State-Dependent TMS over Prefrontal Cortex Disrupts Fear-Memory Reconsolidation and Prevents the Return of Fear. Curr Biol 2020; 30:3672-3679.e4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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17
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Boundary conditions of post-retrieval extinction: A direct comparison of low and high partial reinforcement. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 174:107285. [PMID: 32745600 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Research has shown that a single presentation of the conditioned stimulus prior to extinction training can diminish conditioned responses. However, replication has proven difficult and appears to be limited by boundary conditions. Here we tested the boundary condition of memory strength by comparing the effect of reinforcement rate to assess its role in post-retrieval extinction. Eighty university students had undergone a three-day fear conditioning experiment in which two partial reinforcement schedules (40%, 80%) were applied. The findings indicated that both low and high partial reinforcement groups did not demonstrate recovery of conditioned responses after post-retrieval extinction. In contrast, both groups demonstrated significant recovery to standard extinction with significantly greater recovery in the 80% group relative to the 40% group. Additionally, we found that greater physiological arousal during memory retrieval significantly predicted recovery of fear at test phase. We conclude that when compared to a lower partial reinforcement schedule, a higher partial reinforcement resulted in the formation of a stronger memory as indicated by greater physiological arousal during memory reactivation and recovery of conditioned responses after standard extinction, but that it does not function as a boundary condition of post-retrieval extinction. These data are significant because it is the first study to investigate the effect of varying partial reinforcement schedules on fear recovery and add to the body of literature that continue to identify sources of failure in the application of post-retrieval extinction.
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18
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Measuring learning in human classical threat conditioning: Translational, cognitive and methodological considerations. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 114:96-112. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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19
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Wolosker H, Balu DT. D-Serine as the gatekeeper of NMDA receptor activity: implications for the pharmacologic management of anxiety disorders. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:184. [PMID: 32518273 PMCID: PMC7283225 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-00870-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Fear, anxiety, and trauma-related disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are quite common and debilitating, with an estimated lifetime prevalence of ~28% in Western populations. They are associated with excessive fear reactions, often including an inability to extinguish learned fear, increased avoidance behavior, as well as altered cognition and mood. There is an extensive literature demonstrating the importance of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) function in regulating these behaviors. NMDARs require the binding of a co-agonist, D-serine or glycine, at the glycine modulatory site (GMS) to function. D-serine is now garnering attention as the primary NMDAR co-agonist in limbic brain regions implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders. L-serine is synthesized by astrocytes, which is then transported to neurons for conversion to D-serine by serine racemase (SR), a model we term the 'serine shuttle.' The neuronally-released D-serine is what regulates NMDAR activity. Our review discusses how the systems that regulate the synaptic availability of D-serine, a critical gatekeeper of NMDAR-dependent activation, could be targeted to improve the pharmacologic management of anxiety-related disorders where the desired outcomes are the facilitation of fear extinction, as well as mood and cognitive enhancement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Herman Wolosker
- grid.6451.60000000121102151Department of Biochemistry, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 31096 Israel
| | - Darrick T. Balu
- grid.38142.3c000000041936754XDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 USA ,grid.240206.20000 0000 8795 072XTranslational Psychiatry Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478 USA
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Nikitin V, Solntseva S, Kozyrev S, Nikitin P. Long-term memory consolidation or reconsolidation impairment induces amnesia with key characteristics that are similar to key learning characteristics. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 108:542-558. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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21
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Abstract
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) is an effective treatment for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Adaptive Information Processing Model (AIP) guides the development and practice of EMDR. The AIP postulates inadequately processed memory as the foundation of PTSD pathology. Predictive Processing postulates that the primary function of the brain is prediction that serves to anticipate the next moment of experience in order to resist the dissipative force of entropy thus facilitating continued survival. Memory is the primary substrate of prediction, and is optimized by an ongoing process of precision weighted prediction error minimization that refines prediction by updating the memories on which it is based. The Predictive Processing model of EMDR postulates that EMDR facilitates the predictive processing of traumatic memory by overcoming the bias against exploration and evidence accumulation. The EMDR protocol brings the traumatic memory into an active state of re-experiencing. Defensive responding and/or low sensory precision preclude evidence accumulation to test the predictions of the traumatic memory in the present. Sets of therapist guided eye movements repeatedly challenge the bias against evidence accumulation and compel sensory sampling of the benign present. Eye movements reset the theta rhythm organizing the flow of information through the brain, facilitating the deployment of both overt and covert attention, and the mnemonic search for associations. Sampling of sensation does not support the predictions of the traumatic memory resulting in prediction error that the brain then attempts to minimize. The net result is a restoration of the integrity of the rhythmic deployment of attention, a recalibration of sensory precision, and the updating (reconsolidation) of the traumatic memory. Thus one prediction of the model is a decrease in Attention Bias Variability, a core dysfunction in PTSD, following successful treatment with EMDR.
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22
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Sinclair AH, Barense MD. Prediction Error and Memory Reactivation: How Incomplete Reminders Drive Reconsolidation. Trends Neurosci 2019; 42:727-739. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2019.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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23
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Cahill EN, Wood MA, Everitt BJ, Milton AL. The role of prediction error and memory destabilization in extinction of cued-fear within the reconsolidation window. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:1762-1768. [PMID: 30659275 PMCID: PMC6699995 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0299-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Extinction of a cued-fear memory within the reconsolidation window has been proposed to prevent fear reacquisition by reconsolidation interference. This 'retrieval-extinction' procedure has received interest for its therapeutic potential to reduce the impact of fear memories on behavior. To fully exploit its therapeutic potential, it is critical to understand the mechanisms that underlie the 'retrieval-extinction' effect. If the effect depends upon reconsolidation of the original memory, then it would be predicted that destabilization, induced by prediction error, would be critical for observing the effect. Here, the dependency of the retrieval-extinction effect on memory destabilization or prediction error was investigated in pavlovian cued-fear conditioned adult male rats. The requirement for memory destabilization, and thus reconsolidation, for the retrieval-extinction effect was subsequently investigated using region-specific pharmacological blockade of dopamine D1-receptors. Intra-basolateral amygdala antagonism of dopamine D1-receptors did not prevent the reacquisition of fear associated with the retrieval-extinction procedure. The requirement for prediction error was assessed by using a reinforced or non-reinforced memory retrieval trial before extinction, compared to a no-retrieval, extinction-only control. Both the reinforced (no prediction error) and non-reinforced retrieval sessions led to a decrease in fear reacquisition, suggesting that engagement of prediction error does not influence the occurrence of retrieval-extinction. Together, these data suggest that retrieval-extinction does not require memory destabilization, since behavioral or pharmacological interventions that prevent destabilization did not disrupt any capacity to attenuate fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma N. Cahill
- 0000000121885934grid.5335.0Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EG UK ,Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK
| | - Melissa A. Wood
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK ,0000000121885934grid.5335.0Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK
| | - Barry J. Everitt
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK ,0000000121885934grid.5335.0Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK
| | - Amy L. Milton
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK ,0000000121885934grid.5335.0Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK
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24
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Phelps EA, Hofmann SG. Memory editing from science fiction to clinical practice. Nature 2019; 572:43-50. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1433-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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25
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Echoes of Emotions Past: How Neuromodulators Determine What We Recollect. eNeuro 2019; 6:eN-REV-0108-18. [PMID: 30923742 PMCID: PMC6437660 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0108-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2018] [Revised: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
We tend to re-live emotional experiences more richly in memory than more mundane experiences. According to one recent neurocognitive model of emotional memory, negative events may be encoded with a larger amount of sensory information than neutral and positive events. As a result, there may be more perceptual information available to reconstruct these events at retrieval, leading to memory reinstatement patterns that correspond with greater memory vividness and sense of recollection for negative events. In this commentary, we offer an alternative perspective on how emotion may influence such sensory cortex reinstatement that focuses on engagement of the noradrenergic (NE) and dopaminergic (DA) systems rather than valence. Specifically, we propose that arousal-related locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system activation promotes the prioritization of the most salient features of an emotional experience in memory. Thus, a select few details may drive lower-level sensory cortical activity and a stronger sense of recollection for arousing events. By contrast, states of high behavioral activation, including novelty-seeking and exploration, may recruit the DA system to broaden the scope of cognitive processing and integrate multiple event aspects in memory. These more integrated memory representations may be reflected in higher-order cortical reinstatement at retrieval. Thus, the balance between activation in these neuromodulatory systems at encoding, rather than the valence of the event, may ultimately determine the quality of emotional memory recollection and neural reinstatement.
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Galarza Vallejo A, Kroes MCW, Rey E, Acedo MV, Moratti S, Fernández G, Strange BA. Propofol-induced deep sedation reduces emotional episodic memory reconsolidation in humans. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaav3801. [PMID: 30906867 PMCID: PMC6426467 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aav3801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The adjustment of maladaptive thoughts and behaviors associated with emotional memories is central to treating psychiatric disorders. Recent research, predominantly with laboratory animals, indicates that memories can become temporarily sensitive to modification following reactivation, before undergoing reconsolidation. A method to selectively impair reconsolidation of specific emotional or traumatic memories in humans could translate to an effective treatment for conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder. We tested whether deep sedation could impair emotional memory reconsolidation in 50 human participants. Administering the intravenous anesthetic propofol following memory reactivation disrupted memory for the reactivated, but not for a non-reactivated, slideshow story. Propofol impaired memory for the reactivated story after 24 hours, but not immediately after propofol recovery. Critically, memory impairment occurred selectively for the emotionally negative phase of the reactivated story. One dose of propofol following memory reactivation selectively impaired subsequent emotional episodic memory retrieval in a time-dependent manner, consistent with reconsolidation impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Galarza Vallejo
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
| | - Marijn C. W. Kroes
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Donders Institute, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen 6525 EZ, Netherlands
| | - Enrique Rey
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital Clínico San Carlos and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria Victoria Acedo
- Department of Anesthesia, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
| | - Stephan Moratti
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
- Department of Basic Psychology I, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
| | - Guillén Fernández
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Donders Institute, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen 6525 EZ, Netherlands
| | - Bryan A. Strange
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
- Department of Neuroimaging, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centre, Reina Sofia–CIEN Foundation, Madrid, Spain
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27
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Acute and long-lasting effects of oxytocin in cortico-limbic circuits: consequences for fear recall and extinction. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:339-354. [PMID: 30302511 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5030-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The extinction of conditioned fear responses entrains the formation of safe new memories to decrease those behavioral responses. The knowledge in neuronal mechanisms of extinction is fundamental in the treatment of anxiety and fear disorders. Interestingly, the use of pharmacological compounds that reduce anxiety and fear has been shown as a potent co-adjuvant in extinction therapy. However, the efficiency and mechanisms by which pharmacological compounds promote extinction of fear memories remains still largely unknown and would benefit from a validation based on functional neuronal circuits, and the neurotransmitters that modulate them. From this perspective, oxytocin receptor signaling, which has been shown in cortical and limbic areas to modulate numerous functions (Eliava et al. Neuron 89(6):1291-1304, 2016), among them fear and anxiety circuits, and to enhance the salience of social stimuli (Stoop Neuron 76(1):142-59, 2012), may offer an interesting perspective. Experiments in animals and humans suggest that oxytocin could be a promising pharmacological agent at adjusting memory consolidation to boost fear extinction. Additionally, it is possible that long-term changes in endogenous oxytocin signaling can also play a role in reducing expression of fear at different brain targets. In this review, we summarize the effects reported for oxytocin in cortico-limbic circuits and on fear behavior that are of relevance for the modulation and potential extinction of fear memories.
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28
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Hu J, Wang Z, Feng X, Long C, Schiller D. Post-retrieval oxytocin facilitates next day extinction of threat memory in humans. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:293-301. [PMID: 30370450 PMCID: PMC6374199 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5074-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Memories can return to a labile state and become amenable to modification by pharmacological and behavioral manipulations after retrieval. This process may reduce the impact of aversive memories and provide a promising therapeutic technique for the treatment of anxiety disorders. A growing body of evidence suggests that the mammalian neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) plays a role in the regulation of emotional memories in animals. However, the effects of OT on threat memory in humans remain largely unknown. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate the effects of OT administration following threat memory retrieval on subsequent memory expression in human participants. METHODS In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, between-subject design, 61 healthy human individuals completed a 3-day experiment. All the participants underwent threat conditioning on day 1. On day 2, the participants were randomized to receive an intranasal dose of OT (40 IU) or placebo after memory retrieval, or an intranasal dose of OT (40 IU) without retrieval. On day 3, the participants were tested for extinction and reinstatement. RESULTS On day 3, all groups showed equivalent stimulus discrimination during the early phase of extinction. However, the group that received OT following a memory reminder showed a greater decline in stimulus discrimination by the late phase of extinction relative to the two other groups. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that OT did not block reconsolidation to prevent the return of threat memory but rather interacted with post-retrieval processes to facilitate next day extinction. The study provides novel preliminary evidence for the role of OT in human threat memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingchu Hu
- School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China,School of Psychology and Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zijie Wang
- School of Psychology and Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyi Feng
- School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Cheng Long
- School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Daniela Schiller
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA. .,Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA. .,Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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29
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Fenster RJ, Lebois LAM, Ressler KJ, Suh J. Brain circuit dysfunction in post-traumatic stress disorder: from mouse to man. Nat Rev Neurosci 2018; 19:535-551. [PMID: 30054570 PMCID: PMC6148363 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-018-0039-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 252] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent, debilitating and sometimes deadly consequence of exposure to severe psychological trauma. Although effective treatments exist for some individuals, they are limited. New approaches to intervention, treatment and prevention are therefore much needed. In the past few years, the field has rapidly developed a greater understanding of the dysfunctional brain circuits underlying PTSD, a shift in understanding that has been made possible by technological revolutions that have allowed the observation and perturbation of the macrocircuits and microcircuits thought to underlie PTSD-related symptoms. These advances have allowed us to gain a more translational knowledge of PTSD, have provided further insights into the mechanisms of risk and resilience and offer promising avenues for therapeutic discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Fenster
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Lauren A M Lebois
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA.
| | - Junghyup Suh
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA.
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30
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Diehl MM, Lempert KM, Parr AC, Ballard I, Steele VR, Smith DV. Toward an integrative perspective on the neural mechanisms underlying persistent maladaptive behaviors. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 48:1870-1883. [PMID: 30044022 PMCID: PMC6113118 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2018] [Revised: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Maria M. Diehl
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00936
| | - Karolina M. Lempert
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Ashley C. Parr
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario
| | - Ian Ballard
- Neurosciences Graduate Training Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Vaughn R. Steele
- Neuroimaging Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - David V. Smith
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122
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31
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Davis P, Reijmers LG. The dynamic nature of fear engrams in the basolateral amygdala. Brain Res Bull 2018; 141:44-49. [PMID: 29269319 PMCID: PMC6005719 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2017.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Revised: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Great progress has been made in our understanding of how so-called memory engrams in the brain enable the storage and retrieval of memories. This has led to the realization that across the lifetime of an animal, the spatial and temporal properties of a memory engram are not fixed, but instead are subjected to dynamic modifications that can be both dependent and independent on additional experiences. The dynamic nature of engrams is especially relevant in the case of fear memories, whose contributions to an animal's evolutionary fitness depend on a delicate balance of stability and flexibility. Though fear memories have the potential to last a lifetime, their expression also needs to be properly tuned to prevent maladaptive behavior, such as seen in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder. To achieve this balance, fear engrams are subjected to complex spatiotemporal dynamics, making them informative examples of the "dynamic engram". In this review, we discuss the current understanding of the dynamic nature of fear engrams in the basolateral amygdala, a brain region that plays a central role in fear memory encoding and expression. We propose that this understanding can be further advanced by studying how fast dynamics, such as oscillatory circuit activity, support the storage and retrieval of fear engrams that can be stable over long time intervals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Davis
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States; Medical Scientist Training Program and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Leon G Reijmers
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States.
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Morici JF, Miranda M, Gallo FT, Zanoni B, Bekinschtein P, Weisstaub NV. 5-HT2a receptor in mPFC influences context-guided reconsolidation of object memory in perirhinal cortex. eLife 2018; 7:33746. [PMID: 29717980 PMCID: PMC5931799 DOI: 10.7554/elife.33746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 04/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Context-dependent memories may guide adaptive behavior relaying in previous experience while updating stored information through reconsolidation. Retrieval can be triggered by partial and shared cues. When the cue is presented, the most relevant memory should be updated. In a contextual version of the object recognition task, we examined the effect of medial PFC (mPFC) serotonin 2a receptor (5-HT2aR) blockade during retrieval in reconsolidation of competing objects memories. We found that mPFC 5-HT2aR controls retrieval and reconsolidation of object memories in the perirhinal cortex (PRH), but not in the dorsal hippocampus in rats. Also, reconsolidation of objects memories in PRH required a functional interaction between the ventral hippocampus and the mPFC. Our results indicate that in the presence of conflicting information at retrieval, mPFC 5-HT2aR may facilitate top-down context-guided control over PRH to control the behavioral response and object memory reconsolidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Facundo Morici
- Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas, Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Translacional, Universidad Favaloro, INECO, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Magdalena Miranda
- Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Translacional, Universidad Favaloro, INECO, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Biologia Celular y Neurociencias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Francisco Tomás Gallo
- Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Translacional, Universidad Favaloro, INECO, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Biologia Celular y Neurociencias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Belén Zanoni
- Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Translacional, Universidad Favaloro, INECO, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Pedro Bekinschtein
- Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Translacional, Universidad Favaloro, INECO, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Biologia Celular y Neurociencias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Noelia V Weisstaub
- Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas, Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Translacional, Universidad Favaloro, INECO, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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33
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Giustino TF, Maren S. Noradrenergic Modulation of Fear Conditioning and Extinction. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:43. [PMID: 29593511 PMCID: PMC5859179 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus norepinephrine (LC-NE) system plays a broad role in learning and memory. Here we begin with an overview of the LC-NE system. We then consider how both direct and indirect manipulations of the LC-NE system affect cued and contextual aversive learning and memory. We propose that NE dynamically modulates Pavlovian conditioning and extinction, either promoting or impairing learning aversive processes under different levels of behavioral arousal. We suggest that under high levels of stress (e.g., during/soon after fear conditioning) the locus coeruleus (LC) promotes cued fear learning by enhancing amygdala function while simultaneously blunting prefrontal function. Under low levels of arousal, the LC promotes PFC function to promote downstream inhibition of the amygdala and foster the extinction of cued fear. Thus, LC-NE action on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) might be described by an inverted-U function such that it can either enhance or hinder learning depending on arousal states. In addition, LC-NE seems to be particularly important for the acquisition, consolidation and extinction of contextual fear memories. This may be due to dense adrenoceptor expression in the hippocampus (HPC) which encodes contextual information, and the ability of NE to regulate long-term potentiation (LTP). Moreover, recent work reveals that the diversity of LC-NE functions in aversive learning and memory are mediated by functionally heterogeneous populations of LC neurons that are defined by their projection targets. Hence, LC-NE function in learning and memory is determined by projection-specific neuromodulation that accompanies various states of behavioral arousal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas F Giustino
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
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Doss MK, Weafer J, Gallo DA, de Wit H. MDMA Impairs Both the Encoding and Retrieval of Emotional Recollections. Neuropsychopharmacology 2018; 43:791-800. [PMID: 28825422 PMCID: PMC5809786 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2017.171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Revised: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The psychoactive drug ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is increasingly used for its perceived emotional effects (eg, prosociality, empathy, psychotherapy), but surprisingly little research has been aimed at identifying the effect of the drug on emotional episodic memory in humans. Here, we report the first double-blind placebo-controlled study to examine the effects of MDMA on emotional memory separately during encoding and retrieval in healthy participants. Participants viewed emotionally negative, neutral, and positive pictures and their labels. Forty-eight hours later, they were given cued recollection and recognition memory tests designed to assess recollection and familiarity for the studied pictures. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups who received MDMA (1 mg/kg) either during encoding (Encoding group; N=20), retrieval (Retrieval group; N=20), or neither (Placebo group; N=20). Although MDMA administered at either phase did not affect overall memory accuracy, it did alter the recollection of details associated specifically with emotional memories as estimated using a dual process signal detection analysis of confidence judgments and subjective 'remember' judgments. In the Encoding group, MDMA reduced recollection estimates for negative and positive pictures but had little to no effect on neutral items or familiarity estimates. There was evidence for similar trends in the Retrieval group. These findings indicate that MDMA attenuates the encoding and retrieval of salient details from emotional events, consistent with the idea that its potential therapeutic effects for treating posttraumatic stress disorder are related to altering emotional memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manoj K Doss
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA,Department of Psychology, The University of Chicago, 5848 S. University Ave., Beecher 308, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. Tel: +1 773 702 4376, E-mail:
| | - Jessica Weafer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - David A Gallo
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Harriet de Wit
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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Bach DR, Tzovara A, Vunder J. Blocking human fear memory with the matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor doxycycline. Mol Psychiatry 2018; 23:1584-1589. [PMID: 28373691 PMCID: PMC5507298 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2017.65] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2017] [Revised: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Learning to predict threat is a fundamental ability of many biological organisms, and a laboratory model for anxiety disorders. Interfering with such memories in humans would be of high clinical relevance. On the basis of studies in cell cultures and slice preparations, it is hypothesised that synaptic remodelling required for threat learning involves the extracellular enzyme matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 9. However, in vivo evidence for this proposal is lacking. Here we investigate human Pavlovian fear conditioning under the blood-brain barrier crossing MMP inhibitor doxycyline in a pre-registered, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. We find that recall of threat memory, measured with fear-potentiated startle 7 days after acquisition, is attenuated by ~60% in individuals who were under doxycycline during acquisition. This threat memory impairment is also reflected in increased behavioural surprise signals to the conditioned stimulus during subsequent re-learning, and already late during initial acquisition. Our findings support an emerging view that extracellular signalling pathways are crucially required for threat memory formation. Furthermore, they suggest novel pharmacological methods for primary prevention and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- D R Bach
- Division of Clinical Psychiatry Research, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. .,Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. .,Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging and Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK.
| | - A Tzovara
- 0000 0004 1937 0650grid.7400.3Division of Clinical Psychiatry Research, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland ,0000 0004 1937 0650grid.7400.3Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland ,0000000121901201grid.83440.3bWellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging and Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - J Vunder
- 0000 0004 1937 0650grid.7400.3Division of Clinical Psychiatry Research, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland ,0000 0004 1937 0650grid.7400.3Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Sakurai T. Circuitry-Based Human Neuroanatomy for the Next Generation in Psychiatry and Neuroscience. MOLECULAR NEUROPSYCHIATRY 2017; 3:92-96. [PMID: 29230397 DOI: 10.1159/000479514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Sakurai
- Department of Drug Discovery Medicine, Medical Innovation Center, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
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Rekik K, Faria Da Silva R, Colom M, Pacifico S, Zaveri NT, Calo' G, Rampon C, Frances B, Mouledous L. Activation of nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptors inhibits contextual fear memory reconsolidation. Neuropharmacology 2017; 125:39-49. [PMID: 28705439 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Revised: 06/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Several neuropeptidergic systems act as modulators of cognitive performances. Among them, nociceptin, an opioid-like peptide also known as orphanin FQ (N/OFQ), has recently gained attention. Stimulation of its receptor, the N/OFQ opioid receptor (NOP), which is expressed in brain regions involved in emotion, memory and stress response, has inhibitory effects on the acquisition and/or consolidation of spatial and emotional memory in rodents. Recently, N/OFQ was also proposed to be linked to the pathogenesis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in humans. However, until now the effect of the activation of the N/OFQ-NOP system on already consolidated memory, such as during retrieval and reconsolidation phases, has never been explored. In the present study, we investigated the consequences of systemic injection of NOP agonists or i.c.v. injection of the N/OFQ peptide on the retrieval and the reconsolidation of contextual fear memory in mice. We demonstrate that the activation of the N/OFQ system impairs the reconsolidation of context-dependent but not cue-dependent aversive memories. We also show that this amnestic effect is associated with decreased c-Fos expression in the hippocampus and amygdala. Our data thus provide the first evidence that the NOP receptor could be targeted during the reconsolidation process to weaken maladaptive memories. The N/OFQ-NOP system might constitute in the future an interesting pharmacological target for interfering with so-called "pathological memories", in particular those involving maladaptive contextual memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaoula Rekik
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Raquel Faria Da Silva
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Morgane Colom
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Salvatore Pacifico
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and LTTA, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Nurulain T Zaveri
- Astraea Therapeutic LLC, 320 Logue Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - Girolamo Calo'
- Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Pharmacology and National Institute of Neuroscience, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Claire Rampon
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Bernard Frances
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Lionel Mouledous
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, France.
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Kroes MCW, Dunsmoor JE, Lin Q, Evans M, Phelps EA. A reminder before extinction strengthens episodic memory via reconsolidation but fails to disrupt generalized threat responses. Sci Rep 2017; 7:10858. [PMID: 28883499 PMCID: PMC5589753 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10682-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A reminder can temporarily renew flexibility of consolidated memories, referred to as reconsolidation. Pavlovian threat-conditioning studies suggest that a reminder can renew flexibility of threat responses but that episodic memories remain stable. In contrast, outside the threat-conditioning domain, studies testing memory for word lists or stories find that a reminder can renew flexibility of episodic memory. This discrepancy in findings leaves it unclear if episodic memories reconsolidate, or only Pavlovian responses. Here we unite the different approaches in the field and show that a reminder can retroactively strengthen episodic memory for Pavlovian threat-conditioned events, but that, in contrast to threat-conditioning studies with simple sensory stimuli, extinction after a reminder fails to prevent recovery of generalized threat responses. Our results indicate the episodic memories also reconsolidate, allowing strengthening of relevant memories. These findings also suggest that generalized threat responses and episodic memories are less susceptible to be modified by reminder-interventions procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marijn C W Kroes
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, United States.
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, United States.
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychiatry, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Qi Lin
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, United States
| | - Michael Evans
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, United States
| | - Elizabeth A Phelps
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, United States.
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, United States.
- Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, United States.
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Goode TD, Holloway-Erickson CM, Maren S. Extinction after fear memory reactivation fails to eliminate renewal in rats. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2017; 142:41-47. [PMID: 28274824 PMCID: PMC5457330 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2017.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2017] [Revised: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Retrieving fear memories just prior to extinction has been reported to effectively erase fear memories and prevent fear relapse. The current study examined whether the type of retrieval procedure influences the ability of extinction to impair fear renewal, a form of relapse in which responding to a conditional stimulus (CS) returns outside of the extinction context. Rats first underwent Pavlovian fear conditioning with an auditory CS and footshock unconditional stimulus (US); freezing behavior served as the index of conditioned fear. Twenty-four hours later, the rats underwent a retrieval-extinction procedure. Specifically, 1h prior to extinction (45 CS-alone trials; 44 for rats receiving a CS reminder), fear memory was retrieved by either a single exposure to the CS alone, the US alone, a CS paired with the US, or exposure to the conditioning context itself. Over the next few days, conditional freezing to the extinguished CS was tested in the extinction and conditioning context in that order (i.e., an ABBA design). In the extinction context, rats that received a CS+US trial before extinction exhibited higher levels of conditional freezing than animals in all other groups, which did not differ from one another. In the renewal context, all groups showed renewal, and none of the reactivation procedures reduced renewal relative to a control group that did not receive a reactivation procedure prior to extinction. These data suggest retrieval-extinction procedures may have limited efficacy in preventing fear renewal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis D Goode
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3474, United States
| | | | - Stephen Maren
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3474, United States; Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3474, United States.
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40
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Roesler R. Molecular mechanisms controlling protein synthesis in memory reconsolidation. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2017; 142:30-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2017.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Revised: 04/27/2017] [Accepted: 04/28/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Abstract
Fear is an instinctual response that’s adaptive and critical for survival when it is short-lived but can lead to anxiety disorders when chronic. Studying how the brain controls our fears helps us understand the mechanisms required to recover from traumatic experiences and what goes wrong when we don’t. Research in rodents has identified neural circuits and molecular mechanisms regulating fear expression. Rodent work has been amenable to translation to humans and has led to improvements in clinical therapies for anxiety disorders. The societal benefit of this type of research is magnified when performed in minority-serving institutions, offering high-caliber training opportunities to increase ethnic diversity in science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory J. Quirk
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- * E-mail:
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Korn CW, Staib M, Tzovara A, Castegnetti G, Bach DR. A pupil size response model to assess fear learning. Psychophysiology 2017; 54:330-343. [PMID: 27925650 PMCID: PMC5324687 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Accepted: 11/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
During fear conditioning, pupil size responses dissociate between conditioned stimuli that are contingently paired (CS+) with an aversive unconditioned stimulus, and those that are unpaired (CS-). Current approaches to assess fear learning from pupil responses rely on ad hoc specifications. Here, we sought to develop a psychophysiological model (PsPM) in which pupil responses are characterized by response functions within the framework of a linear time-invariant system. This PsPM can be written as a general linear model, which is inverted to yield amplitude estimates of the eliciting process in the central nervous system. We first characterized fear-conditioned pupil size responses based on an experiment with auditory CS. PsPM-based parameter estimates distinguished CS+/CS- better than, or on par with, two commonly used methods (peak scoring, area under the curve). We validated this PsPM in four independent experiments with auditory, visual, and somatosensory CS, as well as short (3.5 s) and medium (6 s) CS/US intervals. Overall, the new PsPM provided equal or decisively better differentiation of CS+/CS- than the two alternative methods and was never decisively worse. We further compared pupil responses with concurrently measured skin conductance and heart period responses. Finally, we used our previously developed luminance-related pupil responses to infer the timing of the likely neural input into the pupillary system. Overall, we establish a new PsPM to assess fear conditioning based on pupil responses. The model has a potential to provide higher statistical sensitivity, can be applied to other conditioning paradigms in humans, and may be easily extended to nonhuman mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph W. Korn
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and PsychosomaticsUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Neuroscience Center ZurichUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Matthias Staib
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and PsychosomaticsUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Neuroscience Center ZurichUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Athina Tzovara
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and PsychosomaticsUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Neuroscience Center ZurichUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Wellcome Trust Centre for NeuroimagingUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Giuseppe Castegnetti
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and PsychosomaticsUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Neuroscience Center ZurichUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Dominik R. Bach
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and PsychosomaticsUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Neuroscience Center ZurichUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Wellcome Trust Centre for NeuroimagingUniversity College LondonLondonUK
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