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Analysis of lateral orbitofrontal cortex activation on acquisition of fear extinction and neuronal activities in fear circuit. Brain Struct Funct 2022; 227:2529-2541. [PMID: 35918458 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02545-3] [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: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Inappropriate fear expression and failure of fear extinction are commonly seen in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Among the patients, aberrant and asymmetric activation of the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC) is reported in some clinical cases. In this study, we aimed to examine the role of lOFC activation in extinction acquisition and explore the potential functional lateralization of lOFC on extinction. We bilaterally or unilaterally activated the lOFC with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) before fear extinction acquisition in rats. Our data suggested that both left and bilateral lOFC activation interfered with the in-session expression of conditioned fear, whereas activation of the right lOFC did not. In addition, pre-extinction unilateral or bilateral activation of the lOFC, regardless of the side, impaired the acquisition of fear extinction. We also quantified the neuronal activities during the late phase of extinction with immunohistochemical approach. Our data showed that activation of the lOFC increased the neuronal activities on the injection side(s) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the lateral amygdala (LA), the basolateral amygdala (BLA; preferentially the non-GABAergic neurons), and the medial intercalated cells (mITC; preferentially the right side). To conclude, aberrant activation of the lOFC during extinction disturbed the excitatory/inhibitory balance of neuronal activities in fear-related brain regions, which interfered with the expression of conditioned fear and impaired the acquisition of fear extinction.
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2
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Perumal MB, Sah P. Inhibitory Circuits in the Basolateral Amygdala in Aversive Learning and Memory. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:633235. [PMID: 33994955 PMCID: PMC8120102 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.633235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural circuits in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) play a pivotal role in the learning and memory formation, and processing of emotionally salient experiences, particularly aversive ones. A diverse population of GABAergic neurons present in the BLA orchestrate local circuits to mediate emotional memory functions. Targeted manipulation of GABAergic neuronal subtypes has shed light on cell-type specific functional roles in the fear learning and memory, revealing organizing principles for the operation of inhibitory circuit motifs in the BLA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Pankaj Sah
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Joint Center for Neuroscience and Neural Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.,Department of Biology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
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3
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Somuncu ÖS, Berns HM, Sanchez JG. New Pioneers of Optogenetics in Neuroscience. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1288:47-60. [PMID: 31983055 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2019_473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Optogenetics have recently increased in popularity as tools to study behavior in response to the brain and how these trends relate back to a neuronal circuit. Additionally, the high demand for human cerebral tissue in research has led to the generation of a new model to investigate human brain development and disease. Human Pluripotent Stem Cells (hPSCs) have been previously used to recapitulate the development of several tissues such as intestine, stomach and liver and to model disease in a human context, recently new improvements have been made in the field of hPSC-derived brain organoids to better understand overall brain development but more specifically, to mimic inter-neuronal communication. This review aims to highlight the recent advances in these two separate approaches of brain research and to emphasize the need for overlap. These two novel approaches would combine the study of behavior along with the specific circuits required to produce the signals causing such behavior. This review is focused on the current state of the field, as well as the development of novel optogenetic technologies and their potential for current scientific study and potential therapeutic use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ö Sezin Somuncu
- Department of Medical Biology, Bahçeşehir University Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey.
| | - H Matthew Berns
- Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - J Guillermo Sanchez
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
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4
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Neurotrophin signalling in amygdala-dependent cued fear learning. Cell Tissue Res 2020; 382:161-172. [PMID: 32845430 PMCID: PMC7529623 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-020-03260-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The amygdala is a central hub for fear learning assessed by Pavlovian fear conditioning. Indeed, the prevailing hypothesis that learning and memory are mediated by changes in synaptic strength was shown most convincingly at thalamic and cortical afferents to the lateral amygdala. The neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is known to regulate synaptic plasticity and memory formation in many areas of the mammalian brain including the amygdala, where BDNF signalling via tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB) receptors is prominently involved in fear learning. This review updates the current understanding of BDNF/TrkB signalling in the amygdala related to fear learning and extinction. In addition, actions of proBDNF/p75NTR and NGF/TrkA as well as NT-3/TrkC signalling in the amygdala are introduced.
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5
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Kalpachidou T, Makrygiannis AK, Pavlakis E, Stylianopoulou F, Chalepakis G, Stamatakis A. Behavioural effects of extracellular matrix protein Fras1 depletion in the mouse. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 53:3905-3919. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Theodora Kalpachidou
- Biology‐Biochemistry Lab Faculty of Nursing School of Health Sciences National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Athens Greece
| | | | | | - Fotini Stylianopoulou
- Biology‐Biochemistry Lab Faculty of Nursing School of Health Sciences National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Athens Greece
| | | | - Antonios Stamatakis
- Biology‐Biochemistry Lab Faculty of Nursing School of Health Sciences National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Athens Greece
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6
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Bernabe CS, Caliman IF, Truitt WA, Molosh AI, Lowry CA, Hay-Schmidt A, Shekhar A, Johnson PL. Using loss- and gain-of-function approaches to target amygdala-projecting serotonergic neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus that enhance anxiety-related and conditioned fear behaviors. J Psychopharmacol 2020; 34:400-411. [PMID: 32153226 PMCID: PMC9678127 DOI: 10.1177/0269881119900981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The central serotonergic system originating from the dorsal raphe nucleus (DR) plays a critical role in anxiety and trauma-related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder. Although many studies have investigated the role of serotonin (5-HT) within pro-fear brain regions such as the amygdala, the majority of these studies have utilized non-selective pharmacological approaches or poorly understood lesioning techniques which limit their interpretation. AIM Here we investigated the role of amygdala-projecting 5-HT neurons in the DR in innate anxiety and conditioned fear behaviors. METHODS To achieve this goal, we utilized (1) selective lesion of 5-HT neurons projecting to the amygdala with saporin toxin conjugated to anti-serotonin transporter (SERT) injected into the amygdala, and (2) optogenetic excitation of amygdala-projecting DR cell bodies with a combination of a retrogradely transported canine adenovirus-expressing Cre-recombinase injected into the amygdala and a Cre-dependent-channelrhodopsin injected into the DR. RESULTS While saporin treatment lesioned both local amygdalar 5-HT fibers and neurons in the DR as well as reduced conditioned fear behavior, optical activation of amygdala-projecting DR neurons enhanced anxious behavior and conditioned fear response. CONCLUSION Collectively, these studies support the hypothesis that amygdala-projecting 5-HT neurons in the DR represent an anxiety and fear-on network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian S. Bernabe
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA,Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Izabela F. Caliman
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - William A. Truitt
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA,Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Andrei I. Molosh
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Christopher A. Lowry
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | | | - Anantha Shekhar
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Philip L. Johnson
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA,Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
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7
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Yousuf H, Ehlers VL, Sehgal M, Song C, Moyer JR. Modulation of intrinsic excitability as a function of learning within the fear conditioning circuit. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2019; 167:107132. [PMID: 31821881 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2019.107132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Experience-dependent neuronal plasticity is a fundamental substrate of learning and memory. Intrinsic excitability is a form of neuronal plasticity that can be altered by learning and indicates the pattern of neuronal responding to external stimuli (e.g. a learning or synaptic event). Associative fear conditioning is one form of learning that alters intrinsic excitability, reflecting an experience-dependent change in neuronal function. After fear conditioning, intrinsic excitability changes are evident in brain regions that are a critical part of the fear circuit, including the amygdala, hippocampus, retrosplenial cortex, and prefrontal cortex. Some of these changes are transient and/or reversed by extinction as well as learning-specific (i.e. they are not observed in neurons from control animals). This review will explore how intrinsic neuronal excitability changes within brain structures that are critical for fear learning, and it will also discuss evidence promoting intrinsic excitability as a vital mechanism of associative fear memories. This work has raised interesting questions regarding the role of fear learning in changes of intrinsic excitability within specific subpopulations of neurons, including those that express immediate early genes and thus demonstrate experience-dependent activity, as well as in neurons classified as having a specific firing type (e.g. burst-spiking vs. regular-spiking). These findings have interesting implications for how intrinsic excitability can serve as a neural substrate of learning and memory, and suggest that intrinsic plasticity within specific subpopulations of neurons may promote consolidation of the memory trace in a flexible and efficient manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Yousuf
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
| | - Vanessa L Ehlers
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
| | - Megha Sehgal
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
| | - Chenghui Song
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
| | - James R Moyer
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA.
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8
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Alpha 2-adrenergic dysregulation in congenic DxH recombinant inbred mice selectively bred for a high fear-sensitized (H-FSS) startle response. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2019; 188:172835. [PMID: 31805289 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2019.172835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Patients with anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit exaggerated fear responses and noradrenergic dysregulation. Fear-related responses to α2-adrenergic challenge were therefore studied in DxH C3H/HeJ-like recombinant inbred (C3HLRI) mice, which are a DBA/2J-congenic strain selectively bred for a high fear-sensitized startle (H-FSS). C3HLRI mice showed an enhanced acoustic startle response and immobility in the forced swim test compared to DBA/2J controls. The α2-adrenoceptor antagonist yohimbine (Yoh; 5.0 mg/kg) induced an anxiogenic and the α2-adrenoceptor agonist clonidine (Clon; 0.1 mg/kg) an anxiolytic effect in the open field (OF) in C3HLRI but not DBA/2J mice. In auditory fear-conditioning, Yoh (5.0 mg/kg)-treated C3HLRI mice showed higher freezing during fear recall and extinction learning than DBA/2J mice, and a higher ceiling for the Yoh-induced deficit in fear extinction. No strain differences were observed in exploration-related anxiety/spatial learning or the Clon-induced (0.1 mg/kg) corticosterone surge. A global analysis of the behavioral profile of the two mouse strains based on observed and expected numbers of significant behavioral outcomes indicated that C3HLRI mice showed significantly more often fear- and stress-related PTSD-like behaviors than DBA/2J controls. The analysis of the robustness of significant outcomes based on false discovery rate (FDR) thresholds confirmed significant differences for the strain-Yoh-interactions in the OF center and periphery, the Yoh-induced general extinction deficit, strain differences in conditioned fear levels, and at the dose of 5.0 mg/kg for the Yoh-induced ceiling in freezing levels among others. The current findings are consistent with previous observations showing alterations in the central noradrenergic system of C3HLRI mice (Browne et al., 2014, Stress 17:471-83). Based on their behavioral profile and response to α2-adrenergic stimulation, C3HLRI mice are a valuable genetic model for studying adrenergic mechanisms of anxiety disorders and potentially also of PTSD.
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9
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Hernandez CM, Orsini CA, Labiste CC, Wheeler AR, Ten Eyck TW, Bruner MM, Sahagian TJ, Harden SW, Frazier CJ, Setlow B, Bizon JL. Optogenetic dissection of basolateral amygdala contributions to intertemporal choice in young and aged rats. eLife 2019; 8:46174. [PMID: 31017572 PMCID: PMC6530979 DOI: 10.7554/elife.46174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Across species, aging is associated with an increased ability to choose delayed over immediate gratification. These experiments used young and aged rats to test the role of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in intertemporal decision making. An optogenetic approach was used to inactivate the BLA in young and aged rats at discrete time points during choices between levers that yielded a small, immediate vs. a large, delayed food reward. BLA inactivation just prior to decisions attenuated impulsive choice in both young and aged rats. In contrast, inactivation during receipt of the small, immediate reward increased impulsive choice in young rats but had no effect in aged rats. BLA inactivation during the delay or intertrial interval had no effect at either age. These data demonstrate that the BLA plays multiple, temporally distinct roles during intertemporal choice, and show that the contribution of BLA to choice behavior changes across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caesar M Hernandez
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
| | - Caitlin A Orsini
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
| | - Chase C Labiste
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
| | - Alexa-Rae Wheeler
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
| | - Tyler W Ten Eyck
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
| | - Matthew M Bruner
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
| | - Todd J Sahagian
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
| | - Scott W Harden
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
| | - Charles J Frazier
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
| | - Barry Setlow
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
| | - Jennifer L Bizon
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
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10
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Gouveia FV, Gidyk DC, Giacobbe P, Ng E, Meng Y, Davidson B, Abrahao A, Lipsman N, Hamani C. Neuromodulation Strategies in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: From Preclinical Models to Clinical Applications. Brain Sci 2019; 9:brainsci9020045. [PMID: 30791469 PMCID: PMC6406551 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci9020045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Revised: 02/02/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an often debilitating disease with a lifetime prevalence rate between 5⁻8%. In war veterans, these numbers are even higher, reaching approximately 10% to 25%. Although most patients benefit from the use of medications and psychotherapy, approximately 20% to 30% do not have an adequate response to conventional treatments. Neuromodulation strategies have been investigated for various psychiatric disorders with promising results, and may represent an important treatment option for individuals with difficult-to-treat forms of PTSD. We review the relevant neurocircuitry and preclinical stimulation studies in models of fear and anxiety, as well as clinical data on the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), and deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Darryl C Gidyk
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON M4N3M5, Canada.
| | - Peter Giacobbe
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON M4N3M5, Canada.
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
| | - Enoch Ng
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
| | - Ying Meng
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
- Division of Neurosurgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
| | - Benjamin Davidson
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
- Division of Neurosurgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
| | - Agessandro Abrahao
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
| | - Nir Lipsman
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON M4N3M5, Canada.
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
- Division of Neurosurgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
| | - Clement Hamani
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON M4N3M5, Canada.
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
- Division of Neurosurgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
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11
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Assessment of fear and anxiety associated behaviors, physiology and neural circuits in rats with reduced serotonin transporter (SERT) levels. Transl Psychiatry 2019; 9:33. [PMID: 30670681 PMCID: PMC6343029 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-019-0368-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Revised: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic variation in serotonin transporter (SERT) that reduces transcriptional efficiency is associated with higher anxiety and fear traits and a greater incidence of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although previous studies have shown that rats with no expression of SERT (SERT-/-) have increased baseline anxiety behaviors, SERT+/- rats with low SERT expression (and more relevant to the clinical condition with low SERT expression) do not. Yet, no systematic studies of fear acquisition/extinction or their underlying neural mechanisms have been conducted in this preclinical genetic SERT+/- model. Here we sought to determine if SERT+/- or SERT-/-, compared to wildtype, rats would show exacerbated panic responses and/or persistent conditioned fear responses that may be associated with PTSD or phobia vulnerability. Results: Only SERT-/- rats showed increased baseline anxiety-like behaviors with heightened panic respiratory responses. However SERT+/- (also SERT-/-) rats showed enhanced acquisition of fear and delayed extinction of fear that was associated with changes in serotonergic-related genes (e.g., reduced 5-HT1A receptor) and disrupted inhibition within the basolateral amygdala (BLA). Furthermore, the disrupted fear responses in SERT+/- rats were normalized with 5HT1A antagonist infusions into the BLA. Enhanced acquisition and failure to extinguish fear memories displayed by both SERT-/- and SERT+/- rats are cardinal symptoms of disabling anxiety disorders such as phobias and PTSD. The data here support the hypothesis that reduced SERT function is a genetic risk that disrupts select gene expression and network properties in the amygdala that could result in vulnerability to these syndromes.
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12
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Mechanisms of fear learning and extinction: synaptic plasticity-fear memory connection. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:163-182. [PMID: 30415278 PMCID: PMC6374177 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5104-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The ability to memorize threat-associated cues and subsequently react to them, exhibiting escape or avoidance responses, is an essential, often life-saving behavioral mechanism that can be experimentally studied using the fear (threat) conditioning training paradigm. Presently, there is substantial evidence supporting the Synaptic Plasticity-Memory (SPM) hypothesis in relation to the mechanisms underlying the acquisition, retention, and extinction of conditioned fear memory. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this review article is to summarize findings supporting the SPM hypothesis in the context of conditioned fear control, applying the set of criteria and tests which were proposed as necessary to causally link lasting changes in synaptic transmission in corresponding neural circuits to fear memory acquisition and extinction with an emphasis on their pharmacological diversity. RESULTS The mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in fear circuits exhibit complex pharmacological profiles and satisfy all four SPM criteria-detectability, anterograde alteration, retrograde alteration, and mimicry. CONCLUSION The reviewed findings, accumulated over the last two decades, provide support for both necessity and sufficiency of synaptic plasticity in fear circuits for fear memory acquisition and retention, and, in part, for fear extinction, with the latter requiring additional experimental work.
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13
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Luchkina NV, Bolshakov VY. Diminishing fear: Optogenetic approach toward understanding neural circuits of fear control. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2018; 174:64-79. [PMID: 28502746 PMCID: PMC5681900 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2017.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2017] [Revised: 04/13/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Understanding complex behavioral processes, both learned and innate, requires detailed characterization of the principles governing signal flow in corresponding neural circuits. Previous studies were hampered by the lack of appropriate tools needed to address the complexities of behavior-driving micro- and macrocircuits. The development and implementation of optogenetic methodologies revolutionized the field of behavioral neuroscience, allowing precise spatiotemporal control of specific, genetically defined neuronal populations and their functional connectivity both in vivo and ex vivo, thus providing unprecedented insights into the cellular and network-level mechanisms contributing to behavior. Here, we review recent pioneering advances in behavioral studies with optogenetic tools, focusing on mechanisms of fear-related behavioral processes with an emphasis on approaches which could be used to suppress fear when it is pathologically expressed. We also discuss limitations of these methodologies as well as review new technological developments which could be used in future mechanistic studies of fear behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia V Luchkina
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA 02478, USA.
| | - Vadim Y Bolshakov
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA 02478, USA.
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14
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Xiao X, Zhang YQ. A new perspective on the anterior cingulate cortex and affective pain. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 90:200-211. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Revised: 03/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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15
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Krabbe S, Gründemann J, Lüthi A. Amygdala Inhibitory Circuits Regulate Associative Fear Conditioning. Biol Psychiatry 2018; 83:800-809. [PMID: 29174478 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 160] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Revised: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Associative memory formation is essential for an animal's survival by ensuring adaptive behavioral responses in an ever-changing environment. This is particularly important under conditions of immediate threats such as in fear learning. One of the key brain regions involved in associative fear learning is the amygdala. The basolateral amygdala is the main entry site for sensory information to the amygdala complex, and local plasticity in excitatory basolateral amygdala principal neurons is considered to be crucial for learning of conditioned fear responses. However, activity and plasticity of excitatory circuits are tightly controlled by local inhibitory interneurons in a spatially and temporally defined manner. In this review, we provide an updated view on how distinct interneuron subtypes in the basolateral amygdala contribute to the acquisition and extinction of conditioned fear memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Krabbe
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jan Gründemann
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Lüthi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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16
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Abstract
Ionotropic glutamate receptors (AMPA, NMDA, and kainate receptors) play a central role in excitatory glutamatergic signaling throughout the brain. As a result, functional changes, especially long-lasting forms of plasticity, have the potential to profoundly alter neuronal function and the expression of adaptive and pathological behaviors. Thus, alcohol-related adaptations in ionotropic glutamate receptors are of great interest, since they could promote excessive alcohol consumption, even after long-term abstinence. Alcohol- and drug-related adaptations in NMDARs have been recently reviewed, while less is known about kainate receptor adaptations. Thus, we focus here on functional changes in AMPARs, tetramers composed of GluA1-4 subunits. Long-lasting increases or decreases in AMPAR function, the so-called long-term potentiation or depression, have widely been considered to contribute to normal and pathological memory states. In addition, a great deal has been learned about the acute regulation of AMPARs by signaling pathways, scaffolding and auxiliary proteins, intracellular trafficking, and other mechanisms. One important common adaptation is a shift in AMPAR subunit composition from GluA2-containing, calcium-impermeable AMPARs (CIARs) to GluA2-lacking, calcium-permeable AMPARs (CPARs), which is observed under a broad range of conditions including intoxicant exposure or intake, stress, novelty, food deprivation, and ischemia. This shift has the potential to facilitate AMPAR currents, since CPARs have much greater single-channel currents than CIARs, as well as faster AMPAR activation kinetics (although with faster inactivation) and calcium-related activity. Many tools have been developed to interrogate particular aspects of AMPAR signaling, including compounds that selectively inhibit CPARs, raising exciting translational possibilities. In addition, recent studies have used transgenic animals and/or optogenetics to identify AMPAR adaptations in particular cell types and glutamatergic projections, which will provide critical information about the specific circuits that CPARs act within. Also, less is known about the specific nature of alcohol-related AMPAR adaptations, and thus we use other examples that illustrate more fully how particular AMPAR changes might influence intoxicant-related behavior. Thus, by identifying alcohol-related AMPAR adaptations, the specific molecular events that underlie them, and the cells and projections in which they occur, we hope to better inform the development of new therapeutic interventions for addiction.
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Saha R, Shrivastava K, Jing L, Schayek R, Maroun M, Kriebel M, Volkmer H, Richter-Levin G. Perturbation of GABAergic Synapses at the Axon Initial Segment of Basolateral Amygdala Induces Trans-regional Metaplasticity at the Medial Prefrontal Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2017; 28:395-410. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Rinki Saha
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel
| | | | - Liang Jing
- The Institute for the Study of Affective Neuroscience, University of Haif, Haifa 31905, Israel
| | - Rachel Schayek
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel
| | - Mouna Maroun
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel
| | - Martin Kriebel
- NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Tübingen, 72770 Reutlingen, Germany
| | - Hansjürgen Volkmer
- NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Tübingen, 72770 Reutlingen, Germany
| | - Gal Richter-Levin
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel
- The Institute for the Study of Affective Neuroscience, University of Haif, Haifa 31905, Israel
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18
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Harris AZ, Golder D, Likhtik E. Multisite Electrophysiology Recordings in Mice to Study Cross-Regional Communication During Anxiety. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 80:8.40.1-8.40.21. [PMID: 28678397 DOI: 10.1002/cpns.32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Recording neural activity in awake, freely moving mice is a powerful and flexible technique for dissecting the neural circuit mechanisms underlying pathological behavior. This unit describes protocols for designing a drive and recording single neurons and local field potentials during anxiety-related paradigms. We also include protocols for integrating pharmacologic and optogenetic means for circuit manipulations, which, when combined with electrophysiological recordings, demonstrate input-specific and cell-specific contributions to circuit-wide activity. We discuss the planning, execution, and troubleshooting of physiology experiments during anxiety-like behavior. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Z Harris
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, New York
| | - Danielle Golder
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College, CUNY, New York City, New York
| | - Ekaterina Likhtik
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College, CUNY, New York City, New York.,CUNY Neuroscience Collaborative, The Graduate Center, CUNY, New York City, New York
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19
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Zhang H, Cohen AE. Optogenetic Approaches to Drug Discovery in Neuroscience and Beyond. Trends Biotechnol 2017; 35:625-639. [PMID: 28552428 PMCID: PMC5495001 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2017.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2017] [Revised: 04/08/2017] [Accepted: 04/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in optogenetics have opened new routes to drug discovery, particularly in neuroscience. Physiological cellular assays probe functional phenotypes that connect genomic data to patient health. Optogenetic tools, in particular tools for all-optical electrophysiology, now provide a means to probe cellular disease models with unprecedented throughput and information content. These techniques promise to identify functional phenotypes associated with disease states and to identify compounds that improve cellular function regardless of whether the compound acts directly on a target or through a bypass mechanism. This review discusses opportunities and unresolved challenges in applying optogenetic techniques throughout the discovery pipeline - from target identification and validation, to target-based and phenotypic screens, to clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongkang Zhang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Adam E Cohen
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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20
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Chen W, Wang Y, Wang X, Li H. Neural circuits involved in the renewal of extinguished fear. IUBMB Life 2017; 69:470-478. [PMID: 28464461 DOI: 10.1002/iub.1636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2017] [Accepted: 04/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The last 10 years have witnessed a substantial progress in understanding the neural mechanisms for the renewal of the extinguished fear memory. Based on the theory of fear extinction, exposure therapy has been developed as a typical cognitive behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. Although the fear memory can be extinguished by repeated presentation of conditioned stimulus without unconditioned stimulus, the fear memory is not erased and tends to relapse outside of extinction context, which is referred to as renewal. Therefore, the renewal is regarded as a great obstruction interfering with the effect of exposure therapy. In recent years, there has been a great deal of studies in understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of fear renewal. These offer a foundation upon which novel therapeutic interventions for the renewal may be built. This review focuses on behavioral, anatomical and electrophysiological studies that interpret roles of the hippocampus, prelimbic cortex and amygdala as well as the connections between them for the renewal of the extinguished fear. Additionally, this review suggests the possible pathways for the renewal: (1) the prelimbic cortex may integrate contextual information from hippocampal inputs and project to the basolateral amygdala to mediate the renewal of extinguished fear memory; the ventral hippocampus may innervate the activities of the basolateral amygdala or the central amygdala directly for the renewal. © 2017 IUBMB Life, 69(7):470-478, 2017.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weihai Chen
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China
| | - Xiaqing Wang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China
| | - Hong Li
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China
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21
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Towne C, Thompson KR. Overview on Research and Clinical Applications of Optogenetics. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 75:11.19.1-11.19.21. [DOI: 10.1002/cpph.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chris Towne
- Circuit Therapeutics, Inc Menlo Park California
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22
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Yanai S, Toyohara J, Ishiwata K, Ito H, Endo S. Long-term cilostazol administration ameliorates memory decline in senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) through a dual effect on cAMP and blood-brain barrier. Neuropharmacology 2016; 116:247-259. [PMID: 27979612 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2016.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Revised: 11/18/2016] [Accepted: 12/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Phosphodiesterases (PDEs), which hydrolyze and inactivate 3', 5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and 3', 5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), play an important role in synaptic plasticity that underlies memory. Recently, several PDE inhibitors were assessed for their possible therapeutic efficacy in treating cognitive disorders. Here, we examined how cilostazol, a selective PDE3 inhibitor, affects brain functions in senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8), an animal model of age-related cognitive impairment. Long-term administration of cilostazol restored the impaired context-dependent conditioned fear memory of SAMP8 to match that in normal aging control substrain SAMR1. Cilostazol also increased the number of cells containing phosphorylated cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB), a downstream component of the cAMP pathway. Finally, cilostazol improves blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity, demonstrated by reduced extravasation of 2-deoxy-2-18F-fluoro-d-glucose and Evans Blue dye in the brains of SAMP8. This improvement in BBB integrity was associated with an increased amount of zona occludens protein 1 (ZO-1) and occludin proteins, components of tight junctions integral to the BBB. The results suggest that long-term administration of cilostazol exerts its beneficial effects on age-related cognitive impairment through a dual mechanism: by enhancing the cAMP system in the brain and by maintaining or improving BBB integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuichi Yanai
- Aging Neuroscience Research Team, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan
| | - Jun Toyohara
- Research Team for Neuroimaging, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan
| | - Kiichi Ishiwata
- Research Team for Neuroimaging, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan; Institute of Cyclotron and Drug Discovery Research, Southern TOHOKU Research Institute for Neuroscience, Koriyama, Fukushima 963-8052, Japan; Department of Biofunctional Imaging, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
| | - Hideki Ito
- Department of CNS Research, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tokushima 771-0192, Japan
| | - Shogo Endo
- Aging Neuroscience Research Team, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan.
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23
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Growth hormone biases amygdala network activation after fear learning. Transl Psychiatry 2016; 6:e960. [PMID: 27898076 PMCID: PMC5290350 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2016.203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Revised: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Prolonged stress exposure is a risk factor for developing posttraumatic stress disorder, a disorder characterized by the 'over-encoding' of a traumatic experience. A potential mechanism by which this occurs is through upregulation of growth hormone (GH) in the amygdala. Here we test the hypotheses that GH promotes the over-encoding of fearful memories by increasing the number of neurons activated during memory encoding and biasing the allocation of neuronal activation, one aspect of the process by which neurons compete to encode memories, to favor neurons that have stronger inputs. Viral overexpression of GH in the amygdala increased the number of amygdala cells activated by fear memory formation. GH-overexpressing cells were especially biased to express the immediate early gene c-Fos after fear conditioning, revealing strong autocrine actions of GH in the amygdala. In addition, we observed dramatically enhanced dendritic spine density in GH-overexpressing neurons. These data elucidate a previously unrecognized autocrine role for GH in the regulation of amygdala neuron function and identify specific mechanisms by which chronic stress, by enhancing GH in the amygdala, may predispose an individual to excessive fear memory formation.
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24
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Govorunova EG, Koppel LA. The Road to Optogenetics: Microbial Rhodopsins. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2016; 81:928-40. [PMID: 27682165 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297916090029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Optogenetics technology (using light-sensitive microbial proteins to control animal cell physiology) is becoming increasingly popular in laboratories around the world. Among these proteins, particularly important are rhodopsins that transport ions across the membrane and are used in optogenetics to regulate membrane potential by light, mostly in neurons. Although rhodopsin ion pumps transport only one charge per captured photon, channelrhodopsins are capable of more efficient passive transport. In this review, we follow the history of channelrhodopsin discovery in flagellate algae and discuss the latest addition to the channelrhodopsin family, channels with anion, rather than cation, selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- E G Govorunova
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, School of Biology, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
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25
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Johnson PL, Molosh A, Fitz SD, Arendt D, Deehan GA, Federici LM, Bernabe C, Engleman EA, Rodd ZA, Lowry CA, Shekhar A. Pharmacological depletion of serotonin in the basolateral amygdala complex reduces anxiety and disrupts fear conditioning. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2016; 138:174-9. [PMID: 26476009 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2015.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2015] [Revised: 09/28/2015] [Accepted: 09/29/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The basolateral and lateral amygdala nuclei complex (BLC) is implicated in a number of emotional responses including conditioned fear and social anxiety. Based on previous studies demonstrating that enhanced serotonin release in the BLC leads to increased anxiety and fear responses, we hypothesized that pharmacologically depleting serotonin in the BLC using 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) injections would lead to diminished anxiety and disrupted fear conditioning. To test this hypothesis, 5,7-DHT(a serotonin-depleting agent) was bilaterally injected into the BLC. Desipramine (a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) was systemically administered to prevent non-selective effects on norepinephrine. After 5days, 5-7-DHT-treated rats showed increases in the duration of social interaction (SI) time, suggestive of reduced anxiety-like behavior. We then used a cue-induced fear conditioning protocol with shock as the unconditioned stimulus and tone as the conditioned stimulus for rats pretreated with bilateral 5,7-DHT, or vehicle, injections into the BLC. Compared to vehicle-treated rats, 5,7-DHT rats had reduced acquisition of fear during conditioning (measured by freezing time during tone), also had reduced fear retrieval/recall on subsequent testing days. Ex vivo analyses revealed that 5,7-DHT reduced local 5-HT concentrations in the BLC by ~40% without altering local norepinephrine or dopamine concentrations. These data provide additional support for 5-HT playing a critical role in modulating anxiety-like behavior and fear-associated memories through its actions within the BLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip L Johnson
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA,.
| | - Andrei Molosh
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Stephanie D Fitz
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Dave Arendt
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Gerald A Deehan
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Lauren M Federici
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Cristian Bernabe
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Eric A Engleman
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Zachary A Rodd
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Christopher A Lowry
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Anantha Shekhar
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
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26
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Netrin-G1 regulates fear-like and anxiety-like behaviors in dissociable neural circuits. Sci Rep 2016; 6:28750. [PMID: 27345935 PMCID: PMC4921862 DOI: 10.1038/srep28750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2015] [Accepted: 06/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In vertebrate mammals, distributed neural circuits in the brain are involved in emotion-related behavior. Netrin-G1 is a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored synaptic adhesion molecule whose deficiency results in impaired fear-like and anxiety-like behaviors under specific circumstances. To understand the cell type and circuit specificity of these responses, we generated netrin-G1 conditional knockout mice with loss of expression in cortical excitatory neurons, inhibitory neurons, or thalamic neurons. Genetic deletion of netrin-G1 in cortical excitatory neurons resulted in altered anxiety-like behavior, but intact fear-like behavior, whereas loss of netrin-G1 in inhibitory neurons resulted in attenuated fear-like behavior, but intact anxiety-like behavior. These data indicate a remarkable double dissociation of fear-like and anxiety-like behaviors involving netrin-G1 in excitatory and inhibitory neurons, respectively. Our findings support a crucial role for netrin-G1 in dissociable neural circuits for the modulation of emotion-related behaviors, and provide genetic models for investigating the mechanisms underlying the dissociation. The results also suggest the involvement of glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored synaptic adhesion molecules in the development and pathogenesis of emotion-related behavior.
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27
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Scholz B, Doidge AN, Barnes P, Hall J, Wilkinson LS, Thomas KL. The Regulation of Cytokine Networks in Hippocampal CA1 Differentiates Extinction from Those Required for the Maintenance of Contextual Fear Memory after Recall. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0153102. [PMID: 27224427 PMCID: PMC4880201 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2014] [Accepted: 03/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the distinctiveness of gene regulatory networks in CA1 associated with the extinction of contextual fear memory (CFM) after recall using Affymetrix GeneChip Rat Genome 230 2.0 Arrays. These data were compared to previously published retrieval and reconsolidation-attributed, and consolidation datasets. A stringent dual normalization and pareto-scaled orthogonal partial least-square discriminant multivariate analysis together with a jack-knifing-based cross-validation approach was used on all datasets to reduce false positives. Consolidation, retrieval and extinction were correlated with distinct patterns of gene expression 2 hours later. Extinction-related gene expression was most distinct from the profile accompanying consolidation. A highly specific feature was the discrete regulation of neuroimmunological gene expression associated with retrieval and extinction. Immunity-associated genes of the tyrosine kinase receptor TGFβ and PDGF, and TNF families' characterized extinction. Cytokines and proinflammatory interleukins of the IL-1 and IL-6 families were enriched with the no-extinction retrieval condition. We used comparative genomics to predict transcription factor binding sites in proximal promoter regions of the retrieval-regulated genes. Retrieval that does not lead to extinction was associated with NF-κB-mediated gene expression. We confirmed differential NF-κBp65 expression, and activity in all of a representative sample of our candidate genes in the no-extinction condition. The differential regulation of cytokine networks after the acquisition and retrieval of CFM identifies the important contribution that neuroimmune signalling plays in normal hippocampal function. Further, targeting cytokine signalling upon retrieval offers a therapeutic strategy to promote extinction mechanisms in human disorders characterised by dysregulation of associative memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birger Scholz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Amie N. Doidge
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Philip Barnes
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy Hall
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Lawrence S. Wilkinson
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Schools of Psychology and Medicine, Behavioral Genetics Group, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics and Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Kerrie L. Thomas
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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28
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Waraczynski M. Toward a systems-oriented approach to the role of the extended amygdala in adaptive responding. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 68:177-194. [PMID: 27216212 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Revised: 04/02/2016] [Accepted: 05/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Research into the structure and function of the basal forebrain macrostructure called the extended amygdala (EA) has recently seen considerable growth. This paper reviews that work, with the objectives of identifying underlying themes and developing a common goal towards which investigators of EA function might work. The paper begins with a brief review of the structure and the ontological and phylogenetic origins of the EA. It continues with a review of research into the role of the EA in both aversive and appetitive states, noting that these two seemingly disparate avenues of research converge on the concept of reinforcement - either negative or positive - of adaptive responding. These reviews lead to a proposal as to where the EA may fit in the organization of the basal forebrain, and an invitation to investigators to place their findings in a unifying conceptual framework of the EA as a collection of neural ensembles that mediate adaptive responding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meg Waraczynski
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 800 West Main Street, Whitewater, WI 53190, USA.
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29
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Abstract
Fear memory is the best-studied form of memory. It was thoroughly investigated in the past 60 years mostly using two classical conditioning procedures (contextual fear conditioning and fear conditioning to a tone) and one instrumental procedure (one-trial inhibitory avoidance). Fear memory is formed in the hippocampus (contextual conditioning and inhibitory avoidance), in the basolateral amygdala (inhibitory avoidance), and in the lateral amygdala (conditioning to a tone). The circuitry involves, in addition, the pre- and infralimbic ventromedial prefrontal cortex, the central amygdala subnuclei, and the dentate gyrus. Fear learning models, notably inhibitory avoidance, have also been very useful for the analysis of the biochemical mechanisms of memory consolidation as a whole. These studies have capitalized on in vitro observations on long-term potentiation and other kinds of plasticity. The effect of a very large number of drugs on fear learning has been intensively studied, often as a prelude to the investigation of effects on anxiety. The extinction of fear learning involves to an extent a reversal of the flow of information in the mentioned structures and is used in the therapy of posttraumatic stress disorder and fear memories in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Izquierdo
- National Institute of Translational Neuroscience, National Research Council of Brazil, and Memory Center, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Cristiane R. G. Furini
- National Institute of Translational Neuroscience, National Research Council of Brazil, and Memory Center, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Jociane C. Myskiw
- National Institute of Translational Neuroscience, National Research Council of Brazil, and Memory Center, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
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30
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Partridge JG, Forcelli PA, Luo R, Cashdan JM, Schulkin J, Valentino RJ, Vicini S. Stress increases GABAergic neurotransmission in CRF neurons of the central amygdala and bed nucleus stria terminalis. Neuropharmacology 2016; 107:239-250. [PMID: 27016019 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2016.03.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2015] [Revised: 03/17/2016] [Accepted: 03/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Corticotrophin Releasing Factor (CRF) is a critical stress-related neuropeptide in major output pathways of the amygdala, including the central nucleus (CeA), and in a key projection target of the CeA, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BnST). While progress has been made in understanding the contributions and characteristics of CRF as a neuropeptide in rodent behavior, little attention has been committed to determine the properties and synaptic physiology of specific populations of CRF-expressing (CRF(+)) and non-expressing (CRF(-)) neurons in the CeA and BnST. Here, we fill this gap by electrophysiologically characterizing distinct neuronal subtypes in CeA and BnST. Crossing tdTomato or channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2-YFP) reporter mice to those expressing Cre-recombinase under the CRF promoter allowed us to identify and manipulate CRF(+) and CRF(-) neurons in CeA and BnST, the two largest areas with fluorescently labeled neurons in these mice. We optogenetically activated CRF(+) neurons to elicit action potentials or synaptic responses in CRF(+) and CRF(-) neurons. We found that GABA is the predominant co-transmitter in CRF(+) neurons within the CeA and BnST. CRF(+) neurons are highly interconnected with CRF(-) neurons and to a lesser extent with CRF(+) neurons. CRF(+) and CRF(-) neurons differentially express tonic GABA currents. Chronic, unpredictable stress increase the amplitude of evoked IPSCs and connectivity between CRF(+) neurons, but not between CRF(+) and CRF(-) neurons in both regions. We propose that reciprocal inhibition of interconnected neurons controls CRF(+) output in these nuclei.
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Affiliation(s)
- John G Partridge
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20007, USA; Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20007, USA.
| | - Patrick A Forcelli
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20007, USA; Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - Ruixi Luo
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - Jonah M Cashdan
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - Jay Schulkin
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20007, USA; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Rita J Valentino
- Abramson Pediatric Research Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Stefano Vicini
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20007, USA; Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20007, USA
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Campese VD, Sears RM, Moscarello JM, Diaz-Mataix L, Cain CK, LeDoux JE. The Neural Foundations of Reaction and Action in Aversive Motivation. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2016; 27:171-195. [PMID: 26643998 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2015_401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Much of the early research in aversive learning concerned motivation and reinforcement in avoidance conditioning and related paradigms. When the field transitioned toward the focus on Pavlovian threat conditioning in isolation, this paved the way for the clear understanding of the psychological principles and neural and molecular mechanisms responsible for this type of learning and memory that has unfolded over recent decades. Currently, avoidance conditioning is being revisited, and with what has been learned about associative aversive learning, rapid progress is being made. We review, below, the literature on the neural substrates critical for learning in instrumental active avoidance tasks and conditioned aversive motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Robert M Sears
- Emotional Brain Institute at NYU and Nathan Kline Institute, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Christopher K Cain
- Emotional Brain Institute at NYU and Nathan Kline Institute, New York, USA
| | - Joseph E LeDoux
- Center for Neural Science, NYU, New York, USA
- Emotional Brain Institute at NYU and Nathan Kline Institute, New York, USA
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32
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Halonen JD, Zoladz PR, Park CR, Diamond DM. Behavioral and Neurobiological Assessments of Predator-Based Fear Conditioning and Extinction. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.4236/jbbs.2016.68033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Diamond DM, Zoladz PR. Dysfunctional or hyperfunctional? The amygdala in posttraumatic stress disorder is the bull in the evolutionary China shop. J Neurosci Res 2015; 94:437-44. [PMID: 26511328 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.23684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2015] [Revised: 09/26/2015] [Accepted: 10/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Our motivation in writing this Review arose not only from the great value in contributing to this special issue of the Journal of Neuroscience Research but also from the desire to express our opinion that the description of the amygdala as "dysfunctional" in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) might not be appropriate. We acknowledge that excessive activation of the amygdala contributes to the cluster of PTSD symptoms, including hypervigilance, intrusive memories, and impaired sleep, that underlies the devastating mental and physical outcomes in trauma victims. The issue that we address is whether the symptoms of PTSD represent an impaired (dysfunctional) or sensitized (hyperfunctional) amygdala status. We propose that the amygdala in PTSD is hyperfunctional rather than dysfunctional in recognition of the fact that the individual has already survived one life-threatening attack and that another may be forthcoming. We therefore consider PTSD to be a state in which the amygdala is functioning optimally if the goal is to ensure a person's survival. The misery caused by a hyperfunctional amygdala in PTSD is the cost of inheriting an evolutionarily primitive mechanism that considers survival more important than the quality of one's life.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Diamond
- Medical Research Service, Veterans Administration Hospital, Tampa, Florida.,Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.,Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.,Center for Preclinical and Clinical Research on PTSD, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
| | - Phillip R Zoladz
- Department of Psychology, Sociology, and Criminal Justice, Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio
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Uematsu A, Tan BZ, Johansen JP. Projection specificity in heterogeneous locus coeruleus cell populations: implications for learning and memory. Learn Mem 2015; 22:444-51. [PMID: 26330494 PMCID: PMC4561410 DOI: 10.1101/lm.037283.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2015] [Accepted: 06/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) play a critical role in many functions including learning and memory. This relatively small population of cells sends widespread projections throughout the brain including to a number of regions such as the amygdala which is involved in emotional associative learning and the medial prefrontal cortex which is important for facilitating flexibility when learning rules change. LC noradrenergic cells participate in both of these functions, but it is not clear how this small population of neurons modulates these partially distinct processes. Here we review anatomical, behavioral, and electrophysiological studies to assess how LC noradrenergic neurons regulate these different aspects of learning and memory. Previous work has demonstrated that subpopulations of LC noradrenergic cells innervate specific brain regions suggesting heterogeneity of function in LC neurons. Furthermore, noradrenaline in mPFC and amygdala has distinct effects on emotional learning and cognitive flexibility. Finally, neural recording data show that LC neurons respond during associative learning and when previously learned task contingencies change. Together, these studies suggest a working model in which distinct and potentially opposing subsets of LC neurons modulate particular learning functions through restricted efferent connectivity with amygdala or mPFC. This type of model may provide a general framework for understanding other neuromodulatory systems, which also exhibit cell type heterogeneity and projection specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akira Uematsu
- RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Laboratory for Neural Circuitry of Memory, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Bao Zhen Tan
- RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Laboratory for Neural Circuitry of Memory, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Joshua P Johansen
- RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Laboratory for Neural Circuitry of Memory, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
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36
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Botta P, Demmou L, Kasugai Y, Markovic M, Xu C, Fadok JP, Lu T, Poe MM, Xu L, Cook JM, Rudolph U, Sah P, Ferraguti F, Lüthi A. Regulating anxiety with extrasynaptic inhibition. Nat Neurosci 2015; 18:1493-500. [PMID: 26322928 PMCID: PMC4607767 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2015] [Accepted: 08/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Aversive experiences can lead to complex behavioral adaptations including increased levels of anxiety and fear generalization. The neuronal mechanisms underlying such maladaptive behavioral changes, however, are poorly understood. Here, using a combination of behavioral, physiological and optogenetic approaches in mouse, we identify a specific subpopulation of central amygdala neurons expressing protein kinase C δ (PKCδ) as key elements of the neuronal circuitry controlling anxiety. Moreover, we show that aversive experiences induce anxiety and fear generalization by regulating the activity of PKCδ(+) neurons via extrasynaptic inhibition mediated by α5 subunit-containing GABAA receptors. Our findings reveal that the neuronal circuits that mediate fear and anxiety overlap at the level of defined subpopulations of central amygdala neurons and demonstrate that persistent changes in the excitability of a single cell type can orchestrate complex behavioral changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Botta
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lynda Demmou
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Yu Kasugai
- Department of Pharmacology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Milica Markovic
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Chun Xu
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jonathan P Fadok
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Tingjia Lu
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michael M Poe
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Li Xu
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - James M Cook
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Uwe Rudolph
- Laboratory of Genetic Neuropharmacology, McLean Hospital and Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Pankaj Sah
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Francesco Ferraguti
- Department of Pharmacology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Andreas Lüthi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
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37
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Back to the future of psychopharmacology: A perspective on animal models in drug discovery. Eur J Pharmacol 2015; 759:30-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2015.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2015] [Revised: 02/23/2015] [Accepted: 03/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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38
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Shang C, Liu Z, Chen Z, Shi Y, Wang Q, Liu S, Li D, Cao P. A parvalbumin-positive excitatory visual pathway to trigger fear responses in mice. Science 2015; 348:1472-7. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa8694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 206] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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39
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Gafford GM, Ressler KJ. Mouse models of fear-related disorders: Cell-type-specific manipulations in amygdala. Neuroscience 2015; 321:108-120. [PMID: 26102004 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2015] [Revised: 06/06/2015] [Accepted: 06/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Fear conditioning is a model system used to study threat responses, fear memory and their dysregulation in a variety of organisms. Newly developed tools such as optogenetics, Cre recombinase and DREADD technologies have allowed researchers to manipulate anatomically or molecularly defined cell subtypes with a high degree of temporal control and determine the effect of this manipulation on behavior. These targeted molecular techniques have opened up a new appreciation for the critical contributions different subpopulations of cells make to fear behavior and potentially to treatment of fear and anxiety disorders. Here we review progress to date across a variety of techniques to understand fear-related behavior through the manipulation of different cell subtypes within the amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- G M Gafford
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - K J Ressler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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40
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Hebbian and neuromodulatory mechanisms interact to trigger associative memory formation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:E5584-92. [PMID: 25489081 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1421304111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A long-standing hypothesis termed "Hebbian plasticity" suggests that memories are formed through strengthening of synaptic connections between neurons with correlated activity. In contrast, other theories propose that coactivation of Hebbian and neuromodulatory processes produce the synaptic strengthening that underlies memory formation. Using optogenetics we directly tested whether Hebbian plasticity alone is both necessary and sufficient to produce physiological changes mediating actual memory formation in behaving animals. Our previous work with this method suggested that Hebbian mechanisms are sufficient to produce aversive associative learning under artificial conditions involving strong, iterative training. Here we systematically tested whether Hebbian mechanisms are necessary and sufficient to produce associative learning under more moderate training conditions that are similar to those that occur in daily life. We measured neural plasticity in the lateral amygdala, a brain region important for associative memory storage about danger. Our findings provide evidence that Hebbian mechanisms are necessary to produce neural plasticity in the lateral amygdala and behavioral memory formation. However, under these conditions Hebbian mechanisms alone were not sufficient to produce these physiological and behavioral effects unless neuromodulatory systems were coactivated. These results provide insight into how aversive experiences trigger memories and suggest that combined Hebbian and neuromodulatory processes interact to engage associative aversive learning.
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41
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Encoding of fear learning and memory in distributed neuronal circuits. Nat Neurosci 2014; 17:1644-54. [PMID: 25413091 DOI: 10.1038/nn.3869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 302] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2014] [Accepted: 10/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
How sensory information is transformed by learning into adaptive behaviors is a fundamental question in neuroscience. Studies of auditory fear conditioning have revealed much about the formation and expression of emotional memories and have provided important insights into this question. Classical work focused on the amygdala as a central structure for fear conditioning. Recent advances, however, have identified new circuits and neural coding strategies mediating fear learning and the expression of fear behaviors. One area of research has identified key brain regions and neuronal coding mechanisms that regulate the formation, specificity and strength of fear memories. Other work has discovered critical circuits and neuronal dynamics by which fear memories are expressed through a medial prefrontal cortex pathway and coordinated activity across interconnected brain regions. Here we review these recent advances alongside prior work to provide a working model of the extended circuits and neuronal coding mechanisms mediating fear learning and memory.
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42
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Kwon JT, Nakajima R, Kim HS, Jeong Y, Augustine GJ, Han JH. Optogenetic activation of presynaptic inputs in lateral amygdala forms associative fear memory. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 21:627-33. [PMID: 25322798 PMCID: PMC4201812 DOI: 10.1101/lm.035816.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
In Pavlovian fear conditioning, the lateral amygdala (LA) has been highlighted as a key brain site for association between sensory cues and aversive stimuli. However, learning-related changes are also found in upstream sensory regions such as thalamus and cortex. To isolate the essential neural circuit components for fear memory association, we tested whether direct activation of presynaptic sensory inputs in LA, without the participation of upstream activity, is sufficient to form fear memory in mice. Photostimulation of axonal projections from the two main auditory brain regions, the medial geniculate nucleus of the thalamus and the secondary auditory cortex, was paired with aversive footshock. Twenty-four hours later the same photostimulation induced robust conditioned freezing and this fear memory formation was disrupted when glutamatergic synaptic transmission was locally blocked in the LA. Therefore, our results prove for the first time that synapses between sensory input areas and the LA, previously implicated as a crucial brain site for fear memory formation, actually are sufficient to serve as a conditioned stimulus. Our results strongly support the idea that the LA may be sufficient to encode and store associations between neutral cue and aversive stimuli during natural fear conditioning as a critical part of a broad fear memory engram.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong-Tae Kwon
- Department of Biological Sciences, KAIST Institute for the BioCentury (KIB), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 305-701, Korea
| | - Ryuichi Nakajima
- Center for Functional Connectomics, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791, Korea
| | - Hyung-Su Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, KAIST Institute for the BioCentury (KIB), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 305-701, Korea Center for Functional Connectomics, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791, Korea
| | - Yire Jeong
- Department of Biological Sciences, KAIST Institute for the BioCentury (KIB), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 305-701, Korea
| | - George J Augustine
- Center for Functional Connectomics, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791, Korea Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637553, Singapore Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Jin-Hee Han
- Department of Biological Sciences, KAIST Institute for the BioCentury (KIB), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 305-701, Korea
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43
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Goshen I. The optogenetic revolution in memory research. Trends Neurosci 2014; 37:511-22. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2014.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2014] [Revised: 06/02/2014] [Accepted: 06/12/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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44
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Ozawa T, Johansen J. Neural Circuits: Interacting Interneurons Regulate Fear Learning. Curr Biol 2014; 24:R690-3. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.06.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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45
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Bukalo O, Pinard CR, Holmes A. Mechanisms to medicines: elucidating neural and molecular substrates of fear extinction to identify novel treatments for anxiety disorders. Br J Pharmacol 2014; 171:4690-718. [PMID: 24835117 DOI: 10.1111/bph.12779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2014] [Revised: 04/28/2014] [Accepted: 05/04/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The burden of anxiety disorders is growing, but the efficacy of available anxiolytic treatments remains inadequate. Cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders focuses on identifying and modifying maladaptive patterns of thinking and behaving, and has a testable analogue in rodents in the form of fear extinction. A large preclinical literature has amassed in recent years describing the neural and molecular basis of fear extinction in rodents. In this review, we discuss how this work is being harnessed to foster translational research on anxiety disorders and facilitate the search for new anxiolytic treatments. We begin by summarizing the anatomical and functional connectivity of a medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)-amygdala circuit that subserves fear extinction, including new insights from optogenetics. We then cover some of the approaches that have been taken to model impaired fear extinction and associated impairments with mPFC-amygdala dysfunction. The principal goal of the review is to evaluate evidence that various neurotransmitter and neuromodulator systems mediate fear extinction by modulating the mPFC-amygdala circuitry. To that end, we describe studies that have tested how fear extinction is impaired or facilitated by pharmacological manipulations of dopamine, noradrenaline, 5-HT, GABA, glutamate, neuropeptides, endocannabinoids and various other systems, which either directly target the mPFC-amygdala circuit, or produce behavioural effects that are coincident with functional changes in the circuit. We conclude that there are good grounds to be optimistic that the progress in defining the molecular substrates of mPFC-amygdala circuit function can be effectively leveraged to identify plausible candidates for extinction-promoting therapies for anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olena Bukalo
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA
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46
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Anderson DJ, Adolphs R. A framework for studying emotions across species. Cell 2014; 157:187-200. [PMID: 24679535 PMCID: PMC4098837 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 328] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2014] [Revised: 02/18/2014] [Accepted: 03/02/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Since the 19th century, there has been disagreement over the fundamental question of whether "emotions" are cause or consequence of their associated behaviors. This question of causation is most directly addressable in genetically tractable model organisms, including invertebrates such as Drosophila. Yet there is ongoing debate about whether such species even have "emotions," as emotions are typically defined with reference to human behavior and neuroanatomy. Here, we argue that emotional behaviors are a class of behaviors that express internal emotion states. These emotion states exhibit certain general functional and adaptive properties that apply across any specific human emotions like fear or anger, as well as across phylogeny. These general properties, which can be thought of as "emotion primitives," can be modeled and studied in evolutionarily distant model organisms, allowing functional dissection of their mechanistic bases and tests of their causal relationships to behavior. More generally, our approach not only aims at better integration of such studies in model organisms with studies of emotion in humans, but also suggests a revision of how emotion should be operationalized within psychology and psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Anderson
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
| | - Ralph Adolphs
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
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47
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Capogna M. GABAergic cell type diversity in the basolateral amygdala. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2014; 26:110-6. [PMID: 24486420 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2014.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2013] [Revised: 12/10/2013] [Accepted: 01/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Here I review the diversity of GABAergic neurons in the rodent basolateral amygdala (BLA). In spite of the recent identification of the role played by certain neurons of BLA in learning and memory of fear, the diversity of GABAergic neurons has not been fully explored. I describe analogies and differences between GABAergic neurons in BLA and cerebral cortex. Emphasis is given to a comprehensive functional, neurochemical and anatomical classification of GABAergic neuron types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Capogna
- MRC Anatomical Neuropharmacology Unit, Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TH, UK.
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48
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Beyeler A, Eckhardt CA, Tye KM. Deciphering Memory Function with Optogenetics. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2014; 122:341-90. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-420170-5.00012-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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49
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The building blocks of social communication. Adv Cogn Psychol 2013; 9:173-83. [PMID: 24605176 PMCID: PMC3902830 DOI: 10.2478/v10053-008-0145-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2013] [Accepted: 06/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In the present review, social communication will be discussed in the context of social cognition, and cold and hot cognition. The review presents research on prosody, processing of faces, multimodal processing of voice and face, and the impact of emotion on constructing semantic meaning. Since the focus of this mini review is on brain processes involved in these cognitive functions, the bulk of evidence presented will be from event related potential (ERP) studies as this methodology offers the best temporal resolution of cognitive events under study. The argument is made that social communication is accomplished via fast acting sensory processes and later, top down processes. Future directions both in terms of methodology and research questions are also discussed.
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50
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Campese V, McCue M, Lázaro-Muñoz G, Ledoux JE, Cain CK. Development of an aversive Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer task in rat. Front Behav Neurosci 2013; 7:176. [PMID: 24324417 PMCID: PMC3840425 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2013] [Accepted: 11/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) is an effect whereby a classically conditioned stimulus (CS) enhances ongoing instrumental responding. PIT has been extensively studied with appetitive conditioning but barely at all with aversive conditioning. Although it's been argued that conditioned suppression is a form of aversive PIT, this effect is fundamentally different from appetitive PIT because the CS suppresses, instead of facilitates, responding. Five experiments investigated the importance of a variety of factors on aversive PIT in a rodent Sidman avoidance paradigm in which ongoing shuttling behavior (unsignaled active avoidance or USAA) was facilitated by an aversive CS. Experiment 1 demonstrated a basic PIT effect. Experiment 2 found that a moderate amount of USAA extinction produces the strongest PIT with shuttling rates best at around 2 responses per minute prior to the CS. Experiment 3 tested a protocol in which the USAA behavior was required to reach the 2-response per minute mark in order to trigger the CS presentation and found that this produced robust and reliable PIT. Experiment 4 found that the Pavlovian conditioning US intensity was not a major determinant of PIT strength. Experiment 5 demonstrated that if the CS and US were not explicitly paired during Pavlovian conditioning, PIT did not occur, showing that CS-US learning is required. Together, these studies demonstrate a robust, reliable and stable aversive PIT effect that is amenable to analysis of neural circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Campese
- Center for Neural Science, New York University New York, NY, USA
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