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Molla HM, Miguelez Fernández AMM, Tseng KY. Late-adolescent onset of prefrontal endocannabinoid control of hippocampal and amygdalar inputs and its impact on trace-fear conditioning behavior. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:1417-1424. [PMID: 38467844 PMCID: PMC11250818 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-01844-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Prefrontal cortex (PFC) maturation during adolescence is characterized by structural and functional changes, which involve the remodeling of GABA and glutamatergic synapses, as well as changes in the endocannabinoid system. Yet, the way PFC endocannabinoid signaling interacts with local GABA and glutamatergic function to impact its processing of afferent transmission during the adolescent transition to adulthood remains unknown. Here we combined PFC local field potential recordings with local manipulations of 2-AG and anandamide levels to assess how PFC endocannabinoid signaling is recruited to modulate ventral hippocampal and basolateral amygdalar inputs in vivo in adolescent and adult male rats. We found that the PFC endocannabinoid signaling does not fully emerge until late-adolescence/young adulthood. Once present, both 2-AG and anandamide can be recruited in the PFC to limit the impact of hippocampal drive through a CB1R-mediated mechanism whereas basolateral amygdalar inputs are only inhibited by 2-AG. Similarly, the behavioral effects of increasing 2-AG and anandamide in the PFC do not emerge until late-adolescence/young adulthood. Using a trace fear conditioning paradigm, we found that elevating PFC 2-AG levels preferentially reduced freezing behavior during acquisition without affecting its extinction. In contrast, increasing anandamide levels in the PFC selectively disrupted the extinction of trace fear memory without affecting its acquisition. Collectively, these results indicate a protracted recruitment of PFC endocannabinoid signaling, which becomes online in late adolescence/young adulthood as revealed by its impact on hippocampal and amygdalar-evoked local field potential responses and trace fear memory behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna M Molla
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois Chicago - College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Anabel M M Miguelez Fernández
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois Chicago - College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Kuei Y Tseng
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois Chicago - College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
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Li D, Pan Q, Xiao Y, Hu K. Advances in the study of phencyclidine-induced schizophrenia-like animal models and the underlying neural mechanisms. SCHIZOPHRENIA (HEIDELBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 10:65. [PMID: 39039065 PMCID: PMC11263595 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-024-00485-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SZ) is a chronic, severe mental disorder with heterogeneous clinical manifestations and unknown etiology. Research on SZ has long been limited by the low reliability of and ambiguous pathogenesis in schizophrenia animal models. Phencyclidine (PCP), a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, rapidly induces both positive and negative symptoms of SZ as well as stable SZ-related cognitive impairment in rodents. However, the neural mechanism underlying PCP-induced SZ-like symptoms is not fully understood. Nondopaminergic pathophysiology, particularly excessive glutamate release induced by NMDAR hypofunction in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), may play a key role in the development of PCP-induced SZ-like symptoms. In this review, we summarize studies on the behavioral and metabolic effects of PCP and the cellular and circuitary targets of PCP in the PFC and hippocampus (HIP). PCP is thought to target the ventral HIP-PFC pathway more strongly than the PFC-VTA pathway and thalamocortical pathway. Systemic PCP administration might preferentially inhibit gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons in the vHIP and in turn lead to hippocampal pyramidal cell disinhibition. Excitatory inputs from the HIP may trigger sustained, excessive and pathological PFC pyramidal neuron activation to mediate various SZ-like symptoms. In addition, astrocyte and microglial activation and oxidative stress in the cerebral cortex or hippocampus have been observed in PCP-induced models of SZ. These findings perfect the hypoglutamatergic hypothesis of schizophrenia. However, whether these effects direct the consequences of PCP administration and how about the relationships between these changes induced by PCP remain further elucidation through rigorous, causal and direct experimental evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dabing Li
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwestern Medical University, LuZhou, 646000, China.
| | - Qiangwen Pan
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwestern Medical University, LuZhou, 646000, China
| | - Yewei Xiao
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwestern Medical University, LuZhou, 646000, China
| | - Kehui Hu
- Department of rehabilitation Medicine, SuiNing Central Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, SuiNing, 629000, China.
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Barabás B, Reéb Z, Papp OI, Hájos N. Functionally linked amygdala and prefrontal cortical regions are innervated by both single and double projecting cholinergic neurons. Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1426153. [PMID: 39049824 PMCID: PMC11266109 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1426153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Cholinergic cells have been proposed to innervate simultaneously those cortical areas that are mutually interconnected with each other. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the cholinergic innervation of functionally linked amygdala and prefrontal cortical regions. First, using tracing experiments, we determined that cholinergic cells located in distinct basal forebrain (BF) areas projected to the different nuclei of the basolateral amygdala (BLA). Specifically, cholinergic cells in the ventral pallidum/substantia innominata (VP/SI) innervated the basal nucleus (BA), while the horizontal limb of the diagonal band of Broca (HDB) projected to its basomedial nucleus (BMA). In addition, cholinergic neurons in these two BF areas gave rise to overlapping innervation in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), yet their axons segregated in the dorsal and ventral regions of the PFC. Using retrograde-anterograde viral tracing, we demonstrated that a portion of mPFC-projecting cholinergic neurons also innervated the BLA, especially the BA. By injecting retrograde tracers into the mPFC and BA, we found that 28% of retrogradely labeled cholinergic cells were double labeled, which typically located in the VP/SI. In addition, we found that vesicular glutamate transporter type 3 (VGLUT3)-expressing neurons within the VP/SI were also cholinergic and projected to the mPFC and BA, implicating that a part of the cholinergic afferents may release glutamate. In contrast, we uncovered that GABA is unlikely to be a co-transmitter molecule in HDB and VP/SI cholinergic neurons in adult mice. The dual innervation strategy, i.e., the existence of cholinergic cell populations with single as well as simultaneous projections to the BLA and mPFC, provides the possibility for both synchronous and independent control of the operation in these cortical areas, a structural arrangement that may maximize computational support for functionally linked regions. The presence of VGLUT3 in a portion of cholinergic afferents suggests more complex functional effects of cholinergic system in cortical structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bence Barabás
- HUN-REN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- János Szentágothai School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- The Linda and Jack Gill Center for Molecular Bioscience, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Zsófia Reéb
- HUN-REN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- Doctoral School of Biology, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Orsolya I. Papp
- HUN-REN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Norbert Hájos
- HUN-REN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- The Linda and Jack Gill Center for Molecular Bioscience, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, United States
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, United States
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Velazquez-Hernandez G, Miller NW, Curtis VR, Rivera-Pacheco CM, Lowe SM, Moy SS, Zannas AS, Pégard NC, Burgos-Robles A, Rodriguez-Romaguera J. Social threat alters the behavioral structure of social motivation and reshapes functional brain connectivity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.17.599379. [PMID: 38948883 PMCID: PMC11212885 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.17.599379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Traumatic social experiences redefine socially motivated behaviors to enhance safety and survival. Although many brain regions have been implicated in signaling a social threat, the mechanisms by which global neural networks regulate such motivated behaviors remain unclear. To address this issue, we first combined traditional and modern behavioral tracking techniques in mice to assess both approach and avoidance, as well as sub-second behavioral changes, during a social threat learning task. We were able to identify previously undescribed body and tail movements during social threat learning and recognition that demonstrate unique alterations into the behavioral structure of social motivation. We then utilized inter-regional correlation analysis of brain activity after a mouse recognizes a social threat to explore functional communication amongst brain regions implicated in social motivation. Broad brain activity changes were observed within the nucleus accumbens, the paraventricular thalamus, the ventromedial hypothalamus, and the nucleus of reuniens. Inter-regional correlation analysis revealed a reshaping of the functional connectivity across the brain when mice recognize a social threat. Altogether, these findings suggest that reshaping of functional brain connectivity may be necessary to alter the behavioral structure of social motivation when a social threat is encountered.
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Hernández-Jaramillo A, Illescas-Huerta E, Sotres-Bayon F. Ventral Pallidum and Amygdala Cooperate to Restrain Reward Approach under Threat. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e2327232024. [PMID: 38631914 PMCID: PMC11154850 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2327-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Foraging decisions involve assessing potential risks and prioritizing food sources, which can be challenging when confronted with changing and conflicting circumstances. A crucial aspect of this decision-making process is the ability to actively overcome defensive reactions to threats and focus on achieving specific goals. The ventral pallidum (VP) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) are two brain regions that play key roles in regulating behavior motivated by either rewards or threats. However, it is unclear whether these regions are necessary in decision-making processes involving competing motivational drives during conflict. Our aim was to investigate the requirements of the VP and BLA for foraging choices in conflicts involving overcoming defensive responses. Here, we used a novel foraging task and pharmacological techniques to inactivate either the VP or BLA or to disconnect these brain regions before conducting a conflict test in male rats. Our findings showed that BLA is necessary for making risky choices during conflicts, whereas VP is necessary for invigorating the drive to obtain food, regardless of the presence of conflict. Importantly, our research revealed that the connection between VP and BLA is critical in controlling risky food-seeking choices during conflict situations. This study provides a new perspective on the collaborative function of VP and BLA in driving behavior, aimed at achieving goals in the face of dangers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elizabeth Illescas-Huerta
- Institute of Cell Physiology - Neuroscience, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
| | - Francisco Sotres-Bayon
- Institute of Cell Physiology - Neuroscience, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
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Liu Y, Ye S, Li XN, Li WG. Memory Trace for Fear Extinction: Fragile yet Reinforceable. Neurosci Bull 2024; 40:777-794. [PMID: 37812300 PMCID: PMC11178705 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-023-01129-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear extinction is a biological process in which learned fear behavior diminishes without anticipated reinforcement, allowing the organism to re-adapt to ever-changing situations. Based on the behavioral hypothesis that extinction is new learning and forms an extinction memory, this new memory is more readily forgettable than the original fear memory. The brain's cellular and synaptic traces underpinning this inherently fragile yet reinforceable extinction memory remain unclear. Intriguing questions are about the whereabouts of the engram neurons that emerged during extinction learning and how they constitute a dynamically evolving functional construct that works in concert to store and express the extinction memory. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the engram circuits and their neural connectivity plasticity for fear extinction, aiming to establish a conceptual framework for understanding the dynamic competition between fear and extinction memories in adaptive control of conditioned fear responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Liu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Huashan Hospital, Institute for Translational Brain Research, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Shuai Ye
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Huashan Hospital, Institute for Translational Brain Research, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xin-Ni Li
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Huashan Hospital, Institute for Translational Brain Research, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Wei-Guang Li
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Huashan Hospital, Institute for Translational Brain Research, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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Ahlbrand R, Wilson A, Woller P, Sachdeva Y, Lai J, Davis N, Wiggins J, Sah R. Sex-specific threat responding and neuronal engagement in carbon dioxide associated fear and extinction: Noradrenergic involvement in female mice. Neurobiol Stress 2024; 30:100617. [PMID: 38433995 PMCID: PMC10907837 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Difficulty in appropriately responding to threats is a key feature of psychiatric disorders, especially fear-related conditions such as panic disorder (PD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most prior work on threat and fear regulation involves exposure to external threatful cues. However, fear can also be triggered by aversive, within-the-body, sensations. This interoceptive signaling of fear is highly relevant to PD and PTSD but is not well understood, especially in the context of sex. Using female and male mice, the current study investigated fear-associated spontaneous and conditioned behaviors to carbon dioxide (CO2) inhalation, a potent interoceptive threat that induces fear and panic. We also investigated whether behavioral sensitivity to CO2 is associated with delayed PTSD-relevant behaviors. CO2 evoked heterogenous freezing behaviors in both male and female animals. However, active, rearing behavior was significantly reduced in CO2-exposed male but not female mice. Interestingly, behavioral sensitivity to CO2 was associated with compromised fear extinction, independent of sex. However, in comparison to CO2-exposed males, females elicited less freezing and higher rearing during extinction suggesting an engagement of active versus passive defensive coping. Persistent neuronal activation marker ΔFosB immuno-mapping revealed attenuated engagement of infralimbic-prefrontal areas in both sexes but higher activation of brain stem locus coeruleus (LC) area in females. Inter-regional co-activation mapping revealed sex-independent disruptions in the infralimbic-amygdala associations but altered LC associations only in CO2-exposed female mice. Lastly, dopamine β hydroxylase positive (DβH + ve) noradrenergic neuronal cell counts in the LC correlated with freezing and rearing behaviors during CO2 inhalation and extinction only in female but not male mice. Collectively, these data provide evidence for higher active defensive responding to interoceptive threat CO2-associated fear in females that may stem from increased recruitment of the brainstem noradrenergic system. Our findings reveal distinct contributory mechanisms that may promote sex differences in fear and panic associated pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Ahlbrand
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, USA
- Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Allison Wilson
- Neuroscience Undergraduate Program, University of Cincinnati, USA
| | - Patrick Woller
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati, USA
| | - Yuv Sachdeva
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, USA
| | - Jayden Lai
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, USA
| | - Nikki Davis
- Neuroscience Undergraduate Program, University of Cincinnati, USA
| | - James Wiggins
- Neuroscience Undergraduate Program, University of Cincinnati, USA
| | - Renu Sah
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati, USA
- Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
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8
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Botterill JJ, Khlaifia A, Appings R, Wilkin J, Violi F, Premachandran H, Cruz-Sanchez A, Canella AE, Patel A, Zaidi SD, Arruda-Carvalho M. Dorsal peduncular cortex activity modulates affective behavior and fear extinction in mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:993-1006. [PMID: 38233571 PMCID: PMC11039686 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-01795-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is critical to cognitive and emotional function and underlies many neuropsychiatric disorders, including mood, fear and anxiety disorders. In rodents, disruption of mPFC activity affects anxiety- and depression-like behavior, with specialized contributions from its subdivisions. The rodent mPFC is divided into the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), spanning the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and dorsal prelimbic cortex (PL), and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), which includes the ventral PL, infralimbic cortex (IL), and in some studies the dorsal peduncular cortex (DP) and dorsal tenia tecta (DTT). The DP/DTT have recently been implicated in the regulation of stress-induced sympathetic responses via projections to the hypothalamus. While many studies implicate the PL and IL in anxiety-, depression-like and fear behavior, the contribution of the DP/DTT to affective and emotional behavior remains unknown. Here, we used chemogenetics and optogenetics to bidirectionally modulate DP/DTT activity and examine its effects on affective behaviors, fear and stress responses in C57BL/6J mice. Acute chemogenetic activation of DP/DTT significantly increased anxiety-like behavior in the open field and elevated plus maze tests, as well as passive coping in the tail suspension test. DP/DTT activation also led to an increase in serum corticosterone levels and facilitated auditory fear extinction learning and retrieval. Activation of DP/DTT projections to the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) acutely decreased freezing at baseline and during extinction learning, but did not alter affective behavior. These findings point to the DP/DTT as a new regulator of affective behavior and fear extinction in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin J Botterill
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C1A4, Canada
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Abdessattar Khlaifia
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C1A4, Canada
| | - Ryan Appings
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C1A4, Canada
| | - Jennifer Wilkin
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C1A4, Canada
| | - Francesca Violi
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C1A4, Canada
| | - Hanista Premachandran
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C1A4, Canada
| | - Arely Cruz-Sanchez
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C1A4, Canada
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S3G5, Canada
| | - Anna Elisabete Canella
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C1A4, Canada
| | - Ashutosh Patel
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C1A4, Canada
| | - S Danyal Zaidi
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C1A4, Canada
| | - Maithe Arruda-Carvalho
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C1A4, Canada.
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S3G5, Canada.
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Chang Z, Liu L, Lin L, Wang G, Zhang C, Tian H, Liu W, Wang L, Zhang B, Ren J, Zhang Y, Xie Y, Du X, Wei X, Wei L, Luo Y, Dong H, Li X, Zhao Z, Liang M, Zhang C, Wang X, Yu C, Qin W, Liu H. Selective disrupted gray matter volume covariance of amygdala subregions in schizophrenia. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1349989. [PMID: 38742128 PMCID: PMC11090100 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1349989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective Although extensive structural and functional abnormalities have been reported in schizophrenia, the gray matter volume (GMV) covariance of the amygdala remain unknown. The amygdala contains several subregions with different connection patterns and functions, but it is unclear whether the GMV covariance of these subregions are selectively affected in schizophrenia. Methods To address this issue, we compared the GMV covariance of each amygdala subregion between 807 schizophrenia patients and 845 healthy controls from 11 centers. The amygdala was segmented into nine subregions using FreeSurfer (v7.1.1), including the lateral (La), basal (Ba), accessory-basal (AB), anterior-amygdaloid-area (AAA), central (Ce), medial (Me), cortical (Co), corticoamygdaloid-transition (CAT), and paralaminar (PL) nucleus. We developed an operational combat harmonization model for 11 centers, subsequently employing a voxel-wise general linear model to investigate the differences in GMV covariance between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls across these subregions and the entire brain, while adjusting for age, sex and TIV. Results Our findings revealed that five amygdala subregions of schizophrenia patients, including bilateral AAA, CAT, and right Ba, demonstrated significantly increased GMV covariance with the hippocampus, striatum, orbitofrontal cortex, and so on (permutation test, P< 0.05, corrected). These findings could be replicated in most centers. Rigorous correlation analysis failed to identify relationships between the altered GMV covariance with positive and negative symptom scale, duration of illness, and antipsychotic medication measure. Conclusion Our research is the first to discover selectively impaired GMV covariance patterns of amygdala subregion in a large multicenter sample size of patients with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyu Chang
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Liping Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Psychiatric Hospital of Harbin, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Liyuan Lin
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Gang Wang
- Wuhan Mental Health Center, The Ninth Clinical School, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Chen Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Psychopharmacology, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongjun Tian
- Department of Psychiatry, Tianjin Fourth Center Hospital, The Fourth Central Clinical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Lina Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, Tianjin Fourth Center Hospital, The Fourth Central Clinical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Tianjin Fourth Center Hospital, The Fourth Central Clinical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Juanjuan Ren
- Department of Biochemistry and Psychopharmacology, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Yingying Xie
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiaotong Du
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiaotong Wei
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Luli Wei
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Yun Luo
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Haoyang Dong
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Xin Li
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhen Zhao
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Meng Liang
- School of Medical Imaging, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Congpei Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Psychiatric Hospital of Harbin, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Xijin Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Psychiatric Hospital of Harbin, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Chunshui Yu
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
- School of Medical Imaging, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Wen Qin
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Huaigui Liu
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
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10
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Bratsch-Prince JX, Warren JW, Jones GC, McDonald AJ, Mott DD. Acetylcholine Engages Distinct Amygdala Microcircuits to Gate Internal Theta Rhythm. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1568232024. [PMID: 38438258 PMCID: PMC11055655 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1568-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Acetylcholine (ACh) is released from basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in response to salient stimuli and engages brain states supporting attention and memory. These high ACh states are associated with theta oscillations, which synchronize neuronal ensembles. Theta oscillations in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in both humans and rodents have been shown to underlie emotional memory, yet their mechanism remains unclear. Here, using brain slice electrophysiology in male and female mice, we show large ACh stimuli evoke prolonged theta oscillations in BLA local field potentials that depend upon M3 muscarinic receptor activation of cholecystokinin (CCK) interneurons (INs) without the need for external glutamate signaling. Somatostatin (SOM) INs inhibit CCK INs and are themselves inhibited by ACh, providing a functional SOM→CCK IN circuit connection gating BLA theta. Parvalbumin (PV) INs, which can drive BLA oscillations in baseline states, are not involved in the generation of ACh-induced theta, highlighting that ACh induces a cellular switch in the control of BLA oscillatory activity and establishes an internally BLA-driven theta oscillation through CCK INs. Theta activity is more readily evoked in BLA over the cortex or hippocampus, suggesting preferential activation of the BLA during high ACh states. These data reveal a SOM→CCK IN circuit in the BLA that gates internal theta oscillations and suggest a mechanism by which salient stimuli acting through ACh switch the BLA into a network state enabling emotional memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua X Bratsch-Prince
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - James W Warren
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - Grace C Jones
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - Alexander J McDonald
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - David D Mott
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
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11
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Tsai HY, Lapanan K, Lin YH, Huang CW, Lin WW, Lin MM, Lu ZL, Lin FS, Tseng MT. Integration of Prior Expectations and Suppression of Prediction Errors During Expectancy-Induced Pain Modulation: The Influence of Anxiety and Pleasantness. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1627232024. [PMID: 38453467 PMCID: PMC11044194 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1627-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Pain perception arises from the integration of prior expectations with sensory information. Although recent work has demonstrated that treatment expectancy effects (e.g., placebo hypoalgesia) can be explained by a Bayesian integration framework incorporating the precision level of expectations and sensory inputs, the key factor modulating this integration in stimulus expectancy-induced pain modulation remains unclear. In a stimulus expectancy paradigm combining emotion regulation in healthy male and female adults, we found that participants' voluntary reduction in anticipatory anxiety and pleasantness monotonically reduced the magnitude of pain modulation by negative and positive expectations, respectively, indicating a role of emotion. For both types of expectations, Bayesian model comparisons confirmed that an integration model using the respective emotion of expectations and sensory inputs explained stimulus expectancy effects on pain better than using their respective precision. For negative expectations, the role of anxiety is further supported by our fMRI findings that (1) functional coupling within anxiety-processing brain regions (amygdala and anterior cingulate) reflected the integration of expectations with sensory inputs and (2) anxiety appeared to impair the updating of expectations via suppressed prediction error signals in the anterior cingulate, thus perpetuating negative expectancy effects. Regarding positive expectations, their integration with sensory inputs relied on the functional coupling within brain structures processing positive emotion and inhibiting threat responding (medial orbitofrontal cortex and hippocampus). In summary, different from treatment expectancy, pain modulation by stimulus expectancy emanates from emotion-modulated integration of beliefs with sensory evidence and inadequate belief updating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsin-Yun Tsai
- Taiwan International Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 11574, Taiwan
| | - Kulvara Lapanan
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 10051, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsuan Lin
- Taiwan International Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 11574, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Wei Huang
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 10048, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Wei Lin
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 10051, Taiwan
| | - Min-Min Lin
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 10051, Taiwan
| | - Zheng-Liang Lu
- Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Feng-Sheng Lin
- Department of Anesthesiology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 10048, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Tsung Tseng
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 10051, Taiwan
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12
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Adeyelu T, Vaughn T, Ogundele OM. VTA Excitatory Neurons Control Reward-driven Behavior by Modulating Infralimbic Cortical Firing. Neuroscience 2024; 548:50-68. [PMID: 38513762 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.03.012] [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: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
The functional dichotomy of anatomical regions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been tested with greater certainty in punishment-driven tasks, and less so in reward-oriented paradigms. In the infralimbic cortex (IL), known for behavioral suppression (STOP), tasks linked with reward or punishment are encoded through firing rate decrease or increase, respectively. Although the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is the brain region governing reward/aversion learning, the link between its excitatory neuron population and IL encoding of reward-linked behavioral expression is unclear. Here, we present evidence that IL ensembles use a population-based mechanism involving broad inhibition of principal cells at intervals when reward is presented or expected. The IL encoding mechanism was consistent across multiple sessions with randomized rewarded target sites. Most IL neurons exhibit FR (Firing Rate) suppression during reward acquisition intervals (T1), and subsequent exploration of previously rewarded targets when the reward is omitted (T2). Furthermore, FR suppression in putative IL ensembles persisted for intervals that followed reward-linked target events. Pairing VTA glutamate inhibition with reward acquisition events reduced the weight of reward-target association expressed as a lower affinity for previously rewarded targets. For these intervals, fewer IL neurons per mouse trial showed FR decrease and were accompanied by an increase in the percentage of units with no change in FR. Together, we conclude that VTA glutamate neurons are likely involved in establishing IL inhibition states that encode reward acquisition, and subsequent reward-target association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tolulope Adeyelu
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States
| | - Tashonda Vaughn
- Department of Environmental Toxicology, College of Agriculture, Southern University A&M College, Baton Rouge, LA 70813, United States
| | - Olalekan M Ogundele
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States.
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13
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Leibovitz SE, Sevinc G, Greenberg J, Hölzel B, Gard T, Calahan T, Vangel M, Orr SP, Milad MR, Lazar SW. Mindfulness training and exercise differentially impact fear extinction neurocircuitry. Psychol Med 2024; 54:835-846. [PMID: 37655520 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723002593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ability to extinguish a maladaptive conditioned fear response is crucial for healthy emotional processing and resiliency to aversive experiences. Therefore, enhancing fear extinction learning has immense potential emotional and health benefits. Mindfulness training enhances both fear conditioning and recall of extinguished fear; however, its effects on fear extinction learning are unknown. Here we investigated the impact of mindfulness training on brain mechanisms associated with fear-extinction learning, compared to an exercise-based program. METHODS We investigated BOLD activations in response to a previously learned fear-inducing cue during an extinction paradigm, before and after an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program (MBSR, n = 49) or exercise-based stress management education program (n = 27). RESULTS The groups exhibited similar reductions in stress, but the MBSR group was uniquely associated with enhanced activation of salience network nodes and increased hippocampal engagement. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that mindfulness training increases attention to anticipatory aversive stimuli, which in turn facilitates decreased aversive subjective responses and enhanced reappraisal of the memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaked E Leibovitz
- College of Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Gunes Sevinc
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Jonathan Greenberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Britta Hölzel
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich 81675, Germany
| | - Tim Gard
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Thomas Calahan
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Mark Vangel
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Scott P Orr
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Mohammed R Milad
- Psychiatry Department, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Sara W Lazar
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
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14
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Felix-Ortiz AC, Terrell JM, Gonzalez C, Msengi HD, Boggan MB, Ramos AR, Magalhães G, Burgos-Robles A. Prefrontal Regulation of Safety Learning during Ethologically Relevant Thermal Threat. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0140-23.2024. [PMID: 38272673 PMCID: PMC10903390 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0140-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Learning and adaptation during sources of threat and safety are critical mechanisms for survival. The prelimbic (PL) and infralimbic (IL) subregions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) have been broadly implicated in the processing of threat and safety. However, how these regions regulate threat and safety during naturalistic conditions involving thermal challenge still remains elusive. To examine this issue, we developed a novel paradigm in which adult mice learned that a particular zone that was identified with visuospatial cues was associated with either a noxious cold temperature ("threat zone") or a pleasant warm temperature ("safety zone"). This led to the rapid development of avoidance behavior when the zone was paired with cold threat or approach behavior when the zone was paired with warm safety. During a long-term test without further thermal reinforcement, mice continued to exhibit robust avoidance or approach to the zone of interest, indicating that enduring spatial-based memories were formed to represent the thermal threat and thermal safety zones. Optogenetic experiments revealed that neural activity in PL and IL was not essential for establishing the memory for the threat zone. However, PL and IL activity bidirectionally regulated memory formation for the safety zone. While IL activity promoted safety memory during normal conditions, PL activity suppressed safety memory especially after a stress pretreatment. Therefore, a working model is proposed in which balanced activity between PL and IL is favorable for safety memory formation, whereas unbalanced activity between these brain regions is detrimental for safety memory after stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ada C Felix-Ortiz
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
| | - Jaelyn M Terrell
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
| | - Carolina Gonzalez
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
| | - Hope D Msengi
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
| | - Miranda B Boggan
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
| | - Angelica R Ramos
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
| | - Gabrielle Magalhães
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - Anthony Burgos-Robles
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
- Brain Health Consortium, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
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15
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Silverstein SE, O'Sullivan R, Bukalo O, Pati D, Schaffer JA, Limoges A, Zsembik L, Yoshida T, O'Malley JJ, Paletzki RF, Lieberman AG, Nonaka M, Deisseroth K, Gerfen CR, Penzo MA, Kash TL, Holmes A. A distinct cortical code for socially learned threat. Nature 2024; 626:1066-1072. [PMID: 38326610 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-07008-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Animals can learn about sources of danger while minimizing their own risk by observing how others respond to threats. However, the distinct neural mechanisms by which threats are learned through social observation (known as observational fear learning1-4 (OFL)) to generate behavioural responses specific to such threats remain poorly understood. The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) performs several key functions that may underlie OFL, including processing of social information and disambiguation of threat cues5-11. Here we show that dmPFC is recruited and required for OFL in mice. Using cellular-resolution microendoscopic calcium imaging, we demonstrate that dmPFC neurons code for observational fear and do so in a manner that is distinct from direct experience. We find that dmPFC neuronal activity predicts upcoming switches between freezing and moving state elicited by threat. By combining neuronal circuit mapping, calcium imaging, electrophysiological recordings and optogenetics, we show that dmPFC projections to the midbrain periaqueductal grey (PAG) constrain observer freezing, and that amygdalar and hippocampal inputs to dmPFC opposingly modulate observer freezing. Together our findings reveal that dmPFC neurons compute a distinct code for observational fear and coordinate long-range neural circuits to select behavioural responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shana E Silverstein
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Ruairi O'Sullivan
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Olena Bukalo
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Dipanwita Pati
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Julia A Schaffer
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Aaron Limoges
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Leo Zsembik
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Takayuki Yoshida
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - John J O'Malley
- Unit on the Neurobiology of Affective Memory, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Abby G Lieberman
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mio Nonaka
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Mario A Penzo
- Unit on the Neurobiology of Affective Memory, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Thomas L Kash
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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16
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Lv SS, Lv XJ, Cai YQ, Hou XY, Zhang ZZ, Wang GH, Chen LQ, Lv N, Zhang YQ. Corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons control trigeminal neuralgia-induced anxiodepression via a hippocampus-to-prefrontal circuit. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadj4196. [PMID: 38241377 PMCID: PMC10798562 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj4196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Anxiety and depression are frequently observed in patients suffering from trigeminal neuralgia (TN), but neural circuits and mechanisms underlying this association are poorly understood. Here, we identified a dedicated neural circuit from the ventral hippocampus (vHPC) to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) that mediates TN-related anxiodepression. We found that TN caused an increase in excitatory synaptic transmission from vHPCCaMK2A neurons to mPFC inhibitory neurons marked by the expression of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). Activation of CRH+ neurons subsequently led to feed-forward inhibition of layer V pyramidal neurons in the mPFC via activation of the CRH receptor 1 (CRHR1). Inhibition of the vHPCCaMK2A-mPFCCRH circuit ameliorated TN-induced anxiodepression, whereas activating this pathway sufficiently produced anxiodepressive-like behaviors. Thus, our studies identified a neural pathway driving pain-related anxiodepression and a molecular target for treating pain-related psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Su-Su Lv
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Jing’an District Centre Hospital of Shanghai, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xue-Jing Lv
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Jing’an District Centre Hospital of Shanghai, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Ya-Qi Cai
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Jing’an District Centre Hospital of Shanghai, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xin-Yu Hou
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Jing’an District Centre Hospital of Shanghai, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Zhi-Zhe Zhang
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Jing’an District Centre Hospital of Shanghai, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Guo-Hong Wang
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Jing’an District Centre Hospital of Shanghai, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Li-Qiang Chen
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Jing’an District Centre Hospital of Shanghai, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Ning Lv
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Jing’an District Centre Hospital of Shanghai, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
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17
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Martínez-Canabal A, López-Oropeza G, Sotres-Bayón F. Hippocampal neurogenesis facilitates cognitive flexibility in a fear discrimination task. Front Behav Neurosci 2024; 17:1331928. [PMID: 38282713 PMCID: PMC10813213 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1331928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Hippocampal neurogenesis, the continuous creation of new neurons in the adult brain, influences memory, regulates the expression of defensive responses to threat (fear), and cognitive processes like pattern separation and behavioral flexibility. One hypothesis proposes that neurogenesis promotes cognitive flexibility by degrading established memories and promoting relearning. Yet, empirical evidence on its role in fear discrimination tasks is scarce. In this study, male rats were initially trained to differentiate between two similar environments, one associated with a threat. Subsequently, we enhanced neurogenesis through environmental enrichment and memantine treatments. We then reversed the emotional valence of these contexts. In both cases, neurogenesis improved the rats' ability to relearn the aversive context. Interestingly, we observed increased hippocampal activity, and decreased activity in the prelimbic cortex and lateral habenula, while the infralimbic cortex remained unchanged, suggesting neurogenesis-induced plasticity changes in this brain network. Moreover, when we pharmacologically inhibited the increased neurogenesis with Methotrexate, rats struggled to relearn context discrimination, confirming the crucial role of neurogenesis in this cognitive process. Overall, our findings highlight neurogenesis's capacity to facilitate changes in fear discrimination and emphasize the involvement of a prefrontal-hippocampal-habenula mechanism in this process. This study emphasizes the intricate relationship between hippocampal neurogenesis, cognitive flexibility, and the modulation of fear-related memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alonso Martínez-Canabal
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), México City, Mexico
- Cell Physiology Institute - Neuroscience, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), México City, Mexico
| | - Grecia López-Oropeza
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), México City, Mexico
- Cell Physiology Institute - Neuroscience, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), México City, Mexico
- Graduate Program in Biological Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), México City, Mexico
| | - Francisco Sotres-Bayón
- Cell Physiology Institute - Neuroscience, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), México City, Mexico
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18
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Zhang XO, Zhang Y, Cho CE, Engelke DS, Smolen P, Byrne JH, Do-Monte FH. Enhancing Associative Learning in Rats With a Computationally Designed Training Protocol. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 4:165-181. [PMID: 38298784 PMCID: PMC10829654 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Learning requires the activation of protein kinases with distinct temporal dynamics. In Aplysia, nonassociative learning can be enhanced by a computationally designed learning protocol with intertrial intervals (ITIs) that maximize the interaction between fast-activated PKA (protein kinase A) and slow-activated ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase). Whether a similar strategy can enhance associative learning in mammals is unknown. Methods We simulated 1000 training protocols with varying ITIs to predict an optimal protocol based on empirical data for PKA and ERK dynamics in rat hippocampus. Adult male rats received the optimal protocol or control protocols in auditory fear conditioning and fear extinction experiments. Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate pCREB (phosphorylated cAMP response element binding)\protein levels in brain regions that have been implicated in fear acquisition. Results Rats exposed to the optimal conditioning protocol with irregular ITIs exhibited impaired extinction memory acquisition within the session using a standard footshock intensity, and stronger fear memory retrieval and spontaneous recovery with a weaker footshock intensity, compared with rats that received massed or spaced conditioning protocols with fixed ITIs. Rats exposed to the optimal extinction protocol displayed improved extinction of contextual fear memory and reduced spontaneous recovery compared with rats that received standard extinction protocols. Moreover, the optimal conditioning protocol increased pCREB levels in the dentate gyrus of the dorsal hippocampus, suggesting enhanced induction of long-term potentiation. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that a computational model-driven behavioral intervention can enhance associative learning in mammals and may provide insight into strategies to improve cognition in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu O. Zhang
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Yili Zhang
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Claire E. Cho
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Douglas S. Engelke
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Paul Smolen
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - John H. Byrne
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Fabricio H. Do-Monte
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
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19
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Odriozola P, Kribakaran S, Cohodes EM, Zacharek SJ, McCauley S, Haberman JT, Quintela LA, Hernandez C, Spencer H, Pruessner L, Caballero C, Gee DG. Hippocampal Involvement in Safety Signal Learning Varies With Anxiety Among Healthy Adults. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 4:155-164. [PMID: 38298801 PMCID: PMC10829678 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Safety signal learning (SSL), based on conditioned inhibition of fear in the presence of learned safety, can effectively attenuate threat responses in animal models and humans. Difficulty regulating threat responses is a core feature of anxiety disorders, suggesting that SSL may provide a novel mechanism for fear reduction. Cross-species evidence suggests that SSL involves functional connectivity between the anterior hippocampus and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. However, the neural mechanisms supporting SSL have not been examined in relation to trait anxiety or while controlling for the effect of novelty. Methods Here, we investigated the neural mechanisms involved in SSL and associations with trait anxiety in a sample of 64 healthy (non-clinically anxious) adults (ages 18-30 years; 43 female, 21 male) using physiological, behavioral, and neuroimaging (functional magnetic resonance imaging) data collected during an SSL task. Results During SSL, compared with individuals with lower trait anxiety, individuals with higher trait anxiety showed less fear reduction as well as altered hippocampal activation and hippocampal-dorsal anterior cingulate cortex functional connectivity, and lower inferior frontal gyrus and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activation. Importantly, the findings show that SSL reduces threat responding, across learning and over and above the effect of novelty, and involves hippocampal activation. Conclusions These findings provide new insights into the nature of SSL and suggest that there may be meaningful variation in SSL and related neural correlates as a function of trait anxiety, with implications for better understanding fear reduction and optimizing interventions for individuals with anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Odriozola
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | | | - Emily M. Cohodes
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | | | - Sarah McCauley
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | | | | | | | - Hannah Spencer
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Luise Pruessner
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Camila Caballero
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Dylan G. Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
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20
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Herry C, Jercog D. Stable coding of aversive associations in medial prefrontal populations. C R Biol 2023; 346:127-138. [PMID: 38116876 DOI: 10.5802/crbiol.126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is at the core of numerous psychiatric conditions, including fear and anxiety-related disorders. Whereas an abundance of evidence suggests a crucial role of the mPFC in regulating fear behaviour, the precise role of the mPFC in this process is not yet entirely clear. While studies at the single-cell level have demonstrated the involvement of this area in various aspects of fear processing, such as the encoding of threat-related cues and fear expression, an increasingly prevalent idea in the systems neuroscience field is that populations of neurons are, in fact, the essential unit of computation in many integrative brain regions such as prefrontal areas. What mPFC neuronal populations represent when we face threats? To address this question, we performed electrophysiological single-unit population recordings in the dorsal mPFC while mice faced threat-predicting cues eliciting defensive behaviours, and performed pharmacological and optogenetic inactivations of this area and the amygdala. Our data indicated that the presence of threat-predicting cues induces a stable coding dynamics of internally driven representations in the dorsal mPFC, necessary to drive learned defensive behaviours. Moreover, these neural population representations primary reflect learned associations rather than specific defensive behaviours, and the construct of such representations relies on the functional integrity of the amygdala.
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21
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Iqbal J, Huang GD, Xue YX, Yang M, Jia XJ. The neural circuits and molecular mechanisms underlying fear dysregulation in posttraumatic stress disorder. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1281401. [PMID: 38116070 PMCID: PMC10728304 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1281401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a stress-associated complex and debilitating psychiatric disorder due to an imbalance of neurotransmitters in response to traumatic events or fear. PTSD is characterized by re-experiencing, avoidance behavior, hyperarousal, negative emotions, insomnia, personality changes, and memory problems following exposure to severe trauma. However, the biological mechanisms and symptomatology underlying this disorder are still largely unknown or poorly understood. Considerable evidence shows that PTSD results from a dysfunction in highly conserved brain systems involved in regulating stress, anxiety, fear, and reward circuitry. This review provides a contemporary update about PTSD, including new data from the clinical and preclinical literature on stress, PTSD, and fear memory consolidation and extinction processes. First, we present an overview of well-established laboratory models of PTSD and discuss their clinical translational value for finding various treatments for PTSD. We then highlight the research progress on the neural circuits of fear and extinction-related behavior, including the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala. We further describe different molecular mechanisms, including GABAergic, glutamatergic, cholinergic, and neurotropic signaling, responsible for the structural and functional changes during fear acquisition and fear extinction processes in PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javed Iqbal
- Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Department of Addiction Medicine, Shenzhen Engineering Research Center for Precision Psychiatric Technology, Shenzhen Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital and Shenzhen Mental Health Center; Clinical College of Mental Health, Shenzhen University Health Science Center; Affiliated Mental Health Center, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Geng-Di Huang
- Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Department of Addiction Medicine, Shenzhen Engineering Research Center for Precision Psychiatric Technology, Shenzhen Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital and Shenzhen Mental Health Center; Clinical College of Mental Health, Shenzhen University Health Science Center; Affiliated Mental Health Center, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Yan-Xue Xue
- National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Mei Yang
- Department of Addiction Medicine, Shenzhen Engineering Research Center for Precision Psychiatric Technology, Shenzhen Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital and Shenzhen Mental Health Center; Clinical College of Mental Health, Shenzhen University Health Science Center; Affiliated Mental Health Center, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiao-Jian Jia
- Department of Addiction Medicine, Shenzhen Engineering Research Center for Precision Psychiatric Technology, Shenzhen Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital and Shenzhen Mental Health Center; Clinical College of Mental Health, Shenzhen University Health Science Center; Affiliated Mental Health Center, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
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22
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Martin-Fernandez M, Menegolla AP, Lopez-Fernandez G, Winke N, Jercog D, Kim HR, Girard D, Dejean C, Herry C. Prefrontal circuits encode both general danger and specific threat representations. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:2147-2157. [PMID: 37904042 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01472-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral adaptation to potential threats requires both a global representation of danger to prepare the organism to react in a timely manner but also the identification of specific threatening situations to select the appropriate behavioral responses. The prefrontal cortex is known to control threat-related behaviors, yet it is unknown whether it encodes global defensive states and/or the identity of specific threatening encounters. Using a new behavioral paradigm that exposes mice to different threatening situations, we show that the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) encodes a general representation of danger while simultaneously encoding a specific neuronal representation of each threat. Importantly, the global representation of danger persisted in error trials that instead lacked specific threat identity representations. Consistently, optogenetic prefrontal inhibition impaired overall behavioral performance and discrimination of different threatening situations without any bias toward active or passive behaviors. Together, these data indicate that the prefrontal cortex encodes both a global representation of danger and specific representations of threat identity to control the selection of defensive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Martin-Fernandez
- Université de Bordeaux, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France.
- INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France.
| | - Ana Paula Menegolla
- Université de Bordeaux, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France
- INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France
| | - Guillem Lopez-Fernandez
- Université de Bordeaux, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France
- INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France
| | - Nanci Winke
- Université de Bordeaux, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France
- INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France
| | - Daniel Jercog
- Université de Bordeaux, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France
- INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France
| | - Ha-Rang Kim
- Université de Bordeaux, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France
- INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France
| | - Delphine Girard
- Université de Bordeaux, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France
- INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France
| | - Cyril Dejean
- Université de Bordeaux, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France
- INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France
| | - Cyril Herry
- Université de Bordeaux, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France.
- INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France.
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23
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Hernández-Ortiz E, Luis-Islas J, Tecuapetla F, Gutierrez R, Bermúdez-Rattoni F. Top-down circuitry from the anterior insular cortex to VTA dopamine neurons modulates reward-related memory. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113365. [PMID: 37924513 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The insular cortex (IC) has been linked to the processing of interoceptive and exteroceptive signals associated with addictive behavior. However, whether the IC modulates the acquisition of drug-related affective states by direct top-down connectivity with ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons is unknown. We found that photostimulation of VTA terminals of the anterior insular cortex (aIC) induces rewarding contextual memory, modulates VTA activity, and triggers dopamine release within the VTA. Employing neuronal recordings and neurochemical and transsynaptic tagging techniques, we disclose the functional top-down organization tagging the aIC pre-synaptic neuronal bodies and identifying VTA recipient neurons. Furthermore, systemic administration of amphetamine altered the VTA excitability of neurons modulated by the aIC projection, where photoactivation enhances, whereas photoinhibition impairs, a contextual rewarding behavior. Our study reveals a key circuit involved in developing and retaining drug reward-related contextual memory, providing insight into the neurobiological basis of addictive behavior and helping develop therapeutic addiction strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Hernández-Ortiz
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, División de Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City 04510, México
| | - Jorge Luis-Islas
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Appetitive, Department of Pharmacology, Center of Aging Research (CIE), Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Fatuel Tecuapetla
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, División de Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City 04510, México
| | - Ranier Gutierrez
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Appetitive, Department of Pharmacology, Center of Aging Research (CIE), Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Federico Bermúdez-Rattoni
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, División de Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City 04510, México.
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24
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Abstract
The transition from childhood to adulthood represents the developmental time frame in which the majority of psychiatric disorders emerge. Recent efforts to identify risk factors mediating the susceptibility to psychopathology have led to a heightened focus on both typical and atypical trajectories of neural circuit maturation. Mounting evidence has highlighted the immense neural plasticity apparent in the developing brain. Although in many cases adaptive, the capacity for neural circuit alteration also induces a state of vulnerability to environmental perturbations, such that early-life experiences have long-lasting implications for cognitive and emotional functioning in adulthood. The authors outline preclinical and neuroimaging studies of normative human brain circuit development, as well as parallel efforts covered in this issue of the Journal, to identify brain circuit alterations in psychiatric disorders that frequently emerge in developing populations. Continued translational research into the interactive effects of neurobiological development and external factors will be crucial for identifying early-life risk factors that may contribute to the emergence of psychiatric illness and provide the key to optimizing treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi C Meyer
- The Department of Psychiatry and the Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York
| | - Francis S Lee
- The Department of Psychiatry and the Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York
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25
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Huang Z, Chung M, Tao K, Watarai A, Wang MY, Ito H, Okuyama T. Ventromedial prefrontal neurons represent self-states shaped by vicarious fear in male mice. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3458. [PMID: 37400435 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39081-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Perception of fear induced by others in danger elicits complex vicarious fear responses and behavioral outputs. In rodents, observing a conspecific receive aversive stimuli leads to escape and freezing behavior. It remains unclear how these behavioral self-states in response to others in fear are neurophysiologically represented. Here, we assess such representations in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), an essential site for empathy, in an observational fear (OF) paradigm in male mice. We classify the observer mouse's stereotypic behaviors during OF using a machine-learning approach. Optogenetic inhibition of the vmPFC specifically disrupts OF-induced escape behavior. In vivo Ca2+ imaging reveals that vmPFC neural populations represent intermingled information of other- and self-states. Distinct subpopulations are activated and suppressed by others' fear responses, simultaneously representing self-freezing states. This mixed selectivity requires inputs from the anterior cingulate cortex and the basolateral amygdala to regulate OF-induced escape behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyan Huang
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (IQB), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Myung Chung
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (IQB), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kentaro Tao
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (IQB), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akiyuki Watarai
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (IQB), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mu-Yun Wang
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (IQB), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroh Ito
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (IQB), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Teruhiro Okuyama
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (IQB), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
- Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
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26
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Pérez-Cervera L, De Santis S, Marcos E, Ghorbanzad-Ghaziany Z, Trouvé-Carpena A, Selim MK, Pérez-Ramírez Ú, Pfarr S, Bach P, Halli P, Kiefer F, Moratal D, Kirsch P, Sommer WH, Canals S. Alcohol-induced damage to the fimbria/fornix reduces hippocampal-prefrontal cortex connection during early abstinence. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:101. [PMID: 37344865 PMCID: PMC10286362 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01597-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Alcohol dependence is characterized by a gradual reduction in cognitive control and inflexibility to contingency changes. The neuroadaptations underlying this aberrant behavior are poorly understood. Using an animal model of alcohol use disorders (AUD) and complementing diffusion-weighted (dw)-MRI with quantitative immunohistochemistry and electrophysiological recordings, we provide causal evidence that chronic intermittent alcohol exposure affects the microstructural integrity of the fimbria/fornix, decreasing myelin basic protein content, and reducing the effective communication from the hippocampus (HC) to the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Using a simple quantitative neural network model, we show how disturbed HC-PFC communication may impede the extinction of maladaptive memories, decreasing flexibility. Finally, combining dw-MRI and psychometric data in AUD patients, we discovered an association between the magnitude of microstructural alteration in the fimbria/fornix and the reduction in cognitive flexibility. Overall, these findings highlight the vulnerability of the fimbria/fornix microstructure in AUD and its potential contribution to alcohol pathophysiology. Fimbria vulnerability to alcohol underlies hippocampal-prefrontal cortex dysfunction and correlates with cognitive impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Pérez-Cervera
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Silvia De Santis
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Encarni Marcos
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Zahra Ghorbanzad-Ghaziany
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
- Radiation Science and Biomedical Imaging, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
| | - Alejandro Trouvé-Carpena
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Mohamed Kotb Selim
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Úrsula Pérez-Ramírez
- Center for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Simone Pfarr
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Patrick Bach
- Department of Addiction Medicine, Department of Clinical Psychology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Patrick Halli
- Department of Psychology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Falk Kiefer
- Department of Addiction Medicine, Department of Clinical Psychology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - David Moratal
- Center for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Peter Kirsch
- Department of Psychology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang H Sommer
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.
- Department of Addiction Medicine, Department of Clinical Psychology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Santiago Canals
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain.
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27
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Fernández-Teruel A, McNaughton N. Post-encounter freezing during approach-avoidance conflict: the role of the hippocampus. Nat Rev Neurosci 2023:10.1038/s41583-023-00703-y. [PMID: 37161023 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00703-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Fernández-Teruel
- Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Neil McNaughton
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
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28
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Drayson OGG, Vozenin MC, Limoli CL. A rigorous behavioral testing platform for the assessment of radiation-induced neurological outcomes. Methods Cell Biol 2023; 180:177-197. [PMID: 37890929 PMCID: PMC11093273 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2023.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral testing is a popular and reliable method of neurocognitive assessment of rodents but the lack of standard operating procedures has led to a high variation of protocols in use. Therefore, there exists a strong need to standardize protocols for a combined behavioral platform in order to maintain consistency across institutions and assist newcomers in the field. This paper provides details on the methodology of several behavioral tasks which have been validated in identifying radiation induced cognitive impairment as well as provide guidance on timescales and best practices. The cognitive assessments outlined here are optimized for rodent studies and either target learning and memory (open field task, object in updated location, novel object recognition, object in place, and temporal order) or mood and cognition (social interaction, elevated plus maze, light dark box, forced swim test, and fear extinction). We have utilized this platform successfully in evaluating cognitive injury induced by various radiation types, doses, fractionation schedules and also with ultra-high dose rate FLASH radiotherapy. Recommended materials and software are provided as well as advice on methods of data analysis. In this way a comprehensive behavioral platform is described with broad applicability to assess cognitive endpoints critical to therapeutic outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia G G Drayson
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Marie-Catherine Vozenin
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Charles L Limoli
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
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29
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Venkataraman A, Dias BG. Expanding the canon: An inclusive neurobiology of thalamic and subthalamic fear circuits. Neuropharmacology 2023; 226:109380. [PMID: 36572176 PMCID: PMC9984284 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Appropriate expression of fear in the face of threats in the environment is essential for survival. The sustained expression of fear in the absence of threat signals is a central pathological feature of trauma- and anxiety-related disorders. Our understanding of the neural circuitry that controls fear inhibition coalesces around the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. By discussing thalamic and sub-thalamic influences on fear-related learning and expression in this review, we suggest a more inclusive neurobiological framework that expands our canonical view of fear. First, we visit how fear-related learning and expression is influenced by the aforementioned canonical brain regions. Next, we review emerging data that shed light on new roles for thalamic and subthalamic nuclei in fear-related learning and expression. Then, we highlight how these neuroanatomical hubs can modulate fear via integration of sensory and salient stimuli, gating information flow and calibrating behavioral responses, as well as maintaining and updating memory representations. Finally, we propose that the presence of this thalamic and sub-thalamic neuroanatomy in parallel with the tripartite prefrontal cortex-amygdala-hippocampus circuit allows for dynamic modulation of information based on interoceptive and exteroceptive signals. This article is part of the Special Issue on "Fear, Anxiety and PTSD".
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Affiliation(s)
- Archana Venkataraman
- Department of Cellular & Molecular Pharmacology, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Brian George Dias
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Division of Endocrinology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Developmental Neuroscience and Neurogenetics Program, The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
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30
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Uzuneser TC, Szkudlarek HJ, Jones MJ, Nashed MG, Clement T, Wang H, Ojima I, Rushlow WJ, Laviolette SR. Identification of a novel fatty acid binding protein-5-CB2 receptor-dependent mechanism regulating anxiety behaviors in the prefrontal cortex. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:2470-2484. [PMID: 35650684 PMCID: PMC10016066 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The endocannabinoid (eCB) system represents a promising neurobiological target for novel anxiolytic pharmacotherapies. Previous clinical and preclinical evidence has revealed that genetic and/or pharmacological manipulations altering eCB signaling modulate fear and anxiety behaviors. Water-insoluble eCB lipid anandamide requires chaperone proteins for its intracellular transport to degradation, a process that requires fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs). Here, we investigated the effects of a novel FABP-5 inhibitor, SBFI-103, on fear and anxiety-related behaviors using rats. Acute intra-prelimbic cortex administration of SBFI-103 induced a dose-dependent anxiolytic response and reduced contextual fear expression. Surprisingly, both effects were reversed when a cannabinoid-2 receptor (CB2R) antagonist, AM630, was co-infused with SBFI-103. Co-infusion of the cannabinoid-1 receptor antagonist Rimonabant with SBFI-103 reversed the contextual fear response yet showed no reversal effect on anxiety. Furthermore, in vivo neuronal recordings revealed that intra-prelimbic region SBFI-103 infusion altered the activity of putative pyramidal neurons in the basolateral amygdala and ventral hippocampus, as well as oscillatory patterns within these regions in a CB2R-dependent fashion. Our findings identify a promising role for FABP5 inhibition as a potential target for anxiolytic pharmacotherapy. Furthermore, we identify a novel, CB2R-dependent FABP-5 signaling pathway in the PFC capable of strongly modulating anxiety-related behaviors and anxiety-related neuronal transmission patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taygun C Uzuneser
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, 1151 Richmond Street, Medical Sciences Building, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Hanna J Szkudlarek
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, 1151 Richmond Street, Medical Sciences Building, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Matthew J Jones
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, 1151 Richmond Street, Medical Sciences Building, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Mina G Nashed
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, 1151 Richmond Street, Medical Sciences Building, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Timothy Clement
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discoveries, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
- Department of Chemistry, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
| | - Hehe Wang
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discoveries, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
- Department of Chemistry, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
| | - Iwao Ojima
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discoveries, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
- Department of Chemistry, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
| | - Walter J Rushlow
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, 1151 Richmond Street, Medical Sciences Building, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, 1151 Richmond Street, Mental Health Care Building, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Steven R Laviolette
- Corresponding author: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Western Ontario, 468 Medical Science Building, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada.
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31
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Hou Y, Zou G, Wang X, Guo H, Ma X, Cheng X, Xie Z, Zuo X, Xia J, Mao H, Yuan M, Chen Q, Cao P, Yang Y, Zhang L, Xiong W. Coordinated activity of a central pathway drives associative opioid analgesic tolerance. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eabo5627. [PMID: 36753548 PMCID: PMC9908028 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo5627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Opioid analgesic tolerance, a root cause of opioid overdose and misuse, can develop through an associative learning. Despite intensive research, the locus and central pathway subserving the associative opioid analgesic tolerance (AOAT) remains unclear. Using a combination of chemo/optogenetic manipulation with calcium imaging and slice physiology, here we identify neuronal ensembles in a hierarchically organized pathway essential for AOAT. The association of morphine-induced analgesia with an environmental condition drives glutamatergic signaling from ventral hippocampus (vHPC) to dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) cholecystokininergic (CCKergic) neurons. Excitation of CCKergic neurons, which project and release CCK to basolateral amygdala (BLA) glutamatergic neurons, relays AOAT signal through inhibition of BLA μ-opioid receptor function, thereby leading to further loss of morphine analgesic efficacy. This work provides evidence for a circuit across different brain regions distinct for opioid analgesic tolerance. The components of this pathway are potential targets to treat opioid overdose and abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiwen Hou
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Guichang Zou
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei 230088, China
| | - Xianglian Wang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Hui Guo
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Xiao Ma
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Xingyu Cheng
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Zhiyong Xie
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Xin Zuo
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Jing Xia
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Huanhuan Mao
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Man Yuan
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Qi Chen
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Peng Cao
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Yupeng Yang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Li Zhang
- Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Wei Xiong
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei 230088, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Biomedical Aging Research, Hefei 230026, China
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32
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Bozic I, Rusterholz T, Mikutta C, Del Rio-Bermudez C, Nissen C, Adamantidis A. Coupling between the prelimbic cortex, nucleus reuniens, and hippocampus during NREM sleep remains stable under cognitive and homeostatic demands. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 57:106-128. [PMID: 36310348 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15853] [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: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The interplay between the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep contributes to the consolidation of contextual memories. To assess the role of the thalamic nucleus reuniens (Nre) in this interaction, we investigated the coupling of neuro-oscillatory activities among prelimbic cortex, Nre, and hippocampus across sleep states and their role in the consolidation of contextual memories using multi-site electrophysiological recordings and optogenetic manipulations. We showed that ripples are time-locked to the Up state of cortical slow waves, the transition from UP to DOWN state in thalamic slow waves, the troughs of cortical spindles, and the peaks of thalamic spindles during spontaneous sleep, rebound sleep and sleep following a fear conditioning task. In addition, spiking activity in Nre increased before hippocampal ripples, and the phase-locking of hippocampal ripples and thalamic spindles during NREM sleep was stronger after acquisition of a fear memory. We showed that optogenetic inhibition of Nre neurons reduced phase-locking of ripples to cortical slow waves in the ventral hippocampus whilst their activation altered the preferred phase of ripples to slow waves in ventral and dorsal hippocampi. However, none of these optogenetic manipulations of Nre during sleep after acquisition of fear conditioning did alter sleep-dependent memory consolidation. Collectively, these results showed that Nre is central in modulating hippocampus and cortical rhythms during NREM sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Bozic
- Zentrum für Experimentelle Neurologie, Department of Neurology, Inselspital University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Biomedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Rusterholz
- Zentrum für Experimentelle Neurologie, Department of Neurology, Inselspital University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Biomedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Christian Mikutta
- University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Privatklinik Meiringen, Meiringen, Switzerland.,Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Carlos Del Rio-Bermudez
- Zentrum für Experimentelle Neurologie, Department of Neurology, Inselspital University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Biomedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Nissen
- University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Antoine Adamantidis
- Zentrum für Experimentelle Neurologie, Department of Neurology, Inselspital University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Biomedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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33
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Points of divergence on a bumpy road: early development of brain and immune threat processing systems following postnatal adversity. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:269-283. [PMID: 35705633 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01658-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Lifelong indices of maladaptive behavior or illness often stem from early physiological aberrations during periods of dynamic development. This is especially true when dysfunction is attributable to early life adversity (ELA), when the environment itself is unsuitable to support development of healthy behavior. Exposure to ELA is strongly associated with atypical sensitivity and responsivity to potential threats-a characteristic that could be adaptive in situations where early adversity prepares individuals for lifelong danger, but which often manifests in difficulties with emotion regulation and social relationships. By synthesizing findings from animal research, this review will consider threat sensitivity through the lenses of associated corticolimbic brain circuitry and immune mechanisms, both of which are immature early in life to maximize adaptation for protection against environmental challenges to an individual's well-being. The forces that drive differential development of corticolimbic circuits include caretaking stimuli, physiological and psychological stressors, and sex, which influences developmental trajectories. These same forces direct developmental processes of the immune system, which bidirectionally communicates with sensory systems and emotion regulation circuits within the brain. Inflammatory signals offer a further force influencing the timing and nature of corticolimbic plasticity, while also regulating sensitivity to future threats from the environment (i.e., injury or pathogens). The early development of these systems programs threat sensitivity through juvenility and adolescence, carving paths for probable function throughout adulthood. To strategize prevention or management of maladaptive threat sensitivity in ELA-exposed populations, it is necessary to fully understand these early points of divergence.
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Singh S, Topolnik L. Inhibitory circuits in fear memory and fear-related disorders. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1122314. [PMID: 37035504 PMCID: PMC10076544 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1122314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear learning and memory rely on dynamic interactions between the excitatory and inhibitory neuronal populations that make up the prefrontal cortical, amygdala, and hippocampal circuits. Whereas inhibition of excitatory principal cells (PCs) by GABAergic neurons restrains their excitation, inhibition of GABAergic neurons promotes the excitation of PCs through a process called disinhibition. Specifically, GABAergic interneurons that express parvalbumin (PV+) and somatostatin (SOM+) provide inhibition to different subcellular domains of PCs, whereas those that express the vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP+) facilitate disinhibition of PCs by inhibiting PV+ and SOM+ interneurons. Importantly, although the main connectivity motifs and the underlying network functions of PV+, SOM+, and VIP+ interneurons are replicated across cortical and limbic areas, these inhibitory populations play region-specific roles in fear learning and memory. Here, we provide an overview of the fear processing in the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex based on the evidence obtained in human and animal studies. Moreover, focusing on recent findings obtained using genetically defined imaging and intervention strategies, we discuss the population-specific functions of PV+, SOM+, and VIP+ interneurons in fear circuits. Last, we review current insights that integrate the region-specific inhibitory and disinhibitory network patterns into fear memory acquisition and fear-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay Singh
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bio-informatics, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- Neuroscience Axis, CRCHUQ, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Lisa Topolnik
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bio-informatics, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- Neuroscience Axis, CRCHUQ, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- *Correspondence: Lisa Topolnik
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35
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Kupferschmidt DA, Cummings KA, Joffe ME, MacAskill A, Malik R, Sánchez-Bellot C, Tejeda HA, Yarur Castillo H. Prefrontal Interneurons: Populations, Pathways, and Plasticity Supporting Typical and Disordered Cognition in Rodent Models. J Neurosci 2022; 42:8468-8476. [PMID: 36351822 PMCID: PMC9665918 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1136-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Prefrontal cortex (PFC) inhibitory microcircuits regulate the gain and timing of pyramidal neuron firing, coordinate neural ensemble interactions, and gate local and long-range neural communication to support adaptive cognition and contextually tuned behavior. Accordingly, perturbations of PFC inhibitory microcircuits are thought to underlie dysregulated cognition and behavior in numerous psychiatric diseases and relevant animal models. This review, based on a Mini-Symposium presented at the 2022 Society for Neuroscience Meeting, highlights recent studies providing novel insights into: (1) discrete medial PFC (mPFC) interneuron populations in the mouse brain; (2) mPFC interneuron connections with, and regulation of, long-range mPFC afferents; and (3) circuit-specific plasticity of mPFC interneurons. The contributions of such populations, pathways, and plasticity to rodent cognition are discussed in the context of stress, reward, motivational conflict, and genetic mutations relevant to psychiatric disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Kupferschmidt
- Integrative Neuroscience Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892
| | - Kirstie A Cummings
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, 35233
| | - Max E Joffe
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213
| | - Andrew MacAskill
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom, WC1E 6BT
| | - Ruchi Malik
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, 94158
| | - Candela Sánchez-Bellot
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom, WC1E 6BT
- Laboratorio de Circuitos Neuronales, Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain, 28002
| | - Hugo A Tejeda
- Unit on Neuromodulation and Synaptic Integration, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892
| | - Hector Yarur Castillo
- Unit on Neuromodulation and Synaptic Integration, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892
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36
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Kribakaran S, Odriozola P, Cohodes EM, McCauley S, Zacharek SJ, Hodges H, Haberman JT, Pierre JC, Gee DG. Neural circuitry involved in conditioned inhibition via safety signal learning is sensitive to trauma exposure. Neurobiol Stress 2022; 21:100497. [PMID: 36532365 PMCID: PMC9755062 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure to trauma throughout the lifespan is prevalent and increases the likelihood for the development of mental health conditions such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Safety signal learning (SSL)--a form of conditioned inhibition that involves reducing fear via conditioned safety--has been shown to effectively attenuate fear responses among individuals with trauma exposure, but the association between trauma exposure and the neural mechanisms of SSL remains unknown. Adults with varied prior exposure to trauma completed a conditioned inhibition task during functional MRI scanning and collection of skin conductance response (SCR). Conditioned safety signals reduced psychophysiological reactivity (i.e., SCR) in the overall sample. Although exposure to a higher number of traumatic events was associated with elevated SCR across all task conditions, SCR did not differ between threat in the presence of conditioned safety (i.e., SSL) relative to threat alone in a trauma-related manner. At the neural level, however, higher levels of trauma exposure were associated with lower hippocampal, amygdala, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortical activation during SSL. These findings suggest that while conditioned safety signals can reduce fear in the presence of threat even among individuals exposed to higher degrees of trauma, the neural circuitry involved in SSL is in fact sensitive to trauma exposure. Future research investigating neural processes during SSL among individuals with PTSD or anxiety can further elucidate the ways in which SSL and its neural correlates may reduce fear and link trauma exposure with later mental health conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahana Kribakaran
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Paola Odriozola
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Sarah McCauley
- Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sadie J. Zacharek
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - H.R. Hodges
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | | | | | - Dylan G. Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Corresponding author. 2 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
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Gorkiewicz T, Danielewski K, Andraka K, Kondrakiewicz K, Meyza K, Kaminski J, Knapska E. Social buffering diminishes fear response but does not equal improved fear extinction. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:5007-5024. [PMID: 36218820 PMCID: PMC10110450 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Social support during exposure-based psychotherapy is believed to diminish fear and improve therapy outcomes. However, some clinical trials challenge that notion. Underlying mechanisms remain unknown, hindering the understanding of benefits and pitfalls of such approach. To study social buffering during fear extinction, we developed a behavioral model in which partner's presence decreases response to fear-associated stimuli. To identify the neuronal background of this phenomenon, we combined behavioral testing with c-Fos mapping, optogenetics, and chemogenetics. We found that the presence of a partner during fear extinction training causes robust inhibition of freezing; the effect, however, disappears in subjects tested individually on the following day. It is accompanied by lowered activation of the prelimbic (PL) and anterior cingulate (ACC) but not infralimbic (IL) cortex. Accordingly, blocking of IL activity left social buffering intact. Similarly, inhibition of the ventral hippocampus-PL pathway, suppressing fear response after prolonged extinction training, did not diminish the effect. In contrast, inhibition of the ACC-central amygdala pathway, modulating social behavior, blocked social buffering. By reporting that social modulation of fear inhibition is transient and insensitive to manipulation of the fear extinction-related circuits, we show that the mechanisms underlying social buffering during extinction are different from those of individual extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Gorkiewicz
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Konrad Danielewski
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Karolina Andraka
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kacper Kondrakiewicz
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.,NeuroElectronics Research Flanders, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ksenia Meyza
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jan Kaminski
- Neurophysiology of Mind Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ewelina Knapska
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
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38
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Jaffe AE, Tao R, Page SC, Maynard KR, Pattie EA, Nguyen CV, Deep-Soboslay A, Bharadwaj R, Young KA, Friedman MJ, Williamson DE, Shin JH, Hyde TM, Martinowich K, Kleinman JE. Decoding Shared Versus Divergent Transcriptomic Signatures Across Cortico-Amygdala Circuitry in PTSD and Depressive Disorders. Am J Psychiatry 2022; 179:673-686. [PMID: 35791611 PMCID: PMC10697016 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.21020162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating neuropsychiatric disease that is highly comorbid with major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder. The overlap in symptoms is hypothesized to stem from partially shared genetics and underlying neurobiological mechanisms. To delineate conservation between transcriptional patterns across PTSD and MDD, the authors examined gene expression in the human cortex and amygdala in these disorders. METHODS RNA sequencing was performed in the postmortem brain of two prefrontal cortex regions and two amygdala regions from donors diagnosed with PTSD (N=107) or MDD (N=109) as well as from neurotypical donors (N=109). RESULTS The authors identified a limited number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) specific to PTSD, with nearly all mapping to cortical versus amygdala regions. PTSD-specific DEGs were enriched in gene sets associated with downregulated immune-related pathways and microglia as well as with subpopulations of GABAergic inhibitory neurons. While a greater number of DEGs associated with MDD were identified, most overlapped with PTSD, and only a few were MDD specific. The authors used weighted gene coexpression network analysis as an orthogonal approach to confirm the observed cellular and molecular associations. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide supporting evidence for involvement of decreased immune signaling and neuroinflammation in MDD and PTSD pathophysiology, and extend evidence that GABAergic neurons have functional significance in PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew E. Jaffe
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Genetic Medicine, McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Center for Computational Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Ran Tao
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Keith A. Young
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Texas A&M College of Medicine, Bryan TX
- Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, Waco, TX
- Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Temple, TX, 76504, USA
- Baylor Scott & White Psychiatry, Temple, TX
| | - Matthew J. Friedman
- Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Dartmouth Hanover, NH
- National Center for PTSD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
| | - Douglas E. Williamson
- Duke Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, 300 North Duke St, Durham, North Carolina
- Durham VA Healthcare System, 508 Fulton St, Durham, North Carolina
| | | | - Joo Heon Shin
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD
| | - Thomas M. Hyde
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Keri Martinowich
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Joel E. Kleinman
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
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Hu W, Zhao X, Liu Y, Ren Y, Wei Z, Tang Z, Tian Y, Sun Y, Yang J. Reward sensitivity modulates the brain reward pathway in stress resilience via the inherent neuroendocrine system. Neurobiol Stress 2022; 20:100485. [PMID: 36132434 PMCID: PMC9483565 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
In the previous 10 years, researchers have suggested a critical role for the brain reward system in stress resilience. However, no study has provided an empirical link between activity in the mesostriatal reward regions during stress and the recovery of cortisol stress response. Moreover, although reward sensitivity as a trait has been demonstrated to promote stress resilience, it remains unclear whether it modulates the brain reward system in stress resilience and how this effect is achieved by the inherent neuroendocrine system. To investigate these uncertainties, 70 young adults were recruited to participate in a ScanSTRESS task, and their brain imaging data and saliva samples (for cortisol assay) were collected during the task. In addition, we assessed reward sensitivity, cortisol awakening response, and intrinsic functional connectivity of the brain in all the participants. We found that left putamen activation during stress exposure positively predicted cortisol recovery. In addition, reward sensitivity was positively linked with activation of the left putamen, and this relationship was serially mediated by the cortisol awakening response and right hippocampus-left inferior frontal gyrus intrinsic connectivity. These findings suggest that reward sensitivity modulates reward pathways in stress resilience through the interplay of the diurnal stress response system and network of the hippocampus-prefrontal circuitry. Summarily, the current study built a model to highlight the dynamic and multifaceted interaction between pertinent allostatic factors in the reward-resilience pathway and uncovered new insight into the resilience function of the mesostriatal reward system during stress. Cortisol recovery can be predicted by activation of the left putamen in stress. Activation of the left putamen was positively linked with reward sensitivity. This relationship was serially mediated by the cortisol awakening response and right hippocampus-left inferior frontal gyrus intrinsic coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiyu Hu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Xiaolin Zhao
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yadong Liu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yipeng Ren
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Zhenni Wei
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Zihan Tang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yun Tian
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yadong Sun
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Juan Yang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
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40
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Sung Y, Kaang BK. The Three Musketeers in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex: Subregion-specific Structural and Functional Plasticity Underlying Fear Memory Stages. Exp Neurobiol 2022; 31:221-231. [PMID: 36050222 PMCID: PMC9471411 DOI: 10.5607/en22012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Fear memory recruits various brain regions with long-lasting brain-wide subcellular events. The medial prefrontal cortex processes the emotional and cognitive functions required for adequately handling fear memory. Several studies have indicated that subdivisions within the medial prefrontal cortex, namely the prelimbic, infralimbic, and anterior cingulate cortices, may play different roles across fear memory states. Through a dedicated cytoarchitecture and connectivity, the three different regions of the medial prefrontal cortex play a specific role in maintaining and extinguishing fear memory. Furthermore, synaptic plasticity and maturation of neural circuits within the medial prefrontal cortex suggest that remote memories undergo structural and functional reorganization. Finally, recent technical advances have enabled genetic access to transiently activated neuronal ensembles within these regions, suggesting that memory trace cells in these regions may preferentially contribute to processing specific fear memory. We reviewed recently published reports and summarize the molecular, synaptic and cellular events occurring within the medial prefrontal cortex during various memory stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongmin Sung
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Bong-Kiun Kaang
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
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41
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Herry C, Jercog D. Decoding defensive systems. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2022; 76:102600. [PMID: 35809501 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2022.102600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Our understanding of the neuronal circuits and mechanisms of defensive systems has been primarily dominated by studies focusing on the contribution of individual cells in the processing of threat-predictive cues, defensive responses, the extinction of such responses and the contextual modulation of threat-related behavior. These studies have been key in establishing threat-related circuits and mechanisms. Yet, they fall short in answering long-standing questions related to the integrative processing of distinct threatening cues, behavioral states induced by threat-related events, or the bridging from sensory processing of threat-related cues to specific defensive responses. Recent conceptual and technical developments has allowed the monitoring of large populations of neurons, which in addition to advanced analytic tools, have improved our understanding of how collective neuronal activity supports threat-related behaviors. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge of neuronal population codes within threat-related networks, in the context of aversive motivated behavior and the study of defensive systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyril Herry
- INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, 146 Rue Léo-Saignat, 33077 Bordeaux, France; Univ. Bordeaux, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, 146 Rue Léo-Saignat, 33077 Bordeaux, France.
| | - Daniel Jercog
- INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, 146 Rue Léo-Saignat, 33077 Bordeaux, France; Univ. Bordeaux, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, 146 Rue Léo-Saignat, 33077 Bordeaux, France.
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Conditioned Inhibition of Amphetamine Sensitization. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 192:107636. [PMID: 35597434 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107636] [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: 01/29/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Repeated intermittent exposure to psychostimulants, such as amphetamine, leads to a progressive enhancement of the drug's ability to increase both behavioral and brain neurochemical responses. The expression of these enhancements, known as sensitization, can be regulated by Pavlovian conditioned stimuli. Cues that are associated with drug experience can facilitate sensitization so that it only occurs in the presence of these stimuli (context-specific sensitization). In contrast, cues that are explicitly related to the absence of drugs (conditioned inhibitors) can prevent the expression of sensitization. We hypothesized that disrupting conditioned inhibition would enable amphetamine sensitization in new contexts. Using male Sprague Dawley rats and a two-context amphetamine conditioning procedure, we found that extinguishing amphetamine experience in one environment led to the loss of conditioned inhibition in a separate context. Thus, amphetamine-induced sensitized locomotion, as well as both enhanced dopamine and glutamate neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens, were observed in a context where the drug was never experienced before. A similar loss of contextual control of sensitization was seen after using baclofen/muscimol microinjections to transiently inhibit the medial prefrontal cortex, basolateral amygdala, or ventral subiculum of the hippocampus. In other words, compared to control infusions, these intracranial injections of GABA-receptor agonists were able to block conditioned inhibitors from preventing the expression of sensitized locomotion. Together, these findings reveal the importance of conditioned inhibitors for regulating addiction-like behavior. The results suggest that dopaminergic and glutamatergic brain circuitry controls the context-specific expression of amphetamine sensitization.
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Ressler KJ, Berretta S, Bolshakov VY, Rosso IM, Meloni EG, Rauch SL, Carlezon WA. Post-traumatic stress disorder: clinical and translational neuroscience from cells to circuits. Nat Rev Neurol 2022; 18:273-288. [PMID: 35352034 PMCID: PMC9682920 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-022-00635-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a maladaptive and debilitating psychiatric disorder, characterized by re-experiencing, avoidance, negative emotions and thoughts, and hyperarousal in the months and years following exposure to severe trauma. PTSD has a prevalence of approximately 6-8% in the general population, although this can increase to 25% among groups who have experienced severe psychological trauma, such as combat veterans, refugees and victims of assault. The risk of developing PTSD in the aftermath of severe trauma is determined by multiple factors, including genetics - at least 30-40% of the risk of PTSD is heritable - and past history, for example, prior adult and childhood trauma. Many of the primary symptoms of PTSD, including hyperarousal and sleep dysregulation, are increasingly understood through translational neuroscience. In addition, a large amount of evidence suggests that PTSD can be viewed, at least in part, as a disorder that involves dysregulation of normal fear processes. The neural circuitry underlying fear and threat-related behaviour and learning in mammals, including the amygdala-hippocampus-medial prefrontal cortex circuit, is among the most well-understood in behavioural neuroscience. Furthermore, the study of threat-responding and its underlying circuitry has led to rapid progress in understanding learning and memory processes. By combining molecular-genetic approaches with a translational, mechanistic knowledge of fear circuitry, transformational advances in the conceptual framework, diagnosis and treatment of PTSD are possible. In this Review, we describe the clinical features and current treatments for PTSD, examine the neurobiology of symptom domains, highlight genomic advances and discuss translational approaches to understanding mechanisms and identifying new treatments and interventions for this devastating syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerry J Ressler
- SPARED Center, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Sabina Berretta
- SPARED Center, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Vadim Y Bolshakov
- SPARED Center, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Isabelle M Rosso
- SPARED Center, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Edward G Meloni
- SPARED Center, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Scott L Rauch
- SPARED Center, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - William A Carlezon
- SPARED Center, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Hodges TE, Lee GY, Noh SH, Galea LA. Sex and age differences in cognitive bias and neural activation in response to cognitive bias testing. Neurobiol Stress 2022; 18:100458. [PMID: 35586750 PMCID: PMC9109184 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive symptoms of depression, including negative cognitive bias, are more severe in women than in men. Current treatments to reduce negative cognitive bias are not effective and sex differences in the neural activity underlying cognitive bias may play a role. Here we examined sex and age differences in cognitive bias and functional connectivity in a novel paradigm. Male and female rats underwent an 18-day cognitive bias procedure, in which they learned to discriminate between two contexts (shock paired context A, no-shock paired context B), during either adolescence (postnatal day (PD 40)), young adulthood (PD 100), or middle-age (PD 210). Cognitive bias was measured as freezing behaviour in response to an ambiguous context (context C), with freezing levels akin to the shock paired context coded as negative bias. All animals learned to discriminate between the two contexts, regardless of sex or age. However, adults (young adults, middle-aged) displayed a greater negative cognitive bias compared to adolescents, and middle-aged males had a greater negative cognitive bias than middle-aged females. Females had greater neural activation of the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, and hippocampal regions to the ambiguous context compared to males, and young rats (adolescent, young adults) had greater neural activation in these regions compared to middle-aged rats. Functional connectivity between regions involved in cognitive bias differed by age and sex, and only adult males had negative correlations between the frontal regions and hippocampal regions. These findings highlight the importance of examining age and sex when investigating the underpinnings of negative cognitive bias and lay the groundwork for determining what age- and sex-specific regions to target in future cognitive bias studies. Middle-aged males had a greater negative cognitive bias than middle-aged females. Adult rats displayed a greater negative cognitive bias compared to adolescents. Greater neural activity in females than males in limbic and reward regions. Greater role of the frontal cortex activation in the cognitive bias of adults. Functional connectivity in response to cognitive bias differed by age and sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis E. Hodges
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Canada
| | - Grace Y. Lee
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sophia H. Noh
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Canada
| | - Liisa A.M. Galea
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Corresponding author. Dr. Liisa Galea Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 2215 Wesbrook Mall Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z3
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Narvaes RF, Nachtigall EG, Marcondes LA, Izquierdo I, Myskiw JDC, Furini CR. Involvement of medial prefrontal cortex canonical Wnt/β-catenin and non-canonical Wnt/Ca2+ signaling pathways in contextual fear memory in male rats. Behav Brain Res 2022; 430:113948. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Sun W, Chen X, Mei Y, Yang Y, Li X, An L. Prelimbic proBDNF Facilitates Retrieval-Dependent Fear Memory Destabilization by Regulation of Synaptic and Neural Functions in Juvenile Rats. Mol Neurobiol 2022; 59:4179-4196. [PMID: 35501631 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-022-02849-9] [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: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Fear regulation changes as a function of the early life is a key developmental period for the continued maturation of fear neural circuitry. The mechanisms of fear retrieval-induced reconsolidation have been investigated but remain poorly understood. The involvement of prelimbic proBDNF in fear memory extinction and its mediated signaling have been reported previously. Specifically, blocking the proBDNF/p75NTR pathway during the postnatal stage disrupts synaptic development and neuronal activity in adulthood. Given the inherent high expression of proBDNF during the juvenile period, we tested whether the prelimbic proBDNF regulated synaptic and neuronal functions allowing to influencing retrieval-dependent memory processing. By examining the freezing behavior of auditory fear-conditioned rats, we found the high level of the prelimbic proBDNF in juvenile rats enhanced the destabilization of the retrieval-dependent weak but not strong fear memory through activating p75NTR-GluN2B signaling. This modification of fear memory traces was attributed to the increment in the proportion of thin-type spine and promotion in synaptic function, as evidenced by the facilitation of NMDA-mediated EPSCs and GluN2B-dependent synaptic depression at the prelimbic projection. Furthermore, the strong prelimbic theta- and gamma-oscillation coupling predicted the suppressive effect of juvenile proBDNF on the recall of postretrieval memory. Our results critically emphasize the importance of developmental proBDNF for modification of retrieval-dependent memory and provide a potential critical targeting to inhibit threaten memories associated with neurodevelopment disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Sun
- Department of Pediatric, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550001, Guizhou, China.,Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550001, Guizhou, China
| | - Xiao Chen
- Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550001, Guizhou, China.,Department of Neurology, Jinan Geriatric/Rehabilitation Hospital, Jinan, 250013, China
| | - Yazi Mei
- Graduate School of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Department of Pediatric, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550001, Guizhou, China
| | - Xiaoliang Li
- Department of Neurology, Jinan Geriatric/Rehabilitation Hospital, Jinan, 250013, China
| | - Lei An
- Department of Pediatric, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550001, Guizhou, China. .,Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550001, Guizhou, China. .,Department of Neurology, Jinan Geriatric/Rehabilitation Hospital, Jinan, 250013, China. .,Graduate School of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
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Namkung H, Thomas KL, Hall J, Sawa A. Parsing neural circuits of fear learning and extinction across basic and clinical neuroscience: Towards better translation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 134:104502. [PMID: 34921863 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Over the past decades, studies of fear learning and extinction have advanced our understanding of the neurobiology of threat and safety learning. Animal studies can provide mechanistic/causal insights into human brain regions and their functional connectivity involved in fear learning and extinction. Findings in humans, conversely, may further enrich our understanding of neural circuits in animals by providing macroscopic insights at the level of brain-wide networks. Nevertheless, there is still much room for improvement in translation between basic and clinical research on fear learning and extinction. Through the lens of neural circuits, in this article, we aim to review the current knowledge of fear learning and extinction in both animals and humans, and to propose strategies to fill in the current knowledge gap for the purpose of enhancing clinical benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ho Namkung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Kerrie L Thomas
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Jeremy Hall
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Akira Sawa
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
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48
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Hennings AC, McClay M, Drew MR, Lewis-Peacock JA, Dunsmoor JE. Neural reinstatement reveals divided organization of fear and extinction memories in the human brain. Curr Biol 2022; 32:304-314.e5. [PMID: 34813732 PMCID: PMC8792329 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Neurobiological research in rodents has revealed that competing experiences of fear and extinction are stored as distinct memory traces in the brain. This divided organization is adaptive for mitigating overgeneralization of fear to related stimuli that are learned to be safe while also maintaining threat associations for unsafe stimuli. The mechanisms involved in organizing these competing memories in the human brain remain unclear. Here, we used a hybrid form of Pavlovian conditioning with an episodic memory component to identify overlapping multivariate patterns of fMRI activity associated with the formation and retrieval of fear versus extinction. In healthy adults, distinct regions of the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus showed selective reactivation of fear versus extinction memories based on the temporal context in which these memories were encoded. This dissociation was absent in participants with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The divided neural organization of fear and extinction may support flexible retrieval of context-appropriate emotional memories, while their disorganization may promote overgeneralization and increased fear relapse in affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Augustin C Hennings
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Mason McClay
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael R Drew
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Jarrod A Lewis-Peacock
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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Sánchez-Bellot C, AlSubaie R, Mishchanchuk K, Wee RWS, MacAskill AF. Two opposing hippocampus to prefrontal cortex pathways for the control of approach and avoidance behaviour. Nat Commun 2022; 13:339. [PMID: 35039510 PMCID: PMC8763938 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-27977-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The decision to either approach or avoid a potentially threatening environment is thought to rely upon the coordinated activity of heterogeneous neural populations in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC). However, how this circuitry is organized to flexibly promote both approach or avoidance at different times has remained elusive. Here, we show that the hippocampal projection to PFC is composed of two parallel circuits located in the superficial or deep pyramidal layers of the CA1/subiculum border. These circuits have unique upstream and downstream connectivity, and are differentially active during approach and avoidance behaviour. The superficial population is preferentially connected to widespread PFC inhibitory interneurons, and its activation promotes exploration; while the deep circuit is connected to PFC pyramidal neurons and fast spiking interneurons, and its activation promotes avoidance. Together this provides a mechanism for regulation of behaviour during approach avoidance conflict: through two specialized, parallel circuits that allow bidirectional hippocampal control of PFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candela Sánchez-Bellot
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, Gower St, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Rawan AlSubaie
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, Gower St, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Karyna Mishchanchuk
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, Gower St, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Ryan W S Wee
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, Gower St, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Andrew F MacAskill
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, Gower St, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
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50
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Meisner OC, Nair A, Chang SWC. Amygdala connectivity and implications for social cognition and disorders. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2022; 187:381-403. [PMID: 35964984 PMCID: PMC9436700 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-823493-8.00017-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala is a hub of subcortical region that is crucial in a wide array of affective and motivation-related behaviors. While early research contributed significantly to our understanding of this region's extensive connections to other subcortical and cortical regions, recent methodological advances have enabled researchers to better understand the details of these circuits and their behavioral contributions. Much of this work has focused specifically on investigating the role of amygdala circuits in social cognition. In this chapter, we review both long-standing knowledge and novel research on the amygdala's structure, function, and involvement in social cognition. We focus specifically on the amygdala's circuits with the medial prefrontal cortex, the orbitofrontal cortex, and the hippocampus, as these regions share extensive anatomic and functional connections with the amygdala. Furthermore, we discuss how dysfunction in the amygdala may contribute to social deficits in clinical disorders including autism spectrum disorder, social anxiety disorder, and Williams syndrome. We conclude that social functions mediated by the amygdala are orchestrated through multiple intricate interactions between the amygdala and its interconnected brain regions, endorsing the importance of understanding the amygdala from network perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia C Meisner
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Amrita Nair
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Steve W C Chang
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States.
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