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Ma LH, Li S, Jiao XH, Li ZY, Zhou Y, Zhou CR, Zhou CH, Zheng H, Wu YQ. BLA-involved circuits in neuropsychiatric disorders. Ageing Res Rev 2024; 99:102363. [PMID: 38838785 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2024.102363] [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: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is the subregion of the amygdala located in the medial of the temporal lobe, which is connected with a wide range of brain regions to achieve diverse functions. Recently, an increasing number of studies have focused on the participation of the BLA in many neuropsychiatric disorders from the neural circuit perspective, aided by the rapid development of viral tracing methods and increasingly specific neural modulation technologies. However, how to translate this circuit-level preclinical intervention into clinical treatment using noninvasive or minor invasive manipulations to benefit patients struggling with neuropsychiatric disorders is still an inevitable question to be considered. In this review, we summarized the role of BLA-involved circuits in neuropsychiatric disorders including Alzheimer's disease, perioperative neurocognitive disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, posttraumatic stress disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and pain-associative affective states and cognitive dysfunctions. Additionally, we provide insights into future directions and challenges for clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin-Hui Ma
- Department of Anesthesiology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Shuai Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Xin-Hao Jiao
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Zi-Yi Li
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Yue Zhou
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Chen-Rui Zhou
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Cheng-Hua Zhou
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Drug Research and Clinical Pharmacy, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China.
| | - Hui Zheng
- Department of Anesthesiology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China.
| | - Yu-Qing Wu
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China.
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Zeisler ZR, Heslin KA, Stoll FM, Hof PR, Clem RL, Rudebeck PH. Comparative basolateral amygdala connectomics reveals dissociable single-neuron projection patterns to frontal cortex in macaques and mice. Curr Biol 2024; 34:3249-3257.e3. [PMID: 38964318 PMCID: PMC11293557 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.06.012] [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: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a key hub for affect in the brain,1,2,3 and dysfunction within this area contributes to a host of psychiatric disorders.4,5 BLA is extensively and reciprocally interconnected with frontal cortex,6,7,8,9 and some aspects of its function are evolutionarily conserved across rodents, anthropoid primates, and humans.10 Neuron density in BLA is substantially lower in primates compared to murine rodents,11 and frontal cortex (FC) is dramatically expanded in primates, particularly the more anterior granular and dysgranular areas.12,13,14 Yet, how these anatomical differences influence the projection patterns of single BLA neurons to frontal cortex across rodents and primates is unknown. Using a barcoded connectomic approach, we assessed the single BLA neuron connections to frontal cortex in mice and macaques. We found that BLA neurons are more likely to project to multiple distinct parts of FC in mice than in macaques. Further, while single BLA neuron projections to nucleus accumbens were similarly organized in mice and macaques, BLA-FC connections differed substantially. Notably, BLA connections to subcallosal anterior cingulate cortex (scACC) in macaques were least likely to branch to other medial frontal cortex areas compared to perigenual ACC (pgACC). This pattern of connections was reversed in the mouse homologues of these areas, infralimbic and prelimbic cortex (IL and PL), mirroring functional differences between rodents and non-human primates. Taken together, these results indicate that BLA connections to FC are not linearly scaled from mice to macaques and instead the organization of single-neuron BLA connections is distinct between these species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary R Zeisler
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA; Lipschultz Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Kelsey A Heslin
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Frederic M Stoll
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA; Lipschultz Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA; Center for Discovery and Innovation, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 787 11(th) Avenue, New York, NY 10019, USA
| | - Roger L Clem
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Peter H Rudebeck
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA; Lipschultz Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
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3
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Báldi R, Muthuswamy S, Loomba N, Patel S. Synaptic Organization-Function Relationships of Amygdala Interneurons Supporting Associative Learning. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.18.599631. [PMID: 38948865 PMCID: PMC11212985 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.18.599631] [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
Coordinated activity of basolateral amygdala (BLA) GABAergic interneurons (INs) and glutamatergic principal cells (PCs) is critical for associative learning, however the microcircuit organization-function relationships of distinct IN classes remain uncertain. Here, we show somatostatin (SOM) INs provide inhibition onto, and are excited by, local PCs, whereas vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) INs are driven by extrinsic afferents. Parvalbumin (PV) INs inhibit PCs and are activated by local and extrinsic inputs. Thus, SOM and VIP INs exhibit complementary roles in feedback and feedforward inhibition, respectively, while PV INs contribute to both microcircuit motifs. Functionally, each IN subtype reveals unique activity patterns across fear- and extinction learning with SOM and VIP INs showing most divergent characteristics, and PV INs display an intermediate phenotype parallelling synaptic data. Finally, SOM and PV INs dynamically track behavioral state transitions across learning. These data provide insight into the synaptic microcircuit organization-function relationships of distinct BLA IN classes.
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Concina G, Milano L, Renna A, Manassero E, Stabile F, Sacchetti B. Hippocampus-to-amygdala pathway drives the separation of remote memories of related events. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114151. [PMID: 38656872 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114151] [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: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The mammalian brain can store and retrieve memories of related events as distinct memories and remember common features of those experiences. How it computes this function remains elusive. Here, we show in rats that recent memories of two closely timed auditory fear events share overlapping neuronal ensembles in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and are functionally linked. However, remote memories have reduced neuronal overlap and are functionally independent. The activity of parvalbumin (PV)-expressing neurons in the BLA plays a crucial role in forming separate remote memories. Chemogenetic blockade of PV preserves individual remote memories but prevents their segregation, resulting in reciprocal associations. The hippocampus drives this process through specific excitatory connections with BLA GABAergic interneurons. These findings provide insights into the neuronal mechanisms that minimize the overlap between distinct remote memories and enable the retrieval of related memories separately.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Concina
- Rita Levi-Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
| | - Luisella Milano
- Rita Levi-Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
| | - Annamaria Renna
- Rita Levi-Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
| | - Eugenio Manassero
- Rita Levi-Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
| | - Francesca Stabile
- Rita Levi-Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
| | - Benedetto Sacchetti
- Rita Levi-Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy.
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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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Cattani A, Arnold DB, McCarthy M, Kopell N. Basolateral amygdala oscillations enable fear learning in a biophysical model. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.04.28.538604. [PMID: 37163011 PMCID: PMC10168360 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.28.538604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a key site where fear learning takes place through synaptic plasticity. Rodent research shows prominent low theta (~3-6 Hz), high theta (~6-12 Hz), and gamma (>30 Hz) rhythms in the BLA local field potential recordings. However, it is not understood what role these rhythms play in supporting the plasticity. Here, we create a biophysically detailed model of the BLA circuit to show that several classes of interneurons (PV, SOM, and VIP) in the BLA can be critically involved in producing the rhythms; these rhythms promote the formation of a dedicated fear circuit shaped through rhythmic gating of spike-timing-dependent plasticity. Each class of interneurons is necessary for the plasticity. We find that the low theta rhythm is a biomarker of successful fear conditioning. Finally, we discuss how the peptide released by the VIP cell may alter the dynamics of plasticity to support the necessary fine timing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Cattani
- Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Don B Arnold
- Department of Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Michelle McCarthy
- Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Nancy Kopell
- Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
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Kanigowski D, Urban-Ciecko J. Conditioning and pseudoconditioning differently change intrinsic excitability of inhibitory interneurons in the neocortex. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae109. [PMID: 38572735 PMCID: PMC10993172 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae109] [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: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Many studies indicate a broad role of various classes of GABAergic interneurons in the processes related to learning. However, little is known about how the learning process affects intrinsic excitability of specific classes of interneurons in the neocortex. To determine this, we employed a simple model of conditional learning in mice where vibrissae stimulation was used as a conditioned stimulus and a tail shock as an unconditioned one. In vitro whole-cell patch-clamp recordings showed an increase in intrinsic excitability of low-threshold spiking somatostatin-expressing interneurons (SST-INs) in layer 4 (L4) of the somatosensory (barrel) cortex after the conditioning paradigm. In contrast, pseudoconditioning reduced intrinsic excitability of SST-LTS, parvalbumin-expressing interneurons (PV-INs), and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-expressing interneurons (VIP-INs) with accommodating pattern in L4 of the barrel cortex. In general, increased intrinsic excitability was accompanied by narrowing of action potentials (APs), whereas decreased intrinsic excitability coincided with AP broadening. Altogether, these results show that both conditioning and pseudoconditioning lead to plastic changes in intrinsic excitability of GABAergic interneurons in a cell-specific manner. In this way, changes in intrinsic excitability can be perceived as a common mechanism of learning-induced plasticity in the GABAergic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Kanigowski
- Laboratory of Electrophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Urban-Ciecko
- Laboratory of Electrophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
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8
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Kelly TJ, Bonniwell EM, Mu L, Liu X, Hu Y, Friedman V, Yu H, Su W, McCorvy JD, Liu QS. Psilocybin analog 4-OH-DiPT enhances fear extinction and GABAergic inhibition of principal neurons in the basolateral amygdala. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:854-863. [PMID: 37752222 PMCID: PMC10948882 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01744-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Psychedelics such as psilocybin show great promise for the treatment of depression and PTSD, but their long duration of action poses practical limitations for patient access. 4-OH-DiPT is a fast-acting and shorter-lasting derivative of psilocybin. Here we characterized the pharmacological profile of 4-OH-DiPT and examined its impact on fear extinction learning as well as a potential mechanism of action. First, we profiled 4-OH-DiPT at all 12 human 5-HT GPCRs. 4-OH-DiPT showed strongest agonist activity at all three 5-HT2A/2B/2C receptors with near full agonist activity at 5-HT2A. Notably, 4-OH-DiPT had comparable activity at mouse and human 5-HT2A/2B/2C receptors. In a fear extinction paradigm, 4-OH-DiPT significantly reduced freezing responses to conditioned cues in a dose-dependent manner with a greater potency in female mice than male mice. Female mice that received 4-OH-DiPT before extinction training had reduced avoidance behaviors several days later in the light dark box, elevated plus maze and novelty-suppressed feeding test compared to controls, while male mice did not show significant differences. 4-OH-DiPT produced robust increases in spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) in basolateral amygdala (BLA) principal neurons and action potential firing in BLA interneurons in a 5-HT2A-dependent manner. RNAscope demonstrates that Htr2a mRNA is expressed predominantly in BLA GABA interneurons, Htr2c mRNA is expressed in both GABA interneurons and principal neurons, while Htr2b mRNA is absent in the BLA. Our findings suggest that 4-OH-DiPT activates BLA interneurons via the 5-HT2A receptor to enhance GABAergic inhibition of BLA principal neurons, which provides a potential mechanism for suppressing learned fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Kelly
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA
| | - Emma M Bonniwell
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA
| | - Lianwei Mu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA
| | - Xiaojie Liu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA
| | - Ying Hu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA
| | - Vladislav Friedman
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA
| | - Hao Yu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA
| | - Wantang Su
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA
| | - John D McCorvy
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA.
| | - Qing-Song Liu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA.
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Yang YC, Wang GH, Chou P, Hsueh SW, Lai YC, Kuo CC. Dynamic electrical synapses rewire brain networks for persistent oscillations and epileptogenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2313042121. [PMID: 38346194 PMCID: PMC10895348 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313042121] [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: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
One of the very fundamental attributes for telencephalic neural computation in mammals involves network activities oscillating beyond the initial trigger. The continuing and automated processing of transient inputs shall constitute the basis of cognition and intelligence but may lead to neuropsychiatric disorders such as epileptic seizures if carried so far as to engross part of or the whole telencephalic system. From a conventional view of the basic design of the telencephalic local circuitry, the GABAergic interneurons (INs) and glutamatergic pyramidal neurons (PNs) make negative feedback loops which would regulate the neural activities back to the original state. The drive for the most intriguing self-perpetuating telencephalic activities, then, has not been posed and characterized. We found activity-dependent deployment and delineated functional consequences of the electrical synapses directly linking INs and PNs in the amygdala, a prototypical telencephalic circuitry. These electrical synapses endow INs dual (a faster excitatory and a slower inhibitory) actions on PNs, providing a network-intrinsic excitatory drive that fuels the IN-PN interconnected circuitries and enables persistent oscillations with preservation of GABAergic negative feedback. Moreover, the entities of electrical synapses between INs and PNs are engaged in and disengaged from functioning in a highly dynamic way according to neural activities, which then determine the spatiotemporal scale of recruited oscillating networks. This study uncovers a special wide-range and context-dependent plasticity for wiring/rewiring of brain networks. Epileptogenesis or a wide spectrum of clinical disorders may ensue, however, from different scales of pathological extension of this unique form of telencephalic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Chin Yang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan333, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan333, Taiwan
- Neuroscience Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Taoyuan333, Taiwan
- Department of Psychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Taoyuan333, Taiwan
| | - Guan-Hsun Wang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan333, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Education, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Taoyuan333, Taiwan
- Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Taoyuan333, Taiwan
| | - Ping Chou
- Department of Physiology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei100, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Wei Hsueh
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan333, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Chen Lai
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan333, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Chin Kuo
- Department of Physiology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei100, Taiwan
- Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei100, Taiwan
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10
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Zeisler ZR, Heslin KA, Stoll FM, Hof PR, Clem RL, Rudebeck PH. Comparative basolateral amygdala connectomics reveals dissociable single-neuron projection patterns to frontal cortex in macaques and mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.18.571711. [PMID: 38187599 PMCID: PMC10769239 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.18.571711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) projects to the frontal cortex (FC) in both rodents and primates, but the comparative organization of single-neuron BLA-FC projections is unknown. Using a barcoded connectomic approach, we found that BLA neurons are more likely to project to multiple distinct parts of FC in mice than in macaques. Further, while single BLA neuron projections to nucleus accumbens are similarly organized in mice and macaques, BLA-FC connections differ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary R Zeisler
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Lipschultz Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Kelsey A Heslin
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Frederic M Stoll
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Lipschultz Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Roger L Clem
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Peter H Rudebeck
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Lipschultz Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
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11
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Morishima M, Matsumura S, Tohyama S, Nagashima T, Konno A, Hirai H, Watabe AM. Excitatory subtypes of the lateral amygdala neurons are differentially involved in regulation of synaptic plasticity and excitation/inhibition balance in aversive learning in mice. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1292822. [PMID: 38162000 PMCID: PMC10755964 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1292822] [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: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The amygdala plays a crucial role in aversive learning. In Pavlovian fear conditioning, sensory information about an emotionally neutral conditioned stimulus (CS) and an innately aversive unconditioned stimulus is associated with the lateral amygdala (LA), and the CS acquires the ability to elicit conditioned responses. Aversive learning induces synaptic plasticity in LA excitatory neurons from CS pathways, such as the medial geniculate nucleus (MGN) of the thalamus. Although LA excitatory cells have traditionally been classified based on their firing patterns, the relationship between the subtypes and functional properties remains largely unknown. In this study, we classified excitatory cells into two subtypes based on whether the after-depolarized potential (ADP) amplitude is expressed in non-ADP cells and ADP cells. Their electrophysiological properties were significantly different. We examined subtype-specific synaptic plasticity in the MGN-LA pathway following aversive learning using optogenetics and found significant experience-dependent plasticity in feed-forward inhibitory responses in fear-conditioned mice compared with control mice. Following aversive learning, the inhibition/excitation (I/E) balance in ADP cells drastically changed, whereas that in non-ADP cells tended to change in the reverse direction. These results suggest that the two LA subtypes are differentially regulated in relation to synaptic plasticity and I/E balance during aversive learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mieko Morishima
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan
| | - Sohta Matsumura
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan
| | - Suguru Tohyama
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan
| | - Takashi Nagashima
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan
| | - Ayumu Konno
- Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan
- Viral Vector Core, Gunma University Initiative for Advanced Research (GIAR), Maebashi, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Hirai
- Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan
- Viral Vector Core, Gunma University Initiative for Advanced Research (GIAR), Maebashi, Japan
| | - Ayako M. Watabe
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan
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12
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Chen APF, Chen L, Shi KW, Cheng E, Ge S, Xiong Q. Nigrostriatal dopamine modulates the striatal-amygdala pathway in auditory fear conditioning. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7231. [PMID: 37945595 PMCID: PMC10636191 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43066-9] [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: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The auditory striatum, a sensory portion of the dorsal striatum, plays an essential role in learning and memory. In contrast to its roles and underlying mechanisms in operant conditioning, however, little is known about its contribution to classical auditory fear conditioning. Here, we reveal the function of the auditory striatum in auditory-conditioned fear memory. We find that optogenetically inhibiting auditory striatal neurons impairs fear memory formation, which is mediated through the striatal-amygdala pathway. Using calcium imaging in behaving mice, we find that auditory striatal neuronal responses to conditioned tones potentiate across memory acquisition and expression. Furthermore, nigrostriatal dopaminergic projections plays an important role in modulating conditioning-induced striatal potentiation. Together, these findings demonstrate the existence of a nigro-striatal-amygdala circuit for conditioned fear memory formation and expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allen P F Chen
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Renaissance School of Medicine at SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Lu Chen
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Kaiyo W Shi
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Eileen Cheng
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Shaoyu Ge
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Qiaojie Xiong
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
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13
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Veres JM, Fekete Z, Müller K, Andrasi T, Rovira-Esteban L, Barabas B, Papp OI, Hajos N. Fear learning and aversive stimuli differentially change excitatory synaptic transmission in perisomatic inhibitory cells of the basal amygdala. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1120338. [PMID: 37731462 PMCID: PMC10507864 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1120338] [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: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory circuits in the basal amygdala (BA) have been shown to play a crucial role in associative fear learning. How the excitatory synaptic inputs received by BA GABAergic interneurons are influenced by memory formation, a network parameter that may contribute to learning processes, is still largely unknown. Here, we investigated the features of excitatory synaptic transmission received by the three types of perisomatic inhibitory interneurons upon cue-dependent fear conditioning and aversive stimulus and tone presentations without association. Acute slices were prepared from transgenic mice: one group received tone presentation only (conditioned stimulus, CS group), the second group was challenged by mild electrical shocks unpaired with the CS (unsigned unconditioned stimulus, unsigned US group) and the third group was presented with the CS paired with the US (signed US group). We found that excitatory synaptic inputs (miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents, mEPSCs) recorded in distinct interneuron types in the BA showed plastic changes with different patterns. Parvalbumin (PV) basket cells in the unsigned US and signed US group received mEPSCs with reduced amplitude and rate in comparison to the only CS group. Coupling the US and CS in the signed US group caused a slight increase in the amplitude of the events in comparison to the unsigned US group, where the association of CS and US does not take place. Excitatory synaptic inputs onto cholecystokinin (CCK) basket cells showed a markedly different change from PV basket cells in these behavioral paradigms: only the decay time was significantly faster in the unsigned US group compared to the only CS group, whereas the amplitude of mEPSCs increased in the signed US group compared to the only CS group. Excitatory synaptic inputs received by PV axo-axonic cells showed the least difference in the three behavioral paradigm: the only significant change was that the rate of mEPSCs increased in the signed US group when compared to the only CS group. These results collectively show that associative learning and aversive stimuli unpaired with CS cause different changes in excitatory synaptic transmission in BA perisomatic interneuron types, supporting the hypothesis that they play distinct roles in the BA network operations upon pain information processing and fear memory formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit M. Veres
- Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology, ELRN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsuzsanna Fekete
- Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology, ELRN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- János Szentágothai School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Kinga Müller
- Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology, ELRN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- János Szentágothai School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tibor Andrasi
- Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology, ELRN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Laura Rovira-Esteban
- Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology, ELRN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Bence Barabas
- Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology, ELRN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- János Szentágothai School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Orsolya I. Papp
- Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology, ELRN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Norbert Hajos
- Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology, ELRN 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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14
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Rexrode L, Tennin M, Babu J, Young C, Bollavarapu R, Lawson LA, Valeri J, Pantazopoulos H, Gisabella B. Regulation of dendritic spines in the amygdala following sleep deprivation. FRONTIERS IN SLEEP 2023; 2:1145203. [PMID: 37928499 PMCID: PMC10624159 DOI: 10.3389/frsle.2023.1145203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala is a hub of emotional circuits involved in the regulation of cognitive and emotional behaviors and its critically involved in emotional reactivity, stress regulation, and fear memory. Growing evidence suggests that the amygdala plays a key role in the consolidation of emotional memories during sleep. Neuroimaging studies demonstrated that the amygdala is selectively and highly activated during rapid eye movement sleep (REM) and sleep deprivation induces emotional instability and dysregulation of the emotional learning process. Regulation of dendritic spines during sleep represents a morphological correlate of memory consolidation. Several studies indicate that dendritic spines are remodeled during sleep, with evidence for broad synaptic downscaling and selective synaptic upscaling in several cortical areas and the hippocampus. Currently, there is a lack of information regarding the regulation of dendritic spines in the amygdala during sleep. In the present work, we investigated the effect of 5 h of sleep deprivation on dendritic spines in the mouse amygdala. Our data demonstrate that sleep deprivation results in differential dendritic spine changes depending on both the amygdala subregions and the morphological subtypes of dendritic spines. We observed decreased density of mushroom spines in the basolateral amygdala of sleep deprived mice, together with increased neck length and decreased surface area and volume. In contrast, we observed greater densities of stubby spines in sleep deprived mice in the central amygdala, indicating that downscaling selectively occurs in this spine type. Greater neck diameters for thin spines in the lateral and basolateral nuclei of sleep deprived mice, and decreases in surface area and volume for mushroom spines in the basolateral amygdala compared to increases in the cental amygdala provide further support for spine type-selective synaptic downscaling in these areas during sleep. Our findings suggest that sleep promotes synaptic upscaling of mushroom spines in the basolateral amygdala, and downscaling of selective spine types in the lateral and central amygdala. In addition, we observed decreased density of phosphorylated cofilin immunoreactive and growth hormone immunoreactive cells in the amygdala of sleep deprived mice, providing further support for upscaling of dendritic spines during sleep. Overall, our findings point to region-and spine type-specific changes in dendritic spines during sleep in the amygdala, which may contribute to consolidation of emotional memories during sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay Rexrode
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, United States
| | - Matthew Tennin
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, United States
| | - Jobin Babu
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, United States
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, United States
| | - Caleb Young
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, United States
| | - Ratna Bollavarapu
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, United States
| | - Lamiorkor Ameley Lawson
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, United States
| | - Jake Valeri
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, United States
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, United States
| | - Harry Pantazopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, United States
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, United States
| | - Barbara Gisabella
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, United States
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, United States
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15
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Park A, Jacob AD, Hsiang HLL, Frankland PW, Howland JG, Josselyn SA. Formation and fate of an engram in the lateral amygdala supporting a rewarding memory in mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:724-733. [PMID: 36261624 PMCID: PMC10066178 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01472-5] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Memories allow past experiences to guide future decision making and behavior. Sparse ensembles of neurons, known as engrams, are thought to store memories in the brain. Most previous research has focused on engrams supporting threatening or fearful memories where results show that neurons involved in a particular engram ("engram neurons") are both necessary and sufficient for memory expression. Far less is understood about engrams supporting appetitive or rewarding memories. As circumstances and environments are dynamic, the fate of a previously acquired engram with changing circumstances is unknown. Here we examined how engrams supporting a rewarding cue-cocaine memory are formed and whether this original engram is important in reinstatement of memory-guided behavior following extinction. Using a variety of techniques, we show that neurons in the lateral amygdala are allocated to an engram based on relative neuronal excitability at training. Furthermore, once allocated, these neurons become both necessary and sufficient for behavior consistent with recall of that rewarding memory. Allocated neurons are also critical for cocaine-primed reinstatement of memory-guided behavior following extinction. Moreover, artificial reactivation of initially allocated neurons supports reinstatement-like behavior following extinction even in the absence of cocaine-priming. Together, these findings suggest that cocaine priming after extinction reactivates the original engram, and that memory-guided reinstatement behavior does not occur in the absence of this reactivation. Although we focused on neurons in one brain region only, our findings that manipulations of lateral amygdala engram neurons alone were sufficient to impact memory-guided behavior indicate that the lateral amygdala is a critical hub region in what may be a larger brain-wide engram.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Park
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Alexander D Jacob
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Hwa-Lin Liz Hsiang
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Paul W Frankland
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
- Child & Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Toronto, ON, M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - John G Howland
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada.
| | - Sheena A Josselyn
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.
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16
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Kintscher M, Kochubey O, Schneggenburger R. A striatal circuit balances learned fear in the presence and absence of sensory cues. eLife 2023; 12:75703. [PMID: 36655978 PMCID: PMC9897731 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
During fear learning, defensive behaviors like freezing need to be finely balanced in the presence or absence of threat-predicting cues (conditioned stimulus, CS). Nevertheless, the circuits underlying such balancing are largely unknown. Here, we investigate the role of the ventral tail striatum (vTS) in auditory-cued fear learning of male mice. In vivo Ca2+ imaging showed that sizable sub-populations of direct (D1R+) and indirect pathway neurons (Adora+) in the vTS responded to footshocks, and to the initiation of movements after freezing; moreover, a sub-population of D1R+ neurons increased its responsiveness to an auditory CS during fear learning. In-vivo optogenetic silencing shows that footshock-driven activity of D1R+ neurons contributes to fear memory formation, whereas Adora+ neurons modulate freezing in the absence of a learned CS. Circuit tracing identified the posterior insular cortex (pInsCx) as an important cortical input to the vTS, and recording of optogenetically evoked EPSCs revealed long-term plasticity with opposite outcomes at the pInsCx synapses onto D1R+ - and Adora+ neurons. Thus, direct- and indirect pathways neurons of the vTS show differential signs of plasticity after fear learning, and balance defensive behaviors in the presence and absence of learned sensory cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kintscher
- Laboratory for Synaptic Mechanisms, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Science, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Olexiy Kochubey
- Laboratory for Synaptic Mechanisms, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Science, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Ralf Schneggenburger
- Laboratory for Synaptic Mechanisms, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Science, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
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17
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Haikonen J, Englund J, Amarilla SP, Kharybina Z, Shintyapina A, Kegler K, Garcia MS, Atanasova T, Taira T, Hartung H, Lauri SE. Aberrant cortical projections to amygdala GABAergic neurons contribute to developmental circuit dysfunction following early life stress. iScience 2022; 26:105724. [PMID: 36582824 PMCID: PMC9792886 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS) results in enduring dysfunction of the corticolimbic circuitry, underlying emotional and social behavior. However, the neurobiological mechanisms involved remain elusive. Here, we have combined viral tracing and electrophysiological techniques to study the effects of maternal separation (MS) on frontolimbic connectivity and function in young (P14-21) rats. We report that aberrant prefrontal inputs to basolateral amygdala (BLA) GABAergic interneurons transiently increase the strength of feed-forward inhibition in the BLA, which raises LTP induction threshold in MS treated male rats. The enhanced GABAergic activity after MS exposure associates with lower functional synchronization within prefrontal-amygdala networks in vivo. Intriguingly, no differences in these parameters were detected in females, which were also resistant to MS dependent changes in anxiety-like behaviors. Impaired plasticity and synchronization during the sensitive period of circuit refinement may contribute to long-lasting functional changes in the prefrontal-amygdaloid circuitry that predispose to neuropsychiatric conditions later on in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joni Haikonen
- HiLife Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jonas Englund
- Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Shyrley Paola Amarilla
- Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Zoia Kharybina
- HiLife Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Alexandra Shintyapina
- Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kristel Kegler
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marta Saez Garcia
- HiLife Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tsvetomira Atanasova
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tomi Taira
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Henrike Hartung
- HiLife Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sari E. Lauri
- HiLife Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,Corresponding author
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18
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Getz AM, Ducros M, Breillat C, Lampin-Saint-Amaux A, Daburon S, François U, Nowacka A, Fernández-Monreal M, Hosy E, Lanore F, Zieger HL, Sainlos M, Humeau Y, Choquet D. High-resolution imaging and manipulation of endogenous AMPA receptor surface mobility during synaptic plasticity and learning. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm5298. [PMID: 35895810 PMCID: PMC9328687 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm5298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Regulation of synaptic neurotransmitter receptor content is a fundamental mechanism for tuning synaptic efficacy during experience-dependent plasticity and behavioral adaptation. However, experimental approaches to track and modify receptor movements in integrated experimental systems are limited. Exploiting AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs) as a model, we generated a knock-in mouse expressing the biotin acceptor peptide (AP) tag on the GluA2 extracellular N-terminal. Cell-specific introduction of biotin ligase allows the use of monovalent or tetravalent avidin variants to respectively monitor or manipulate the surface mobility of endogenous AMPAR containing biotinylated AP-GluA2 in neuronal subsets. AMPAR immobilization precluded the expression of long-term potentiation and formation of contextual fear memory, allowing target-specific control of the expression of synaptic plasticity and animal behavior. The AP tag knock-in model offers unprecedented access to resolve and control the spatiotemporal dynamics of endogenous receptors, and opens new avenues to study the molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela M. Getz
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience (IINS), UMR 5297, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Mathieu Ducros
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, INSERM, Bordeaux Imaging Center (BIC), UAR 3420, US 4, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Christelle Breillat
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience (IINS), UMR 5297, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Aurélie Lampin-Saint-Amaux
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience (IINS), UMR 5297, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Sophie Daburon
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience (IINS), UMR 5297, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Urielle François
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience (IINS), UMR 5297, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Agata Nowacka
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience (IINS), UMR 5297, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Mónica Fernández-Monreal
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, INSERM, Bordeaux Imaging Center (BIC), UAR 3420, US 4, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Eric Hosy
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience (IINS), UMR 5297, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Frédéric Lanore
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience (IINS), UMR 5297, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Hanna L. Zieger
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience (IINS), UMR 5297, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Matthieu Sainlos
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience (IINS), UMR 5297, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Yann Humeau
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience (IINS), UMR 5297, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Daniel Choquet
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience (IINS), UMR 5297, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, INSERM, Bordeaux Imaging Center (BIC), UAR 3420, US 4, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
- Corresponding author.
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19
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d'Aquin S, Szonyi A, Mahn M, Krabbe S, Gründemann J, Lüthi A. Compartmentalized dendritic plasticity during associative learning. Science 2022; 376:eabf7052. [PMID: 35420958 DOI: 10.1126/science.abf7052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Experience-dependent changes in behavior are mediated by long-term functional modifications in brain circuits. Activity-dependent plasticity of synaptic input is a major underlying cellular process. Although we have a detailed understanding of synaptic and dendritic plasticity in vitro, little is known about the functional and plastic properties of active dendrites in behaving animals. Using deep brain two-photon Ca2+ imaging, we investigated how sensory responses in amygdala principal neurons develop upon classical fear conditioning, a form of associative learning. Fear conditioning induced differential plasticity in dendrites and somas regulated by compartment-specific inhibition. Our results indicate that learning-induced plasticity can be uncoupled between soma and dendrites, reflecting distinct synaptic and microcircuit-level mechanisms that increase the computational capacity of amygdala circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon d'Aquin
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andras Szonyi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.,Laboratory of Cellular Neurophysiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Mathias Mahn
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Krabbe
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jan Gründemann
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Lüthi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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20
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Roy N, Parhar I. Habenula orphan G-protein coupled receptors in the pathophysiology of fear and anxiety. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 132:870-883. [PMID: 34801259 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.11.008] [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: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The phasic emotion, fear, and the tonic emotion, anxiety, have been conventionally inspected in clinical frameworks to epitomize memory acquisition, storage, and retrieval. However, inappropriate expression of learned fear in a safe environment and its resistance to suppression is a cardinal feature of various fear-related disorders. A significant body of literature suggests the involvement of extra-amygdala circuitry in fear disorders. Consistent with this view, the present review underlies incentives for the association between the habenula and fear memory. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are important to understand the molecular mechanisms central to fear learning due to their neuromodulatory role. The efficacy of a pharmacological strategy aimed at exploiting habenular-GPCR desensitization machinery can serve as a therapeutic target combating the pathophysiology of fear disorders. Originating from this milieu, the conserved nature of orphan GPCRs in the brain, with some having the highest expression in the habenula can lead to recent endeavors in understanding its functionality in fear circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nisa Roy
- Brain Research Institute, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Ishwar Parhar
- Brain Research Institute, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia.
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21
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Yau JOY, Chaichim C, Power JM, McNally GP. The Roles of Basolateral Amygdala Parvalbumin Neurons in Fear Learning. J Neurosci 2021; 41:9223-9234. [PMID: 34561234 PMCID: PMC8570827 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2461-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is obligatory for fear learning. This learning is linked to BLA excitatory projection neurons whose activity is regulated by complex networks of inhibitory interneurons, dominated by parvalbumin (PV)-expressing GABAergic neurons. The roles of these GABAergic interneurons in learning to fear and learning not to fear, activity profiles of these interneurons across the course of fear learning, and whether or how these change across the course of learning all remain poorly understood. Here, we used PV cell-type-specific recording and manipulation approaches in male transgenic PV-Cre rats during pavlovian fear conditioning to address these issues. We show that activity of BLA PV neurons during the moments of aversive reinforcement controls fear learning about aversive events, but activity during moments of nonreinforcement does not control fear extinction learning. Furthermore, we show expectation-modulation of BLA PV neurons during fear learning, with greater activity to an unexpected than expected aversive unconditioned stimulus (US). This expectation-modulation was specifically because of BLA PV neuron sensitivity to aversive prediction error. Finally, we show that BLA PV neuron function in fear learning is conserved across these variations in prediction error. We suggest that aversive prediction-error modulation of PV neurons could enable BLA fear-learning circuits to retain selectivity for specific sensory features of aversive USs despite variations in the strength of US inputs, thereby permitting the rapid updating of fear associations when these sensory features change.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The capacity to learn about sources of danger in the environment is essential for survival. This learning depends on complex microcircuitries of inhibitory interneurons in the basolateral amygdala. Here, we show that parvalbumin-positive GABAergic interneurons in the rat basolateral amygdala are important for fear learning during moments of danger, but not for extinction learning during moments of safety, and that the activity of these neurons is modulated by expectation of danger. This may enable fear-learning circuits to retain selectivity for specific aversive events across variations in expectation, permitting the rapid updating of learning when aversive events change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Oi-Yue Yau
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Chanchanok Chaichim
- Department of Physiology, Translational Neuroscience Facility, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - John M Power
- Department of Physiology, Translational Neuroscience Facility, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Gavan P McNally
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
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22
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Cummings KA, Lacagnina AF, Clem RL. GABAergic microcircuitry of fear memory encoding. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 184:107504. [PMID: 34425220 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The paradigm of fear conditioning is largely responsible for our current understanding of how memories are encoded at the cellular level. Its most fundamental underlying mechanism is considered to be plasticity of synaptic connections between excitatory projection neurons (PNs). However, recent studies suggest that while PNs execute critical memory functions, their activity at key stages of learning and recall is extensively orchestrated by a diverse array of GABAergic interneurons (INs). Here we review the contributions of genetically-defined INs to processing of threat-related stimuli in fear conditioning, with a particular focus on how synaptic interactions within interconnected networks of INs modulates PN activity through both inhibition and disinhibition. Furthermore, we discuss accumulating evidence that GABAergic microcircuits are an important locus for synaptic plasticity during fear learning and therefore a viable substrate for long-term memory. These findings suggest that further investigation of INs could unlock unique conceptual insights into the organization and function of fear memory networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirstie A Cummings
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, United States; Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, United States; Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States
| | - Anthony F Lacagnina
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, United States; Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, United States
| | - Roger L Clem
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, United States; Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, United States.
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23
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Headley DB, Kyriazi P, Feng F, Nair SS, Pare D. Gamma Oscillations in the Basolateral Amygdala: Localization, Microcircuitry, and Behavioral Correlates. J Neurosci 2021; 41:6087-6101. [PMID: 34088799 PMCID: PMC8276735 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3159-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 04/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The lateral (LA) and basolateral (BL) nuclei of the amygdala regulate emotional behaviors. Despite their dissimilar extrinsic connectivity, they are often combined, perhaps because their cellular composition is similar to that of the cerebral cortex, including excitatory principal cells reciprocally connected with fast-spiking interneurons (FSIs). In the cortex, this microcircuitry produces gamma oscillations that support information processing and behavior. We tested whether this was similarly the case in the rat (males) LA and BL using extracellular recordings, biophysical modeling, and behavioral conditioning. During periods of environmental assessment, both nuclei exhibited gamma oscillations that stopped upon initiation of active behaviors. Yet, BL exhibited more robust spontaneous gamma oscillations than LA. The greater propensity of BL to generate gamma resulted from several microcircuit differences, especially the proportion of FSIs and their interconnections with principal cells. Furthermore, gamma in BL but not LA regulated the efficacy of excitatory synaptic transmission between connected neurons. Together, these results suggest fundamental differences in how LA and BL operate. Most likely, gamma in LA is externally driven, whereas in BL it can also arise spontaneously to support ruminative processing and the evaluation of complex situations.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The basolateral amygdala (BLA) participates in the production and regulation of emotional behaviors. It is thought to perform this using feedforward circuits that enhance stimuli that gain emotional significance and directs them to valence-appropriate downstream effectors. This perspective overlooks the fact that its microcircuitry is recurrent and potentially capable of generating oscillations in the gamma band (50-80 Hz), which synchronize spiking activity and modulate communication between neurons. This study found that BLA gamma supports both of these processes, is associated with periods of action selection and environmental assessment regardless of valence, and differs between BLA subnuclei in a manner consistent with their heretofore unknown microcircuit differences. Thus, it provides new mechanisms for BLA to support emotional behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drew B Headley
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey 07102
| | - Pinelopi Kyriazi
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey 07102
- Behavioral and Neural Sciences Graduate Program, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey 07102
| | - Feng Feng
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211
| | - Satish S Nair
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211
| | - Denis Pare
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey 07102
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24
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Hájos N. Interneuron Types and Their Circuits in the Basolateral Amygdala. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:687257. [PMID: 34177472 PMCID: PMC8222668 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.687257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a cortical structure based on its cell types, connectivity features, and developmental characteristics. This part of the amygdala is considered to be the main entry site of processed and multisensory information delivered via cortical and thalamic afferents. Although GABAergic inhibitory cells in the BLA comprise only 20% of the entire neuronal population, they provide essential control over proper network operation. Previous studies have uncovered that GABAergic cells in the basolateral amygdala are as diverse as those present in other cortical regions, including the hippocampus and neocortex. To understand the role of inhibitory cells in various amygdala functions, we need to reveal the connectivity and input-output features of the different types of GABAergic cells. Here, I review the recent achievements in uncovering the diversity of GABAergic cells in the basolateral amygdala with a specific focus on the microcircuit organization of these inhibitory cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norbert Hájos
- Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology, ELRN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
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25
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Taylor JA, Hasegawa M, Benoit CM, Freire JA, Theodore M, Ganea DA, Innocenti SM, Lu T, Gründemann J. Single cell plasticity and population coding stability in auditory thalamus upon associative learning. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2438. [PMID: 33903596 PMCID: PMC8076296 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22421-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cortical and limbic brain areas are regarded as centres for learning. However, how thalamic sensory relays participate in plasticity upon associative learning, yet support stable long-term sensory coding remains unknown. Using a miniature microscope imaging approach, we monitor the activity of populations of auditory thalamus (medial geniculate body) neurons in freely moving mice upon fear conditioning. We find that single cells exhibit mixed selectivity and heterogeneous plasticity patterns to auditory and aversive stimuli upon learning, which is conserved in amygdala-projecting medial geniculate body neurons. Activity in auditory thalamus to amygdala-projecting neurons stabilizes single cell plasticity in the total medial geniculate body population and is necessary for fear memory consolidation. In contrast to individual cells, population level encoding of auditory stimuli remained stable across days. Our data identifies auditory thalamus as a site for complex neuronal plasticity in fear learning upstream of the amygdala that is in an ideal position to drive plasticity in cortical and limbic brain areas. These findings suggest that medial geniculate body's role goes beyond a sole relay function by balancing experience-dependent, diverse single cell plasticity with consistent ensemble level representations of the sensory environment to support stable auditory perception with minimal affective bias.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Masashi Hasegawa
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Marine Theodore
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dan Alin Ganea
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Tingjia Lu
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jan Gründemann
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Bonn, Germany.
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26
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Li WG, Wu YJ, Gu X, Fan HR, Wang Q, Zhu JJ, Yi X, Wang Q, Jiang Q, Li Y, Yuan TF, Xu H, Lu J, Xu NJ, Zhu MX, Xu TL. Input associativity underlies fear memory renewal. Natl Sci Rev 2021; 8:nwab004. [PMID: 34691732 PMCID: PMC8433092 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwab004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Synaptic associativity, a feature of Hebbian plasticity wherein coactivation of two inputs onto the same neuron produces synergistic actions on postsynaptic activity, is a primary cellular correlate of associative learning. However, whether and how synaptic associativity are implemented into context-dependent relapse of extinguished memory (i.e. fear renewal) is unknown. Here, using an auditory fear conditioning paradigm in mice, we show that fear renewal is determined by the associativity between convergent inputs from the auditory cortex (ACx) and ventral hippocampus (vHPC) onto the lateral amygdala (LA) that reactivate ensembles engaged during learning. Fear renewal enhances synaptic strengths of both ACx to LA and the previously unknown vHPC to LA monosynaptic inputs. While inactivating either of the afferents abolishes fear renewal, optogenetic activation of their input associativity in the LA recapitulates fear renewal. Thus, input associativity underlies fear memory renewal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Guang Li
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Yan-Jiao Wu
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Xue Gu
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Hui-Ran Fan
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Jia-Jie Zhu
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Xin Yi
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Qin Wang
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Qin Jiang
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Ying Li
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Ti-Fei Yuan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 201108, China
| | - Han Xu
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of the Second Affiliated Hospital, NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Jiangteng Lu
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Nan-Jie Xu
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Michael Xi Zhu
- Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Tian-Le Xu
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
- Shanghai Research Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Shanghai 201210, China
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27
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Yaeger JD, Krupp KT, Gale JJ, Summers CH. Counterbalanced microcircuits for Orx1 and Orx2 regulation of stress reactivity. MEDICINE IN DRUG DISCOVERY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.medidd.2020.100059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
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28
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García-Amado M, Prensa L. Neurons Expressing Parvalbumin and Calretinin in the Human Amygdaloid Complex: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis in Every Nucleus and Nuclear Subdivision. Neuroscience 2020; 452:153-168. [PMID: 33220188 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The primate amygdaloid complex (AC) contains projection neurons as well as subsets of interneurons (IN), many of which express calcium-binding proteins, that through their local circuits control the activity of the projection neurons. The inhibitory parvalbumin (PV) and calretinin (CR)-positive (+) AC IN have a crucial role in the appearance of synchronized oscillations in local ensembles of projection neurons that mediate the consolidation and recall of fear memories. The GABAergic transmission of these subsets of IN is modulated by dopamine. To expand the knowledge regarding the cellular composition and distribution of IN in the human AC, we focused on two non-overlapping populations: the PV+ and CR+. We have analyzed the distribution of these IN throughout the AC from subjects without any neurological or psychiatric disorders and estimated their absolute number and density using stereological methods. We have also provided percentages of the IN with respect to the total AC neurons. The CR + IN were distributed throughout the AC, whereas the PV+ were only present in the basolateral nuclear group. The quantity of CR + IN was four times higher than that of PV+ and the percentages varied from less than 1% for PV + IN to 6-20% for CR+. The differences in quantity and distribution of CR+ and PV + IN could be related to their differential inhibitory properties and to the intrinsic and extrinsic connections of every amygdaloid region.
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Affiliation(s)
- María García-Amado
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience, Medical School, Autonomous University of Madrid, c/ Arzobispo Morcillo 2, 28029 Madrid Spain.
| | - Lucía Prensa
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience, Medical School, Autonomous University of Madrid, c/ Arzobispo Morcillo 2, 28029 Madrid Spain
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29
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Klenowski PM, Fogarty MJ, Drieberg-Thompson JR, Bellingham MC, Bartlett SE. Reduced Inhibitory Inputs On Basolateral Amygdala Principal Neurons Following Long-Term Alcohol Consumption. Neuroscience 2020; 452:219-227. [PMID: 33212222 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.10.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that manipulating basolateral amygdala (BLA) activity can affect alcohol consumption, particularly following chronic and/or long-term intake. Although the mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear, the BLA is highly sensitive to emotional stimuli including stress and anxiety. Negative emotional states facilitate alcohol craving and relapse in patients with alcohol use disorders. Consequently, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of long-term (10 weeks) alcohol drinking on synaptic activity in BLA principal neurons. We utilized an intermittent drinking paradigm in rats, which facilitated escalating, binge-like alcohol intake over the 10 week drinking period. We then recorded spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents of BLA principal neurons from long-term alcohol drinking rats and aged-matched water drinking controls. Excitatory postsynaptic current properties from long-term alcohol drinking rats were unchanged compared to those from age-matched water drinking controls. Conversely, we observed significant reductions of inhibitory postsynaptic current amplitude and frequency in long-term ethanol drinking rats compared to age-matched water drinking controls. These results highlight substantive decreases in basal inhibitory synaptic activity of BLA principal neurons following long-term alcohol consumption. A loss of inhibitory control in the BLA could explain the high incidence of compulsive drinking and stress- or anxiety-induced relapse in patients with alcohol use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul M Klenowski
- Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
| | - Matthew J Fogarty
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; School of Biomedical Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Joy R Drieberg-Thompson
- School of Biomedical Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Mark C Bellingham
- School of Biomedical Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Selena E Bartlett
- Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane 4102, Australia.
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30
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Kainate Receptor Auxiliary Subunit NETO2-Related Cued Fear Conditioning Impairments Associate with Defects in Amygdala Development and Excitability. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0541-19.2020. [PMID: 32788298 PMCID: PMC7470932 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0541-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2019] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
NETO2 is an auxiliary subunit for kainate-type glutamate receptors that mediate normal cued fear expression and extinction. Since the amygdala is critical for these functions, we asked whether Neto2 -/- mice have compromised amygdala function. We measured the abundance of molecular markers of neuronal maturation and plasticity, parvalbumin-positive (PV+), perineuronal net-positive (PNN+), and double positive (PV+PNN+) cells in the Neto2 -/- amygdala. We found that Neto2 -/- adult, but not postnatal day (P)23, mice had 7.5% reduction in the fraction of PV+PNN+ cells within the total PNN+ population, and 23.1% reduction in PV staining intensity compared with Neto2 +/+ mice, suggesting that PV interneurons in the adult Neto2 -/- amygdala remain in an immature state. An immature PV inhibitory network would be predicted to lead to stronger amygdalar excitation. In the amygdala of adult Neto2 -/- mice, we identified increased glutamatergic and reduced GABAergic transmission using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. This was accompanied by increased spine density of thin dendrites in the basal amygdala (BA) compared with Neto2 +/+ mice, indicating stronger glutamatergic synapses. Moreover, after fear acquisition Neto2 -/- mice had a higher number of c-Fos-positive cells than Neto2 +/+ mice in the lateral amygdala (LA), BA, and central amygdala (CE). Altogether, our findings indicate that Neto2 is involved in the maturation of the amygdala PV interneuron network. Our data suggest that this defect, together with other processes influencing amygdala principal neurons, contribute to increased amygdalar excitability, higher fear expression, and delayed extinction in cued fear conditioning, phenotypes that are common in fear-related disorders, including the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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31
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Hou X, Rong C, Wang F, Liu X, Sun Y, Zhang HT. GABAergic System in Stress: Implications of GABAergic Neuron Subpopulations and the Gut-Vagus-Brain Pathway. Neural Plast 2020; 2020:8858415. [PMID: 32802040 PMCID: PMC7416252 DOI: 10.1155/2020/8858415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress can cause a variety of central nervous system disorders, which are critically mediated by the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system in various brain structures. GABAergic neurons have different subsets, some of which coexpress certain neuropeptides that can be found in the digestive system. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that the gut-brain axis, which is primarily regulated by the vagus nerve, is involved in stress, suggesting a communication between the "gut-vagus-brain" pathway and the GABAergic neuronal system. Here, we first summarize the evidence that the GABAergic system plays an essential role in stress responses. In addition, we review the effects of stress on different brain regions and GABAergic neuron subpopulations, including somatostatin, parvalbumin, ionotropic serotonin receptor 5-HT3a, cholecystokinin, neuropeptide Y, and vasoactive intestinal peptide, with regard to signaling events, behavioral changes, and pathobiology of neuropsychiatric diseases. Finally, we discuss the gut-brain bidirectional communications and the connection of the GABAergic system and the gut-vagus-brain pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueqin Hou
- Institute of Pharmacology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an, Shandong 271016, China
| | - Cuiping Rong
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
| | - Fugang Wang
- Institute of Pharmacology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an, Shandong 271016, China
| | - Xiaoqian Liu
- Institute of Pharmacology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an, Shandong 271016, China
| | - Yi Sun
- Institute of Pharmacology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an, Shandong 271016, China
| | - Han-Ting Zhang
- Departments of Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine & Psychiatry, The Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
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32
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Capogna M, Castillo PE, Maffei A. The ins and outs of inhibitory synaptic plasticity: Neuron types, molecular mechanisms and functional roles. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 54:6882-6901. [PMID: 32663353 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
GABAergic interneurons are highly diverse, and their synaptic outputs express various forms of plasticity. Compelling evidence indicates that activity-dependent changes of inhibitory synaptic transmission play a significant role in regulating neural circuits critically involved in learning and memory and circuit refinement. Here, we provide an updated overview of inhibitory synaptic plasticity with a focus on the hippocampus and neocortex. To illustrate the diversity of inhibitory interneurons, we discuss the case of two highly divergent interneuron types, parvalbumin-expressing basket cells and neurogliaform cells, which support unique roles on circuit dynamics. We also present recent progress on the molecular mechanisms underlying long-term, activity-dependent plasticity of fast inhibitory transmission. Lastly, we discuss the role of inhibitory synaptic plasticity in neuronal circuits' function. The emerging picture is that inhibitory synaptic transmission in the CNS is extremely diverse, undergoes various mechanistically distinct forms of plasticity and contributes to a much more refined computational role than initially thought. Both the remarkable diversity of inhibitory interneurons and the various forms of plasticity expressed by GABAergic synapses provide an amazingly rich inhibitory repertoire that is central to a variety of complex neural circuit functions, including memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Capogna
- Department of Biomedicine, Danish National Research Foundation Center of Excellence PROMEMO, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Pablo E Castillo
- Dominck P Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Arianna Maffei
- Center for Neural Circuit Dynamics and Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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33
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A VTA to Basal Amygdala Dopamine Projection Contributes to Signal Salient Somatosensory Events during Fear Learning. J Neurosci 2020; 40:3969-3980. [PMID: 32277045 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1796-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The amygdala is a brain area critical for the formation of fear memories. However, the nature of the teaching signal(s) that drive plasticity in the amygdala are still under debate. Here, we use optogenetic methods to investigate the contribution of ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons to auditory-cued fear learning in male mice. Using anterograde and retrograde labeling, we found that a sparse and relatively evenly distributed population of VTA neurons projects to the basal amygdala (BA). In vivo optrode recordings in behaving mice showed that many VTA neurons, among them putative dopamine neurons, are excited by footshocks, and acquire a response to auditory stimuli during fear learning. Combined cfos imaging and retrograde labeling in dopamine transporter (DAT) Cre mice revealed that a large majority of BA projectors (>95%) are dopamine neurons, and that BA projectors become activated by the tone-footshock pairing of fear learning protocols. Finally, silencing VTA dopamine neurons, or their axon terminals in the BA during the footshock, reduced the strength of fear memory as tested 1 d later, whereas silencing the VTA-central amygdala (CeA) projection had no effect. Thus, VTA dopamine neurons projecting to the BA contribute to fear memory formation, by coding for the saliency of the footshock event and by signaling such events to the basal amygdala.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Powerful mechanisms of fear learning have evolved in animals and humans to enable survival. During fear conditioning, a sensory cue, such as a tone (the conditioned stimulus), comes to predict an innately aversive stimulus, such as a mild footshock (the unconditioned stimulus). A brain representation of the unconditioned stimulus must act as a teaching signal to instruct plasticity of the conditioned stimulus representation in fear-related brain areas. Here we show that dopamine neurons in the VTA that project to the basal amygdala contribute to such a teaching signal for plasticity, thereby facilitating the formation of fear memories. Knowledge about the role of dopamine in aversively motivated plasticity might allow further insights into maladaptive plasticities that underlie anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders in humans.
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34
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McDonald AJ. Functional neuroanatomy of the basolateral amygdala: Neurons, neurotransmitters, and circuits. HANDBOOK OF BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 26:1-38. [PMID: 34220399 PMCID: PMC8248694 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-815134-1.00001-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J McDonald
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, United States
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35
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Ünal ÇT, Ünal B, Bolton MM. Low-threshold spiking interneurons perform feedback inhibition in the lateral amygdala. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:909-923. [PMID: 32144495 PMCID: PMC7166205 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02051-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Amygdala plays crucial roles in emotional learning. The lateral amygdala (LA) is the input station of the amygdala, where learning related plasticity occurs. The LA is cortical like in nature in terms of its cellular make up, composed of a majority of principal cells and a minority of interneurons with distinct subtypes defined by morphology, intrinsic electrophysiological properties and neurochemical expression profile. The specific functions served by LA interneuron subtypes remain elusive. This study aimed to elucidate the interneuron subtype mediating feedback inhibition. Electrophysiological evidence involving antidromic activation of recurrent LA circuitry via basolateral amygdala stimulation and paired recordings implicate low-threshold spiking interneurons in feedback inhibition. Recordings in somatostatin-cre animals crossed with tdtomato mice have revealed remarkable similarities between a subset of SOM+ interneurons and LTS interneurons. This study concludes that LTS interneurons, most of which are putatively SOM+, mediate feedback inhibition in the LA. Parallels with cortical areas and potential implications for information processing and plasticity are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Çağrı Temuçin Ünal
- Department of Psychology, Comparative Cognition Laboratory, TED University, Ziya Gokalp Caddesi No. 48 06420, Kolej Cankaya, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Bengi Ünal
- Department of Psychology, Comparative Cognition Laboratory, TED University, Ziya Gokalp Caddesi No. 48 06420, Kolej Cankaya, Ankara, Turkey
| | - M McLean Bolton
- Disorders of Neural Circuit Function, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA.
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Abstract
Fear is a response to impending threat that prepares a subject to make appropriate defensive responses, whether to freeze, fight, or flee to safety. The neural circuits that underpin how subjects learn about cues that signal threat, and make defensive responses, have been studied using Pavlovian fear conditioning in laboratory rodents as well as humans. These studies have established the amygdala as a key player in the circuits that process fear and led to a model where fear learning results from long-term potentiation of inputs that convey information about the conditioned stimulus to the amygdala. In this review, we describe the circuits in the basolateral amygdala that mediate fear learning and its expression as the conditioned response. We argue that while the evidence linking synaptic plasticity in the basolateral amygdala to fear learning is strong, there is still no mechanism that fully explains the changes that underpin fear conditioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajie Sun
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia
| | - Helen Gooch
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia
| | - Pankaj Sah
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia.,Brain Research Centre and Department of Biology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
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37
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Guthman EM, Garcia JD, Ma M, Chu P, Baca SM, Smith KR, Restrepo D, Huntsman MM. Cell-type-specific control of basolateral amygdala neuronal circuits via entorhinal cortex-driven feedforward inhibition. eLife 2020; 9:e50601. [PMID: 31916940 PMCID: PMC6984813 DOI: 10.7554/elife.50601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) plays a vital role in associating sensory stimuli with salient valence information. Excitatory principal neurons (PNs) undergo plastic changes to encode this association; however, local BLA inhibitory interneurons (INs) gate PN plasticity via feedforward inhibition (FFI). Despite literature implicating parvalbumin expressing (PV+) INs in FFI in cortex and hippocampus, prior anatomical experiments in BLA implicate somatostatin expressing (Sst+) INs. The lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) projects to BLA where it drives FFI. In the present study, we explored the role of interneurons in this circuit. Using mice, we combined patch clamp electrophysiology, chemogenetics, unsupervised cluster analysis, and predictive modeling and found that a previously unreported subpopulation of fast-spiking Sst+ INs mediate LEC→BLA FFI.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Mae Guthman
- Neuroscience Graduate ProgramUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
| | - Joshua D Garcia
- Department of PharmacologyUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
| | - Ming Ma
- Department of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
| | - Philip Chu
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
- Department of NeurosurgeryUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
| | - Serapio M Baca
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
| | - Katharine R Smith
- Department of PharmacologyUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
| | - Diego Restrepo
- Neuroscience Graduate ProgramUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
| | - Molly M Huntsman
- Neuroscience Graduate ProgramUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
- Department of PediatricsUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
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Polepalli JS, Gooch H, Sah P. Diversity of interneurons in the lateral and basal amygdala. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2020; 5:10. [PMID: 32802405 PMCID: PMC7400739 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-020-0071-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a temporal lobe structure that contributes to a host of behaviors. In particular, it is a central player in learning about aversive events and thus assigning emotional valence to sensory events. It is a cortical-like structure and contains glutamatergic pyramidal neurons and GABAergic interneurons. It is divided into the lateral (LA) and basal (BA) nuclei that have distinct cell types and connections. Interneurons in the BLA are a heterogenous population, some of which have been implicated in specific functional roles. Here we use optogenetics and slice electrophysiology to investigate the innervation, postsynaptic receptor stoichiometry, and plasticity of excitatory inputs onto interneurons within the BLA. Interneurons were divided into six groups based on their discharge properties, each of which received input from the auditory thalamus (AT) and auditory cortex (AC). Auditory innervation was concentrated in the LA, and optogenetic stimulation evoked robust synaptic responses in nearly all interneurons, drove many cells to threshold, and evoked disynaptic inhibition in most interneurons. Auditory input to the BA was sparse, innervated fewer interneurons, and evoked smaller synaptic responses. Biophysically, the subunit composition and distribution of AMPAR and NMDAR also differed between the two nuclei, with fewer BA IN expressing calcium permeable AMPAR, and a higher proportion expressing GluN2B-containing NMDAR. Finally, unlike LA interneurons, LTP could not be induced in the BA. These findings show that interneurons in the LA and BA are physiologically distinct populations and suggest they may have differing roles during associative learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jai S. Polepalli
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia
- Department of Anatomy, Yong Yoo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117594 Singapore
| | - Helen Gooch
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Pankaj Sah
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia
- Brain Research Centre and Department of Biology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province P.R. China
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Abstract
Theories stipulate that memories are encoded within networks of cortical projection neurons. Conversely, GABAergic interneurons are thought to function primarily to inhibit projection neurons and thereby impose network gain control, an important but purely modulatory role. Here we show in male mice that associative fear learning potentiates synaptic transmission and cue-specific activity of medial prefrontal cortex somatostatin (SST) interneurons and that activation of these cells controls both memory encoding and expression. Furthermore, the synaptic organization of SST and parvalbumin interneurons provides a potential circuit basis for SST interneuron-evoked disinhibition of medial prefrontal cortex output neurons and recruitment of remote brain regions associated with defensive behavior. These data suggest that, rather than constrain mnemonic processing, potentiation of SST interneuron activity represents an important causal mechanism for conditioned fear.
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40
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Barth AL, Ray A. Progressive Circuit Changes during Learning and Disease. Neuron 2019; 104:37-46. [PMID: 31600514 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.09.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
A critical step toward understanding cognition, learning, and brain dysfunction will be identification of the underlying cellular computations that occur in and across discrete brain areas, as well as how they are progressively altered by experience or disease. These computations will be revealed by targeted analyses of the neurons that perform these calculations, defined not only by their firing properties but also by their molecular identity and how they are wired within the local and broad-scale network of the brain. New studies that take advantage of sophisticated genetic tools for cell-type-specific identification and control are revealing how learning and neurological disorders initiate and successively change the properties of defined neural circuits. Understanding the temporal sequence of adaptive or pathological synaptic changes across multiple synapses within a network will shed light into how small-scale neural circuits contribute to higher cognitive functions during learning and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison L Barth
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
| | - Ajit Ray
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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41
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Lucas EK, Wu WC, Roman-Ortiz C, Clem RL. Prazosin during fear conditioning facilitates subsequent extinction in male C57Bl/6N mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:273-279. [PMID: 30112577 PMCID: PMC6374171 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5001-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Recovery from a traumatic experience requires extinction of cue-based fear responses, a process that is impaired in post-traumatic stress disorder. While studies suggest a link between fear behavioral flexibility and noradrenaline signaling, the role of specific receptors and brain regions in these effects is unclear. OBJECTIVES Here, we examine the role of prazosin, an α1-adrenergic receptor (α1-AR) antagonist, in auditory fear conditioning and extinction. METHODS C57Bl/6N mice were subjected to auditory fear conditioning and extinction in combination with systemic (0.1-2 mg/kg) or local microinjections (3 or 6 mM) of the α1-AR antagonist prazosin into the prelimbic division of medial prefrontal cortex or basolateral amygdala. Conditioned fear and anxiety-like behaviors were compared with vehicle-injected control animals. RESULTS Mice that received systemic prazosin prior to fear conditioning exhibited similar initial levels of cue-elicited freezing compared to vehicle controls on the following day. However, at all doses tested, fear that was acquired during prazosin treatment was more readily extinguished, whereas anxiety-like behavior on the day of extinction was unaffected. A similar pattern of results was observed when prazosin was microinjected into the basolateral amygdala but not the prelimbic cortex. In contrast to pre-conditioning injections, prazosin administration prior to extinction had no effect on freezing. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that α1-AR activity during aversive conditioning is dispensable for memory acquisition but renders conditioned fear more impervious to extinction. This suggests that behavioral flexibility is constrained by noradrenaline at the time of initial learning via activation of a specific AR isoform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth K Lucas
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1065, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
| | - Wan-Chen Wu
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1065, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Ciorana Roman-Ortiz
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1065, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Roger L Clem
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1065, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
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42
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Selleck RA, Zhang W, Mercier HD, Padival M, Rosenkranz JA. Limited prefrontal cortical regulation over the basolateral amygdala in adolescent rats. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17171. [PMID: 30464293 PMCID: PMC6249319 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35649-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive regulation of emotion develops from childhood into adulthood. This occurs in parallel with maturation of prefrontal cortical (PFC) regulation over the amygdala. The cellular substrates for this regulation may include PFC activation of inhibitory GABAergic elements in the amygdala. The purpose of this study was to determine whether PFC regulation over basolateral amygdala area (BLA) in vivo is immature in adolescence, and if this is due to immaturity of GABAergic elements or PFC excitatory inputs. Using in vivo extracellular electrophysiological recordings from anesthetized male rats we found that in vivo summation of PFC inputs to the BLA was less regulated by GABAergic inhibition in adolescents (postnatal day 39) than adults (postnatal day 72-75). In addition, stimulation of either prelimbic or infralimbic PFC evokes weaker inhibition over basal (BA) and lateral (LAT) nuclei of the BLA in adolescents. This was dictated by both weak recruitment of inhibition in LAT and weak excitatory effects of PFC in BA. The current results may contribute to differences in adolescent cognitive regulation of emotion. These findings identify specific elements that undergo adolescent maturation and may therefore be sensitive to environmental disruptions that increase risk for psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A. Selleck
- 0000 0004 0388 7807grid.262641.5Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL 60064 USA
| | - Wei Zhang
- 0000 0004 0388 7807grid.262641.5Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL 60064 USA
| | - Hannah D. Mercier
- 0000 0004 0388 7807grid.262641.5Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL 60064 USA
| | - Mallika Padival
- 0000 0004 0388 7807grid.262641.5Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL 60064 USA
| | - J. Amiel Rosenkranz
- 0000 0004 0388 7807grid.262641.5Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL 60064 USA
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43
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Neuronal competition: microcircuit mechanisms define the sparsity of the engram. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2018; 54:163-170. [PMID: 30423499 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2018] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Extensive work in computational modeling has highlighted the advantages for employing sparse yet distributed data representation and storage Kanerva (1998), properties that extend to neuronal networks encoding mnemonic information (memory traces or engrams). While neurons that participate in an engram are distributed across multiple brain regions, within each region, the cellular sparsity of the mnemonic representation appears to be quite fixed. Although technological advances have enabled significant progress in identifying and manipulating engrams, relatively little is known about the region-dependent microcircuit rules governing the cellular sparsity of an engram. Here we review recent studies examining the mechanisms that help shape engram architecture and examine how these processes may regulate memory function. We speculate that countervailing forces in local microcircuits contribute to the generation and maintenance of engrams and discuss emerging questions regarding how engrams are formed, stored and used.
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44
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Synaptic encoding of fear memories in the amygdala. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2018; 54:54-59. [PMID: 30216780 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Over the years Pavlovian fear conditioning has proved to be a powerful model to investigate the neural underpinnings of aversive associative memory formation. Although it is well appreciated that plasticity occurring at excitatory synapses within the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) plays a critical role in associative memory formation, recent evidence suggests that plasticity within the amygdala is more distributed than previously appreciated. In particular, studies demonstrate that plasticity in the central nucleus (CeA) is critical for the acquisition of conditioned fear. In addition, a variety of interneuron populations within the amygdala, defined by unique neurochemical markers, contribute to distinct aspects of stimulus processing and memory formation during fear conditioning. Here, we will review and summarize recent advances in our understanding of amygdala networks and how unique players within this network contribute to synaptic plasticity associated with the acquisition of conditioned fear.
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45
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Parvalbumin-Interneuron Output Synapses Show Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity that Contributes to Auditory Map Remodeling. Neuron 2018; 99:720-735.e6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Revised: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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46
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Abstract
Memories for events are thought to be represented in sparse, distributed neuronal ensembles (or engrams). In this article, we review how neurons are chosen to become part of a particular engram, via a process of neuronal allocation. Experiments in rodents indicate that eligible neurons compete for allocation to a given engram, with more excitable neurons winning this competition. Moreover, fluctuations in neuronal excitability determine how engrams interact, promoting either memory integration (via coallocation to overlapping engrams) or separation (via disallocation to nonoverlapping engrams). In parallel with rodent studies, recent findings in humans verify the importance of this memory integration process for linking memories that occur close in time or share related content. A deeper understanding of allocation promises to provide insights into the logic underlying how knowledge is normally organized in the brain and the disorders in which this process has gone awry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheena A Josselyn
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada; ,
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
- Brain, Mind & Consciousness Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Toronto, Ontario M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Paul W Frankland
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada; ,
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
- Child & Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Toronto, Ontario M5G 1M1, Canada
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47
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Davis P, Reijmers LG. The dynamic nature of fear engrams in the basolateral amygdala. Brain Res Bull 2018; 141:44-49. [PMID: 29269319 PMCID: PMC6005719 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2017.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Revised: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Great progress has been made in our understanding of how so-called memory engrams in the brain enable the storage and retrieval of memories. This has led to the realization that across the lifetime of an animal, the spatial and temporal properties of a memory engram are not fixed, but instead are subjected to dynamic modifications that can be both dependent and independent on additional experiences. The dynamic nature of engrams is especially relevant in the case of fear memories, whose contributions to an animal's evolutionary fitness depend on a delicate balance of stability and flexibility. Though fear memories have the potential to last a lifetime, their expression also needs to be properly tuned to prevent maladaptive behavior, such as seen in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder. To achieve this balance, fear engrams are subjected to complex spatiotemporal dynamics, making them informative examples of the "dynamic engram". In this review, we discuss the current understanding of the dynamic nature of fear engrams in the basolateral amygdala, a brain region that plays a central role in fear memory encoding and expression. We propose that this understanding can be further advanced by studying how fast dynamics, such as oscillatory circuit activity, support the storage and retrieval of fear engrams that can be stable over long time intervals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Davis
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States; Medical Scientist Training Program and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Leon G Reijmers
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States.
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48
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Lucas EK, Clem RL. GABAergic interneurons: The orchestra or the conductor in fear learning and memory? Brain Res Bull 2018; 141:13-19. [PMID: 29197563 PMCID: PMC6178932 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2017.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Revised: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Fear conditioning is a form of associative learning that is fundamental to survival and involves potentiation of activity in excitatory projection neurons (PNs). Current models stipulate that the mechanisms underlying this process involve plasticity of PN synapses, which exhibit strengthening in response to fear conditioning. However, excitatory PNs are extensively modulated by a diverse array of GABAergic interneurons whose contributions to acquisition, storage, and expression of fear memory remain poorly understood. Here we review emerging evidence that genetically-defined interneurons play important subtype-specific roles in processing of fear-related stimuli and that these dynamics shape PN firing through both inhibition and disinhibition. Furthermore, interneurons exhibit structural, molecular, and electrophysiological evidence of fear learning-induced synaptic plasticity. These studies warrant discarding the notion of interneurons as passive bystanders in long-term memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth K Lucas
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, United States
| | - Roger L Clem
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, United States.
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49
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Krabbe S, Gründemann J, Lüthi A. Amygdala Inhibitory Circuits Regulate Associative Fear Conditioning. Biol Psychiatry 2018; 83:800-809. [PMID: 29174478 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Revised: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Associative memory formation is essential for an animal's survival by ensuring adaptive behavioral responses in an ever-changing environment. This is particularly important under conditions of immediate threats such as in fear learning. One of the key brain regions involved in associative fear learning is the amygdala. The basolateral amygdala is the main entry site for sensory information to the amygdala complex, and local plasticity in excitatory basolateral amygdala principal neurons is considered to be crucial for learning of conditioned fear responses. However, activity and plasticity of excitatory circuits are tightly controlled by local inhibitory interneurons in a spatially and temporally defined manner. In this review, we provide an updated view on how distinct interneuron subtypes in the basolateral amygdala contribute to the acquisition and extinction of conditioned fear memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Krabbe
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jan Gründemann
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Lüthi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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50
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Babaev O, Piletti Chatain C, Krueger-Burg D. Inhibition in the amygdala anxiety circuitry. Exp Mol Med 2018; 50:1-16. [PMID: 29628509 PMCID: PMC5938054 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-018-0063-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory neurotransmission plays a key role in anxiety disorders, as evidenced by the anxiolytic effect of the benzodiazepine class of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor agonists and the recent discovery of anxiety-associated variants in the molecular components of inhibitory synapses. Accordingly, substantial interest has focused on understanding how inhibitory neurons and synapses contribute to the circuitry underlying adaptive and pathological anxiety behaviors. A key element of the anxiety circuitry is the amygdala, which integrates information from cortical and thalamic sensory inputs to generate fear and anxiety-related behavioral outputs. Information processing within the amygdala is heavily dependent on inhibitory control, although the specific mechanisms by which amygdala GABAergic neurons and synapses regulate anxiety-related behaviors are only beginning to be uncovered. Here, we summarize the current state of knowledge and highlight open questions regarding the role of inhibition in the amygdala anxiety circuitry. We discuss the inhibitory neuron subtypes that contribute to the processing of anxiety information in the basolateral and central amygdala, as well as the molecular determinants, such as GABA receptors and synapse organizer proteins, that shape inhibitory synaptic transmission within the anxiety circuitry. Finally, we conclude with an overview of current and future approaches for converting this knowledge into successful treatment strategies for anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Babaev
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hermann-Rein-Str. 3, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Carolina Piletti Chatain
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hermann-Rein-Str. 3, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dilja Krueger-Burg
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hermann-Rein-Str. 3, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
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