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Terranova JI, Yokose J, Osanai H, Ogawa SK, Kitamura T. Systems consolidation induces multiple memory engrams for a flexible recall strategy in observational fear memory in male mice. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3976. [PMID: 37407567 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39718-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Observers learn to fear the context in which they witnessed a demonstrator's aversive experience, called observational contextual fear conditioning (CFC). The neural mechanisms governing whether recall of the observational CFC memory occurs from the observer's own or from the demonstrator's point of view remain unclear. Here, we show in male mice that recent observational CFC memory is recalled in the observer's context only, but remote memory is recalled in both observer and demonstrator contexts. Recall of recent memory in the observer's context requires dorsal hippocampus activity, while recall of remote memory in both contexts requires the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)-basolateral amygdala pathway. Although mPFC neurons activated by observational CFC are involved in remote recall in both contexts, distinct mPFC subpopulations regulate remote recall in each context. Our data provide insights into a flexible recall strategy and the functional reorganization of circuits and memory engram cells underlying observational CFC memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph I Terranova
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Jun Yokose
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Hisayuki Osanai
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Sachie K Ogawa
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Takashi Kitamura
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA.
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Saggu S, Chen Y, Cottingham C, Rehman H, Wang H, Zhang S, Augelli-Szafran C, Lu S, Lambert N, Jiao K, Lu XY, Wang Q. Activation of a novel α 2AAR-spinophilin-cofilin axis determines the effect of α 2 adrenergic drugs on fear memory reconsolidation. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:588-600. [PMID: 36357671 PMCID: PMC9647772 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01851-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after the pandemic has emerged as a major neuropsychiatric component of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, yet the current pharmacotherapy for PTSD is limited. The use of adrenergic drugs to treat PTSD has been suggested; however, it is hindered by conflicting clinical results and a lack of mechanistic understanding of drug actions. Our studies, using both genetically modified mice and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons, reveal a novel α2A adrenergic receptor (α2AAR)-spinophilin-cofilin axis in the hippocampus that is critical for regulation of contextual fear memory reconsolidation. In addition, we have found that two α2 ligands, clonidine and guanfacine, exhibit differential abilities in activating this signaling axis to disrupt fear memory reconsolidation. Stimulation of α2AAR with clonidine, but not guanfacine, promotes the interaction of the actin binding protein cofilin with the receptor and with the dendritic spine scaffolding protein spinophilin to induce cofilin activation at the synapse. Spinophilin-dependent regulation of cofilin is required for clonidine-induced disruption of contextual fear memory reconsolidation. Our results inform the interpretation of differential clinical observations of these two drugs on PTSD and suggest that clonidine could provide immediate treatment for PTSD symptoms related to the current pandemic. Furthermore, our study indicates that modulation of dendritic spine morphology may represent an effective strategy for the development of new pharmacotherapies for PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shalini Saggu
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
- Department of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA
| | - Yunjia Chen
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
| | - Christopher Cottingham
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
- Department of Biology, University of North Alabama, Florence, AL, 35632, USA
| | - Hasibur Rehman
- Department of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA
| | - Hongxia Wang
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
| | - Sixue Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Scientific Platforms, Southern Research, Birmingham, AL, 35205, USA
| | - Corinne Augelli-Szafran
- Department of Chemistry, Scientific Platforms, Southern Research, Birmingham, AL, 35205, USA
- Scientific Platforms, Southern Research, Birmingham, AL, 35205, USA
| | - Sumin Lu
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, GA, GA30912, USA
| | - Nevin Lambert
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, GA, GA30912, USA
| | - Kai Jiao
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
- Center for Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, GA, GA30912, USA
| | - Xin-Yun Lu
- Department of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA
| | - Qin Wang
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA.
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Got milk? Maternal immune activation during the mid-lactational period affects nutritional milk quality and adolescent offspring sensory processing in male and female rats. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:4829-4842. [PMID: 36056174 PMCID: PMC9771965 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01744-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have underscored the importance of breastfeeding and parental care on offspring development and behavior. However, their contribution as dynamic variables in animal models of early life stress are often overlooked. In the present study, we investigated how lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced maternal immune activation (MIA) on postnatal day (P)10 affects maternal care, milk, and offspring development. MIA was associated with elevated milk corticosterone concentrations on P10, which recovered by P11. In contrast, both milk triglyceride and percent creamatocrit values demonstrated a prolonged decrease following inflammatory challenge. Adolescent MIA offspring were heavier, which is often suggestive of poor early life nutrition. While MIA did not decrease maternal care quality, there was a significant compensatory increase in maternal licking and grooming the day following inflammatory challenge. However, this did not protect against disrupted neonatal huddling or later-life alterations in sensorimotor gating, conditioned fear, mechanical allodynia, or reductions in hippocampal parvalbumin expression in MIA offspring. MIA-associated changes in brain and behavior were likely driven by differences in milk nutritional values and not by direct exposure to LPS or inflammatory molecules as neither LPS binding protein nor interleukin-6 milk levels differed between groups. These findings reflected comparable microbiome and transcriptomic patterns at the genome-wide level. Animal models of early life stress can impact both parents and their offspring. One mechanism that can mediate the effects of such stressors is changes to maternal lactation quality which our data show can confer multifaceted and compounding effects on offspring physiology and behavior.
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Lee RX, Stephens GJ, Kuhn B. Social Relationship as a Factor for the Development of Stress Incubation in Adult Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:854486. [PMID: 35685272 PMCID: PMC9172995 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.854486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While stress reactions can emerge long after the triggering event, it remains elusive how they emerge after a protracted, seemingly stress-free period during which stress incubates. Here, we study the behavioral development in mice isolated after observing an aggressive encounter inflicted upon their pair-housed partners. We developed a spatially resolved fine-scale behavioral analysis and applied it to standard behavioral tests. It reveals that the seemingly sudden behavioral changes developed gradually. These behavioral changes were not observed if the aggressive encounter happened to a stranger mouse, suggesting that social bonding is a prerequisite for stress incubation in this paradigm. This finding was corroborated by hemisphere-specific morphological changes in cortex regions centering at the anterior cingulate cortex, a cognitive and emotional center. Our non-invasive analytical methods to capture informative behavioral details may have applications beyond laboratory animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ray X. Lee
- Optical Neuroimaging Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
- Biological Physics Theory Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
- *Correspondence: Ray X. Lee,
| | - Greg J. Stephens
- Biological Physics Theory Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Bernd Kuhn
- Optical Neuroimaging Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
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Gisquet-Verrier P, Riccio DC. Revisiting systems consolidation and the concept of consolidation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 132:420-432. [PMID: 34875279 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.12.003] [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: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
For more than 50 years, knowledge of memory processes has been based on the consolidation hypothesis, which postulates that new memories require time to become stabilized. Two forms of the consolidation model exist. The Cellular Consolidation concept is based upon retrograde amnesia induced by amnesic treatments, the severity of which decreases as the learning to treatment increases over minutes or hours. In contrast, The Systems Consolidation model is based on post-training hippocampal lesions, which produce more severe retrograde amnesia when induced after days than after weeks. Except for the temporal parameters, Cellular and Systems Consolidation show many similarities. Here we propose that Systems consolidation, much as Cellular Consolidation (see Gisquet- Verrier and Riccio, 2018), can be explained in terms of a form of state-dependency. Accordingly, lesions of the hippocampus induce a change in the internal state of the animal, which disrupts retrieval processes. But the effect of contextual change is known to decrease with the length of the retention intervals, consistent with time-dependent retrograde amnesia. We provide evidence supporting this new view.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David C Riccio
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
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Oh SK, Park HJ, Yu GG, Jeong SH, Lee SW, Kim H. Secondary hypoxic ischemia alters neurobehavioral outcomes, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress in mice exposed to controlled cortical impact. Clin Exp Emerg Med 2021; 8:216-228. [PMID: 34649410 PMCID: PMC8517469 DOI: 10.15441/ceem.20.124] [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: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Hypoxic ischemia (HI) is a secondary insult that can cause fatal neurologic outcomes after traumatic brain injury (TBI), ranging from mild cognitive deficits to persistent vegetative states. We here aimed to unravel the underlying pathological mechanisms of HI injury in a TBI mouse model. Methods Neurobehavior, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress were assessed in a mouse model of controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury followed by HI. Mice underwent CCI alone, CCI followed by HI, HI alone, or sham operation. HI was induced by one-vessel carotid ligation with 1 hour of 8% oxygen in nitrogen. Learning and memory were assessed using the novel object recognition test, contextual and cued fear conditioning, and Barnes maze test. Brain cytokine production and oxidative stress-related components were measured. Results Compared to TBI-only animals, TBI followed by HI mice exhibited significantly poorer survival and health scores, spatial learning and memory in the Barnes maze test, discrimination memory in the novel object recognition test, and fear memory following contextual and cued fear conditioning. Malondialdehyde levels were significantly lower, whereas glutathione peroxidase activity was significantly higher in TBI followed by HI mice compared to TBI-only and sham counterparts, respectively. Interleukin-6 levels were significantly higher in TBI followed by HI mice compared to both TBI-only and sham animals. Conclusion Post-traumatic HI aggravated deficits in spatial, fear, and discrimination memory in an experimental TBI mouse model. Our results suggest that increased neuroinflammation and oxidative stress contribute to HI-induced neurobehavioral impairments after TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Se-Kwang Oh
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Chungnam National University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea
| | - Hyun-Jeong Park
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Gyeong-Gyu Yu
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Seong-Hae Jeong
- Department of Neurology, Chungnam National University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea
| | - Suk-Woo Lee
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Hoon Kim
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, Korea.,Department of Emergency Medicine, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea
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Seemiller LR, Mooney-Leber SM, Henry E, McGarvey A, Druffner A, Peltz G, Gould TJ. Genetic background determines behavioral responses during fear conditioning. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 184:107501. [PMID: 34400349 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Freezing behavior is used as a measure of a rodent's ability to learn during fear conditioning. However, it is possible that the expression of other behaviors may compete with freezing, particularly in rodent populations that have not been thoroughly studied in this context. Rearing and grooming are complex behaviors that are frequently exhibited by mice during fear conditioning. Both behaviors have been shown to be stress-sensitive, and the expression of these behaviors is dependent upon strain background. To better understand how genetic background impacts behavioral responses during fear conditioning, we examined freezing, rearing, and grooming frequencies prior to fear conditioning training and across different stages of fear conditioning testing in male mice from eight inbred mouse strains (C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, FVB/NJ, SWR/J, BTBR T + ltpr3Tf/J, SM/J, LP/J, 129S1/SvlmJ) that exhibited diverse freezing responses. We found that genetic background determined rearing and grooming expression throughout fear conditioning, and their patterns of expression across stages of fear conditioning were strain dependent. Using publicly available SNP data, we found that polymorphisms in Dab1, a gene that is implicated in both grooming and learning phenotypes, separated the strains with high contextual grooming from the others using a hierarchical clustering analysis. This suggested a potential genetic mechanism for the observed behavioral differences. These findings demonstrate that genetic background determines behavioral responses during fear conditioning and suggest that shared genetic substrates underlie fear conditioning behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- L R Seemiller
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - S M Mooney-Leber
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI, USA
| | - E Henry
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - A McGarvey
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - A Druffner
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - G Peltz
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - T J Gould
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA.
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Seemiller LR, Gould TJ. Adult and adolescent C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice are differentially susceptible to fear learning deficits after acute ethanol or MK-801 treatment. Behav Brain Res 2021; 410:113351. [PMID: 33974921 PMCID: PMC8403488 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Ethanol and other drugs of abuse disrupt learning and memory processes, creating problems associated with drug use and addiction. Understanding individual factors that determine susceptibility to drug-induced cognitive deficits, such as genetic background, age, and sex, is important for prevention and treatment. Comparison of adolescent and adult mice of both sexes across inbred mouse strains can reveal age, sex, and genetic contributions to phenotypes. We treated adolescent and adult, male and female, C57BL/6J and DBA/2J inbred mice with ethanol (1 g/kg or 1.5 g/kg) or MK-801 (0.05 mg/kg or 0.1 mg/kg), an NMDA receptor antagonist, prior to fear conditioning training. Contextual and cued fear retention were tested one day and eight or nine days after training. After ethanol exposure, adult C57BL/6J mice experienced greater deficits in contextual learning than adult DBA/2J mice. C57BL/6 J adolescents were less susceptible to ethanol-induced contextual learning disruptions than C57BL/6J adults, and adolescent males of both strains exhibited greater ethanol-induced contextual learning deficits than adolescent females. After MK-801 exposure, adolescent C57BL/6J mice experienced more severe contextual learning deficits than adolescent DBA/2J mice. Both ethanol and MK-801 had greater effects on contextual learning than cued learning. Collectively, we demonstrate that genetic background contributes to contextual and cued learning outcomes after ethanol or MK-801 exposure. Further, we report age-dependent drug sensitivities that are strain-, sex-, and drug-specific, suggesting that age, sex, and genetic background interact to determine contextual and cued learning impairments after ethanol or MK-801 exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- L R Seemiller
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, 219 Biobehavioral Health Building, University Park, PA, 16801, United States
| | - T J Gould
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, 219 Biobehavioral Health Building, University Park, PA, 16801, United States.
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RNA editing of the 5-HT2C receptor in the central nucleus of the amygdala is involved in resilience behavior. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:137. [PMID: 33627618 PMCID: PMC7904784 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01252-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD) is a stress-related condition that may develop after exposure to a severe trauma-event. One of the core brain areas that is considered to be a key regulatory region of PTSD is the amygdala. Specifically, the central amygdala (CeA) is involved in emotion processing and associative fear learning memory, two main circuits involved in PTSD. Long term dysregulation of trauma-related emotional processing may be caused by neuroadaptations that affect gene expression. The adenosine-(A) to-inosine (I) RNA editing machinery is a post-transcriptional process that converts a genomic encoded A to I and is critical for normal brain function and development. Such editing has the potential to increase the transcriptome diversity, and disruption of this process has been linked to various central nervous system disorders. Here, we employed a unique animal model to examine the possibility that the RNA editing machinery is involved in PTSD. Detection of RNA editing specifically in the CeA revealed changes in the editing pattern of the 5-HT2C serotonin receptor (5-HT2CR) transcript accompanied by dynamic changes in the expression levels of the ADAR family enzymes (ADAR and ADARb1). Deamination by ADAR and ADARb1 enzymes induces conformational changes in the 5-HT2CR that decrease the G-protein-coupling activity, agonist affinity, and thus serotonin signaling. Significantly, a single intra-CeA administration of a 5-HT2CR pharmacological antagonist produced a robust alleviation of PTSD-like behaviors (that was maintained for three weeks) as well as single systemic treatment. This work may suggest the way to a new avenue in the understanding of PTSD regulation.
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Giraldo G, Janus C. Phenotypic evaluation of a childhood-onset parkinsonism-dystonia mouse model with inherent postural abnormalities. Brain Res Bull 2020; 166:54-63. [PMID: 33147520 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2020.10.018] [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: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Mouse models that replicate facets of human neurological diseases are often used at the pre-clinical stage to better understand the underlying mechanisms of a disease and test the target engagement of potential therapeutic interventions. We recently characterized a mouse model of childhood-onset parkinsonism-dystonia, a disease caused by a homozygous loss-of-function mutation in the SLC39A14 gene. The disease manifests itself phenotypically by impairments in locomotor behaviour and postural abnormalities. Our initial characterization of the model revealed that the Slc39a14-/- mice showed altered Mn homeostasis and compromised locomotor performance in vertical pole-descending, horizontal beam-traversing, and rotarod tests (Jenkitkasemwong et al., 2018). However, some of the mice also displayed torticollis and Straub tail. In this study, we investigated whether these postural abnormalities affected the performance in the above motility tests and consequently, biased and compromised the external validity of reported abnormal locomotor profiles. Our analyses showed that the Slc39a14-/- mice displaying torticollis and/or Straub tail had tests scores comparable to scores of their counterparts that never displayed these postural abnormalities. The z-score general index of performance revealed that the Slc39a14-/- model presents a complex pathological motor phenotype relevant to the complexity of phenotypes identified in childhood-onset parkinsonism-dystonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genesys Giraldo
- Department of Neuroscience, and CTRND, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA.
| | - Christopher Janus
- Department of Neuroscience, and CTRND, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA.
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Celorrio M, Rhodes J, Vadivelu S, Davies M, Friess SH. N-acetylcysteine reduces brain injury after delayed hypoxemia following traumatic brain injury. Exp Neurol 2020; 335:113507. [PMID: 33065076 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2020.113507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Preclinical investigations into neuroprotective agents for traumatic brain injury (TBI) have shown promise when administered before or very early after experimental TBI. However clinical trials of therapeutics demonstrating preclinical efficacy for TBI have failed to replicate these results in humans, a lost in translation phenomenon. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a potent anti-oxidant with demonstrated efficacy in pre-clinical TBI when administered early after primary injury. Utilizing our clinically relevant mouse model, we hypothesized that NAC administration in a clinically relevant timeframe could improve the brain's resilience to the secondary insult of hypoxemia. NAC or vehicle administered daily starting 2 h prior to hypoxemia (24 h after controlled cortical impact) for 3 doses in male mice reduced short-term axonal injury and hippocampal neuronal loss. Six month behavioral assessments including novel object recognition, socialization, Barnes maze, and fear conditioning did not reveal performance differences between sham controls and injured mice receiving NAC or saline vehicle. At 7 months after injury, NAC administered mice had reduced hippocampal neuronal loss but no reduction in lesion volume. In summary, our preclinical trial to test the neuroprotective efficacy of NAC against a secondary hypoxic insult after TBI demonstrated short and long-term neuropathological evidence of neuroprotection but a lack of detectable differences in long-term behavioral assessments between sham controls and injured mice limits conclusions on its impact on long-term neurobehavioral outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Celorrio
- Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, One Children's Place, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - James Rhodes
- Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, One Children's Place, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Sangeetha Vadivelu
- Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, One Children's Place, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - McKenzie Davies
- Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, One Children's Place, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Stuart H Friess
- Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, One Children's Place, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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Hirota Y, Arai A, Young LJ, Osako Y, Yuri K, Mitsui S. Oxytocin receptor antagonist reverses the blunting effect of pair bonding on fear learning in monogamous prairie voles. Horm Behav 2020; 120:104685. [PMID: 31935400 PMCID: PMC7117995 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Revised: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Social relationships among spouses, family members, and friends are known to affect physical and mental health. In particular, long-lasting bonds between socio-sexual partners have profound effects on cognitive, social, emotional, and physical well-being. We have previously reported that pair bonding in monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) is prevented by a single prolonged stress (SPS) paradigm, which causes behavioral and endocrine symptoms resembling post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients in rats (Arai et al., 2016). Since fear memory function is crucial for anxiety-related disorders such as PTSD, we investigated the effects of pair bonding on fear learning in prairie voles. We applied an SPS paradigm to male prairie voles after the cohabitation with a male (cage-mate group) or female (pair-bonded group). The cage-mate group, but not the pair-bonded group, showed enhanced fear response in a contextual fear conditioning test following the SPS treatment. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that cFos-positive cells in the central amygdala were increased in the pair-bonded group after the contextual fear conditioning test and that oxytocin immunoreactivity in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus was significantly higher in the pair-bonded group than the cage-mate group. This pair-bonding dependent blunting of fear memory response was confirmed by a passive avoidance test, another fear-based learning test. Interestingly, intracerebroventricular injection of an oxytocin receptor antagonist 30 min before the passive avoidance test blocked the blunting effect of pair bonding on fear learning. Thus, pair bonding between socio-sexual partners results in social buffering in the absence of the partner, blunting fear learning, which may be mediated by oxytocin signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Hirota
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 3-39-22 Showa, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8514, Japan
| | - Aki Arai
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 3-39-22 Showa, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8514, Japan
| | - Larry J Young
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Yerkes National Primate Center, Emory University School of Medicine, 954 Gatewood Rd., Atlanta, GA 30329, USA; Center for Social Neural Networks, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan
| | - Yoji Osako
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Oko-cho, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Kazunari Yuri
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Oko-cho, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Shinichi Mitsui
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 3-39-22 Showa, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8514, Japan.
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Grella SL, Fortin AH, McKissick O, Leblanc H, Ramirez S. Odor modulates the temporal dynamics of fear memory consolidation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 27:150-163. [PMID: 32179657 PMCID: PMC7079569 DOI: 10.1101/lm.050690.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 12/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Systems consolidation (SC) theory proposes that recent, contextually rich memories are stored in the hippocampus (HPC). As these memories become remote, they are believed to rely more heavily on cortical structures within the prefrontal cortex (PFC), where they lose much of their contextual detail and become schematized. Odor is a particularly evocative cue for intense remote memory recall and despite these memories being remote, they are highly contextual. In instances such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), intense remote memory recall can occur years after trauma, which seemingly contradicts SC. We hypothesized that odor may shift the organization of salient or fearful memories such that when paired with an odor at the time of encoding, they are delayed in the de-contextualization process that occurs across time, and retrieval may still rely on the HPC, where memories are imbued with contextually rich information, even at remote time points. We investigated this by tagging odor- and non-odor-associated fear memories in male c57BL/6 mice and assessed recall and c-Fos expression in the dorsal CA1 (dCA1) and prelimbic cortex (PL) 1 or 21 d later. In support of SC, our data showed that recent memories were more dCA1-dependent whereas remote memories were more PL-dependent. However, we also found that odor influenced this temporal dynamic, biasing the memory system from the PL to the dCA1 when odor cues were present. Behaviorally, inhibiting the dCA1 with activity-dependent DREADDs had no effect on recall at 1 d and unexpectedly caused an increase in freezing at 21 d. Together, these findings demonstrate that odor can shift the organization of fear memories at the systems level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie L Grella
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Amanda H Fortin
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Olivia McKissick
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Heloise Leblanc
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Steve Ramirez
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
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14
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Bergstrom HC. Assaying Fear Memory Discrimination and Generalization: Methods and Concepts. CURRENT PROTOCOLS IN NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 91:e89. [PMID: 31995285 PMCID: PMC7000165 DOI: 10.1002/cpns.89] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Generalization describes the transfer of conditioned responding to stimuli that perceptually differ from the original conditioned stimulus. One arena in which discriminant and generalized responding is of particular relevance is when stimuli signal the potential for harm. Aversive (fear) conditioning is a leading behavioral model for studying associative learning and memory processes related to threatening stimuli. This article describes a step-by-step protocol for studying discrimination and generalization using cued fear conditioning in rodents. Alternate conditioning paradigms, including context generalization, differential generalization, discrimination training, and safety learning, are also described. The protocol contains instructions for constructing a cued fear memory generalization gradient and methods for isolating discrete cued-from-context cued conditioned responses (i.e., "the baseline issue"). The preclinical study of generalization is highly pertinent in the context of fear learning and memory because a lack of fear discrimination (overgeneralization) likely contributes to the etiology of anxiety-related disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. © 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Basic Protocol 1: Tone cued fear generalization gradient Basic Protocol 2: Quantification of freezing Support Protocol: Alternate conditioning paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadley C Bergstrom
- Vassar College, Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Poughkeepsie, New York
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15
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Kedrov AV, Mineyeva OA, Enikolopov GN, Anokhin KV. Involvement of Adult-born and Preexisting Olfactory Bulb and Dentate Gyrus Neurons in Single-trial Olfactory Memory Acquisition and Retrieval. Neuroscience 2019; 422:75-87. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 08/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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16
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Smith KL, Kassem MS, Clarke DJ, Kuligowski MP, Bedoya-Pérez MA, Todd SM, Lagopoulos J, Bennett MR, Arnold JC. Microglial cell hyper-ramification and neuronal dendritic spine loss in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex in a mouse model of PTSD. Brain Behav Immun 2019; 80:889-899. [PMID: 31158497 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2019.05.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Few animal models exist that successfully reproduce several core associative and non-associative behaviours relevant to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as long-lasting fear reactions, hyperarousal, and subtle attentional and cognitive dysfunction. As such, these models may lack the face validity required to adequately model pathophysiological features of PTSD such as CNS grey matter loss and neuroinflammation. Here we aimed to investigate in a mouse model of PTSD whether contextual fear conditioning associated with a relatively high intensity footshock exposure induces loss of neuronal dendritic spines in various corticolimbic brain regions, as their regression may help explain grey matter reductions in PTSD patients. Further, we aimed to observe whether these changes were accompanied by alterations in microglial cell number and morphology, and increased expression of complement factors implicated in the mediation of microglial cell-mediated engulfment of dendritic spines. Adult male C57Bl6J mice were exposed to a single electric footshock and subsequently underwent phenotyping of various PTSD-relevant behaviours in the short (day 2-4) and longer-term (day 29-31). 32 days post-exposure the brains of these animals were subjected to Golgi staining of dendritic spines, microglial cell Iba-1 immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescent staining of the complement factors C1q and C4. Shock exposure promoted a lasting contextual fear response, decreased locomotor activity, exaggerated acoustic startle responses indicative of hyperarousal, and a short-term facilitation of sensorimotor gating function. The shock triggered loss of dendritic spines on pyramidal neurons was accompanied by increased microglial cell number and complexity in the medial prefrontal cortex and dorsal hippocampus, but not in the amygdala. Shock also increased expression of C1q in the pyramidal layer of the CA1 region of the hippocampus but not in other brain regions. The present study further elaborates on the face and construct validity of a mouse model of PTSD and provides a good foundation to explore potential molecular interactions between microglia and dendritic spines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristie Leigh Smith
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Australia; Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Australia
| | | | - David J Clarke
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Australia; Discipline of Pharmacology, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Michael P Kuligowski
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Australia; Australian Microscopy & Microanalysis Research Facility, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Miguel A Bedoya-Pérez
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Australia; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Stephanie M Todd
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Australia; Discipline of Pharmacology, University of Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Maxwell R Bennett
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Australia; Discipline of Physiology, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Jonathon C Arnold
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Australia; Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Australia; Discipline of Pharmacology, University of Sydney, Australia.
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17
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Kim DH, Jang YS, Jeon WK, Han JS. Assessment of Cognitive Phenotyping in Inbred, Genetically Modified Mice, and Transgenic Mouse Models of Alzheimer's Disease. Exp Neurobiol 2019; 28:146-157. [PMID: 31138986 PMCID: PMC6526110 DOI: 10.5607/en.2019.28.2.146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2019] [Revised: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetically modified mouse models are being used predominantly to understand brain functions and diseases. Well-designed and controlled behavioral analyses of genetically modified mice have successfully led to the identification of gene functions, understanding of brain diseases, and development of treatments. Recently, complex and higher cognitive functions have been examined in mice with genetic mutations. Therefore, research strategies for cognitive phenotyping should be sophisticated and evolve to convey the exact meaning of the findings and provide robust translational tools for testing hypotheses and developing treatments. This review addresses issues of experimental design and discusses studies that have examined cognitive function using mouse strain differences, genetically modified mice, and transgenic mice for Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Hee Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea
| | - Yoon-Sun Jang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea
| | - Won Kyung Jeon
- Herbal Medicine Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon 34054, Korea.,Convergence Research Center for Diagnosis, Treatment and Care System of Dementia, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Korea
| | - Jung-Soo Han
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea
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18
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Asok A, Kandel ER, Rayman JB. The Neurobiology of Fear Generalization. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 12:329. [PMID: 30697153 PMCID: PMC6340999 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The generalization of fear memories is an adaptive neurobiological process that promotes survival in complex and dynamic environments. When confronted with a potential threat, an animal must select an appropriate defensive response based on previous experiences that are not identical, weighing cues and contextual information that may predict safety or danger. Like other aspects of fear memory, generalization is mediated by the coordinated actions of prefrontal, hippocampal, amygdalar, and thalamic brain areas. In this review article, we describe the current understanding of the behavioral, neural, genetic, and biochemical mechanisms involved in the generalization of fear. Fear generalization is a hallmark of many anxiety and stress-related disorders, and its emergence, severity, and manifestation are sex-dependent. Therefore, to improve the dialog between human and animal studies as well as to accelerate the development of effective therapeutics, we emphasize the need to examine both sex differences and remote timescales in rodent models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arun Asok
- Jerome L. Greene Science Center, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Eric R. Kandel
- Jerome L. Greene Science Center, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Joseph B. Rayman
- Jerome L. Greene Science Center, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
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19
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Pereira LM, de Castro CM, Guerra LTL, Queiroz TM, Marques JT, Pereira GS. Hippocampus and Prefrontal Cortex Modulation of Contextual Fear Memory Is Dissociated by Inhibiting De Novo Transcription During Late Consolidation. Mol Neurobiol 2019; 56:5507-5519. [DOI: 10.1007/s12035-018-1463-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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20
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Williams AR, Lattal KM. Rapid reacquisition of contextual fear following extinction in mice: effects of amount of extinction, acute ethanol withdrawal, and ethanol intoxication. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:491-506. [PMID: 30338488 PMCID: PMC6374192 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5057-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Many studies have found that ethanol intoxication and withdrawal impair initial acquisition or extinction of learned behaviors. Rapid reconditioning following extinction is a form of post-extinction re-emergence of conditioned behavior that has not been studied for its interaction with ethanol intoxication or withdrawal. OBJECTIVES The goals of this paper were to define the parameters that allow rapid post-extinction reacquisition of fear in mice and investigate the effect of acute ethanol withdrawal and intoxication on acquisition, extinction, and post-extinction reconditioning. METHODS We examined acquisition, extinction, and post-extinction reconditioning of contextual fear in male C57BL/6 mice. Acute ethanol withdrawal occurred 6 h following a 4 g/kg injection of 20% ethanol and acute ethanol intoxication occurred 5 min following a 1.5 g/kg injection of 20% ethanol. RESULTS A weak context-shock pairing caused rapid reacquisition of conditioned freezing following moderate, but not extensive extinction. Acute ethanol intoxication impaired initial conditioning and acute ethanol withdrawal impaired rapid reacquisition after extinction, but not reconditioning or extinction itself. CONCLUSIONS These findings show that rapid reconditioning occurs following moderate but not extensive extinction in C57BL/6J mice. Additionally, acute ethanol withdrawal and intoxication may differentially affect different phases of conditioning. Results are discussed in terms of current ideas about post-extinction behavior and ethanol's effects on memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy R Williams
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97210, USA
| | - K Matthew Lattal
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97210, USA.
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21
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Wotjak CT. Sound check, stage design and screen plot - how to increase the comparability of fear conditioning and fear extinction experiments. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:33-48. [PMID: 30470861 PMCID: PMC6373201 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5111-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In the recent decade, fear conditioning has evolved as a standard procedure for testing cognitive abilities such as memory acquisition, consolidation, recall, reconsolidation, and extinction, preferentially in genetically modified mice. The reasons for the popularity of this powerful approach are its ease to perform, the short duration of training and testing, and its well-described neural basis. So why to bother about flaws in standardization of test procedures and analytical routines? Simplicity does not preclude the existence of fallacies. A short survey of the literature revealed an indifferent use of acoustic stimuli in terms of quality (i.e., white noise vs. sine wave), duration, and intensity. The same applies to the shock procedures. In the present article, I will provide evidence for the importance of qualitative and quantitative parameters of conditioned and unconditioned stimuli for the experimental outcome. Moreover, I will challenge frequently applied interpretations of short-term vs. long-term extinction and spontaneous recovery. On the basis of these concerns, I suggest a guideline for standardization of fear conditioning experiments in mice to improve the comparability of the experimental data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carsten T. Wotjak
- 0000 0000 9497 5095grid.419548.5Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, RG “Neuronal Plasticity”, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany
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22
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Holley AJ, Hodges SL, Nolan SO, Binder M, Okoh JT, Ackerman K, Tomac LA, Lugo JN. A single seizure selectively impairs hippocampal-dependent memory and is associated with alterations in PI3K/Akt/mTOR and FMRP signaling. Epilepsia Open 2018; 3:511-523. [PMID: 30525120 PMCID: PMC6276778 DOI: 10.1002/epi4.12273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective A single brief seizure before learning leads to spatial and contextual memory impairment in rodents without chronic epilepsy. These results suggest that memory can be impacted by seizure activity in the absence of epilepsy pathology. In this study, we investigated the types of memory affected by a seizure and the time course of impairment. We also examined alterations to mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) signaling, which modulate elements of the synapse and may underlie impairment. Methods We induced a single seizure and investigated hippocampal and nonhippocampal memory using trace fear conditioning, novel object recognition (NOR), and accelerating rotarod to determine the specificity of impairment in mice. We used western blot analysis to examine for changes to cellular signaling and synaptic proteins 1 h, 24 h, and 1 week after a seizure. We also included a histologic examination to determine if cell loss or gross lesions might alternatively explain memory deficits. Results Behavioral results indicated that a seizure before learning leads to impairment of trace fear memory that worsens over time. In contrast, nonhippocampal memory was unaffected by a seizure in the NOR and rotarod tasks. Western analysis indicated increased hippocampal phospho‐S6 and total FMRP 1 h following a seizure. Tissue taken 24 h after a seizure indicated increased hippocampal GluA1, suggesting increased α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor expression. Histologic analysis indicated that neither cell loss nor lesions are present after a single seizure. Significance The presence of memory impairment in the absence of damage suggests that memory impairment caused by seizure activity differs from general memory impairment in epilepsy. Instead, memory impairment after a single seizure is associated with alterations to mTOR and FMRP signaling, which leads to a disruption of synaptic proteins involved in consolidation of long‐term memory. These results have implications for understanding memory impairment in epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Holley
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Baylor University Waco Texas U.S.A
| | | | - Suzanne O Nolan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Baylor University Waco Texas U.S.A
| | - Matthew Binder
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Baylor University Waco Texas U.S.A
| | - James T Okoh
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Baylor University Waco Texas U.S.A
| | - Kaylin Ackerman
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Baylor University Waco Texas U.S.A
| | - Lindsey A Tomac
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Baylor University Waco Texas U.S.A
| | - Joaquin N Lugo
- Institute of Biomedical Studies Baylor University Waco Texas U.S.A.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Baylor University Waco Texas U.S.A
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23
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Garner AM, Norton JN, Kinard WL, Kissling GE, Reynolds RP. Vibration-induced Behavioral Responses and Response Threshold in Female C57BL/6 Mice. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR LABORATORY ANIMAL SCIENCE : JAALAS 2018; 57:447-455. [PMID: 30060780 PMCID: PMC6159678 DOI: 10.30802/aalas-jaalas-17-00092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2017] [Revised: 10/24/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Despite documented adverse effects, limits for rodent exposure to vibration in the laboratory animal facility have not been established. This study used female C57BL/6 mice to determine the frequencies of vibration at which mice were most sensitive to behavioral changes, the highest magnitude of vibration that would not cause behavioral changes, the behavioral changes that occur in response to vibration, and the extent to which mice habituate to vibration. Mice were exposed to frequencies of vibration between 20 and 190 Hz at accelerations of 0.05 to 1.0 m/s2. Behavioral responses were videorecorded and subsequently scored. Mice showed the most behavioral responses at 1.0 m/s2. At intermediate accelerations of 0.5 and 0.75 m/s2, behavioral responses were most prevalent at frequencies of 70 to 100 Hz. In contrast, at an acceleration of 0.05 m/s2, mice did not show any discernible behavioral response. Behavioral responses induced by the initiation of vibration were transient, generally lasting only 2 to 10 s. Behaviors in awake mice included abrupt freezing of motion, hunched posture, and surveying the cage environment. In mice that were asleep, responses consisted of lifting the head suddenly with or without prior shifting of body position. When exposed to multiple periods of vibration over a short time, responses seemed to decrease. In summary, mice were particularly sensitive to vibration between 70 to 100 Hz, did not respond to the slowest acceleration (0.05 m/s2), and exhibited transient responses at the initiation of vibration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela M Garner
- Division of Laboratory Animal Resources, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - John N Norton
- Division of Laboratory Animal Resources, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | | | - Grace E Kissling
- Biostatistics and Computational Biology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
| | - Randall P Reynolds
- Division of Laboratory Animal Resources, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina;,
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24
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Pollack GA, Bezek JL, Lee SH, Scarlata MJ, Weingast LT, Bergstrom HC. Cued fear memory generalization increases over time. Learn Mem 2018; 25:298-308. [PMID: 29907637 PMCID: PMC6004064 DOI: 10.1101/lm.047555.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Fear memory is a highly stable and durable form of memory, even over vast (remote) time frames. Nevertheless, some elements of fear memory can be forgotten, resulting in generalization. The purpose of this study is to determine how cued fear memory generalizes over time and measure underlying patterns of cortico-amygdala synaptic plasticity. We established generalization gradients at recent (1-d) and remote (30-d) retention intervals following auditory cued fear conditioning in adult male C57BL/6 mice. Results revealed a flattening of the generalization gradient (increased generalization) that was dissociated from contextual fear generalization, indicating a specific influence of time on cued fear memory performance. This effect reversed after a brief exposure to the novel stimulus soon after learning. Measurements from cortico-amygdala imaging of the activity-regulated cytoskeletal Arc/arg 3.1 (Arc) protein using immunohistochemistry after cued fear memory retrieval revealed a stable pattern of Arc expression in the dorsolateral amygdala, but temporally dynamic expression in the cortex. Over time, increased fear memory generalization was associated with a reduction in Arc expression in the agranular insular and infralimbic cortices while discrimination learning was associated with increased Arc expression in the prelimbic cortex. These data identify the dorsolateral amygdala, medial prefrontal, and insular cortices as loci for synaptic plasticity underlying cued fear memory generalization over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle A Pollack
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York 12604 USA
| | - Jessica L Bezek
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York 12604 USA
| | - Serena H Lee
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York 12604 USA
| | - Miranda J Scarlata
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York 12604 USA
| | - Leah T Weingast
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York 12604 USA
| | - Hadley C Bergstrom
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York 12604 USA
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25
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Colon L, Odynocki N, Santarelli A, Poulos AM. Sexual differentiation of contextual fear responses. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 25:230-240. [PMID: 29661835 PMCID: PMC5903402 DOI: 10.1101/lm.047159.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Development and sex differentiation impart an organizational influence on the neuroanatomy and behavior of mammalian species. Prior studies suggest that brain regions associated with fear motivated defensive behavior undergo a protracted and sex-dependent development. Outside of adult animals, evidence for developmental sex differences in conditioned fear is sparse. Here, we examined in male and female Long-Evans rats how developmental age and sex affect the long-term retention and generalization of Pavlovian fear responses. Experiments 1 and 2 describe under increasing levels of aversive learning (three and five trials) the long-term retrieval of cued and context fear in preadolescent (P24 and P33), periadolescent (P37), and adult (P60 and P90) rats. Experiments 3 and 4 examined contextual processing under minimal aversive learning (1 trial) procedures in infant (P19, P21), preadolescent (P24), and adult (P60) rats. Here, we found that male and female rats display a divergent developmental trajectory in the expression of context-mediated freezing, such that context fear expression in males tends to increase toward adulthood, while females displayed an opposite pattern of decreasing context fear expression toward adulthood. Longer (14 d) retention intervals produced an overall heightened context fear expression relative to shorter (1 d) retention intervals an observation consistent with fear incubation. Male, but not Female rats showed increasing generalization of context fear across development. Collectively, these findings provide an initial demonstration that sexual differentiation of contextual fear conditioning emerges prior to puberty and follows a distinct developmental trajectory toward adulthood that strikingly parallels sex differences in the etiology and epidemiology of anxiety and trauma- and stressor-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorianna Colon
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Natalie Odynocki
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Anthony Santarelli
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Andrew M Poulos
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York, USA
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26
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Wheelan N, Kenyon CJ, Harris AP, Cairns C, Al Dujaili E, Seckl JR, Yau JL. Midlife stress alters memory and mood-related behaviors in old age: Role of locally activated glucocorticoids. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2018; 89:13-22. [PMID: 29306773 PMCID: PMC5890827 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Chronic exposure to stress during midlife associates with subsequent age-related cognitive decline and may increase the vulnerability to develop psychiatric conditions. Increased hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity has been implicated in pathogenesis though any causative role for glucocorticoids is unestablished. This study investigated the contribution of local glucocorticoid regeneration by the intracellular enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1), in persisting midlife stress-induced behavioral effects in mice. Middle-aged (10 months old) 11β-HSD1-deficient mice and wild-type congenic controls were randomly assigned to 28 days of chronic unpredictable stress or left undisturbed (non-stressed). All mice underwent behavioral testing at the end of the stress/non-stress period and again 6-7 months later. Chronic stress impaired spatial memory in middle-aged wild-type mice. The effects, involving a wide spectrum of behavioral modalities, persisted for 6-7 months after cessation of stress into early senescence. Enduring effects after midlife stress included impaired spatial memory, enhanced contextual fear memory, impaired fear extinction, heightened anxiety, depressive-like behavior, as well as reduced hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor mRNA expression. In contrast, 11β-HSD1 deficient mice resisted both immediate and enduring effects of chronic stress, despite similar stress-induced increases in systemic glucocorticoid activity during midlife stress. In conclusion, chronic stress in midlife exerts persisting effects leading to cognitive and affective dysfunction in old age via mechanisms that depend, at least in part, on brain glucocorticoids generated locally by 11β-HSD1. This finding supports selective 11β-HSD1 inhibition as a novel therapeutic target to ameliorate the long-term consequences of stress-related psychiatric disorders in midlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Wheelan
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, United Kingdom,Centre for Cognitive Aging and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, EH8 8JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher J. Kenyon
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Anjanette P. Harris
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, United Kingdom,Centre for Cognitive Aging and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, EH8 8JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Carolynn Cairns
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Emad Al Dujaili
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan R. Seckl
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, United Kingdom,Centre for Cognitive Aging and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, EH8 8JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Joyce L.W. Yau
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, United Kingdom,Centre for Cognitive Aging and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, EH8 8JZ, United Kingdom,Corresponding author at: Queen’s Medical Research Institute, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, Scotland, United Kingdom.
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27
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Kawahori K, Hashimoto K, Yuan X, Tsujimoto K, Hanzawa N, Hamaguchi M, Kase S, Fujita K, Tagawa K, Okazawa H, Nakajima Y, Shibusawa N, Yamada M, Ogawa Y. Mild Maternal Hypothyroxinemia During Pregnancy Induces Persistent DNA Hypermethylation in the Hippocampal Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Gene in Mouse Offspring. Thyroid 2018; 28:395-406. [PMID: 29415629 DOI: 10.1089/thy.2017.0331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Thyroid hormones are essential for normal development of the central nervous system (CNS). Experimental rodents have shown that even a subtle thyroid hormone insufficiency in circulating maternal thyroid hormones during pregnancy may adversely affect neurodevelopment in offspring, resulting in irreversible cognitive deficits. This may be due to the persistent reduced expression of the hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene Bdnf, which plays a crucial role in CNS development. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. METHODS Thiamazole (MMI; 0.025% [w/v]) was administered to dams from two weeks prior to conception until delivery, which succeeded in inducing mild maternal hypothyroxinemia during pregnancy. Serum thyroid hormone and thyrotropin levels of the offspring derived from dams with mild maternal hypothyroxinemia (M offspring) and the control offspring (C offspring) were measured. At 70 days after birth, several behavior tests were performed on the offspring. Gene expression and DNA methylation status were also evaluated in the promoter region of Bdnf exon IV, which is largely responsible for neural activity-dependent Bdnf gene expression, in the hippocampus of the offspring at day 28 and day 70. RESULTS No significant differences in serum thyroid hormone or thyrotropin levels were found between M and C offspring at day 28 and day 70. M offspring showed an impaired learning capacity in the behavior tests. Hippocampal steady-state Bdnf exon IV expression was significantly weaker in M offspring than it was in C offspring at day 28. At day 70, hippocampal Bdnf exon IV expression at the basal level was comparable between M and C offspring. However, it was significantly weaker in M offspring than in C offspring after the behavior tests. Persistent DNA hypermethylation was also found in the promoter region of Bdnf exon IV in the hippocampus of M offspring compared to that of C offspring, which may cause the attenuation of Bdnf exon IV expression in M offspring. CONCLUSIONS Mild maternal hypothyroxinemia induces persistent DNA hypermethylation in Bdnf exon IV in offspring as epigenetic memory, which may result in long-term cognitive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenichi Kawahori
- 1 Department of Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Koshi Hashimoto
- 2 Department of Preemptive Medicine and Metabolism, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Xunmei Yuan
- 3 Department of Molecular and Cellular Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Tsujimoto
- 1 Department of Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nozomi Hanzawa
- 1 Department of Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Miho Hamaguchi
- 3 Department of Molecular and Cellular Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Saori Kase
- 1 Department of Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kyota Fujita
- 4 Department of Neuropathology, Medical Research Institute and Center for Brain Integration Research, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Tagawa
- 4 Department of Neuropathology, Medical Research Institute and Center for Brain Integration Research, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Okazawa
- 4 Department of Neuropathology, Medical Research Institute and Center for Brain Integration Research, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yasuyo Nakajima
- 5 Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine , Gunma, Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Shibusawa
- 5 Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine , Gunma, Japan
| | - Masanobu Yamada
- 5 Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine , Gunma, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Ogawa
- 3 Department of Molecular and Cellular Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
- 6 Department of Medicine and Bioregulatory Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University , Fukuoka, Japan
- 7 Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development , CREST, Tokyo, Japan
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28
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Lauer AM, Behrens D, Klump G. Acoustic startle modification as a tool for evaluating auditory function of the mouse: Progress, pitfalls, and potential. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 77:194-208. [PMID: 28327385 PMCID: PMC5446932 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2017] [Revised: 02/23/2017] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Acoustic startle response (ASR) modification procedures, especially prepulse inhibition (PPI), are increasingly used as behavioral measures of auditory processing and sensorimotor gating in rodents due to their perceived ease of implementation and short testing times. In practice, ASR and PPI procedures are extremely variable across animals, experimental setups, and studies, and the interpretation of results is subject to numerous caveats and confounding influences. We review considerations for modification of the ASR using acoustic stimuli, and we compare the sensitivity of PPI procedures to more traditional operant psychoacoustic techniques. We also discuss non-auditory variables that must be considered. We conclude that ASR and PPI measures cannot substitute for traditional operant techniques due to their low sensitivity. Additionally, a substantial amount of pilot testing must be performed to properly optimize an ASR modification experiment, negating any time benefit over operant conditioning. Nevertheless, there are some circumstances where ASR measures may be the only option for assessing auditory behavior, such as when testing mouse strains with early-onset hearing loss or learning impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Lauer
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Center for Hearing and Balance, Johns Hopkins University, 515 Traylor Building, 720 Rutland Ave., Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
| | - Derik Behrens
- Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all, Animal Physiology & Behavior Group, Department for Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl Von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Carl Von Ossietzky Str. 9-11, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Georg Klump
- Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all, Animal Physiology & Behavior Group, Department for Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl Von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Carl Von Ossietzky Str. 9-11, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany
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29
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Cho WH, Han JS. Differences in the Flexibility of Switching Learning Strategies and CREB Phosphorylation Levels in Prefrontal Cortex, Dorsal Striatum and Hippocampus in Two Inbred Strains of Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2016; 10:176. [PMID: 27695401 PMCID: PMC5025447 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Flexibility in using different learning strategies was assessed in two different inbred strains of mice, the C57BL/6 and DBA/2 strains. Mice were trained sequentially in two different Morris water maze protocols that tested their ability to switch their learning strategy to complete a new task after first being trained in a different task. Training consisted either of visible platform trials (cued training) followed by subsequent hidden platform trials (place training) or the reverse sequence (place training followed by cued training). Both strains of mice showed equivalent performance in the type of training (cued or place) that they received first. However, C57BL/6 mice showed significantly better performances than DBA/2 mice following the switch in training protocols, irrespective of the order of training. After completion of the switched training session, levels of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and phosphorylated CREB (pCREB) were measured in the hippocampus, striatum and prefrontal cortex of the mice. Prefrontal cortical and hippocampal pCREB levels differed by strain, with higher levels found in C57BL/6 mice than in DBA/2 mice. No strain differences were observed in the medial or lateral region of the dorsal striatum. These findings indicate that the engagement (i.e., CREB signaling) of relevant neural structures may vary by the specific demands of the learning strategy, and this is closely tied to differences in the flexibility of C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice to switch their learning strategies when given a new task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Woo-Hyun Cho
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jung-Soo Han
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University Seoul, South Korea
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30
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Neuner SM, Garfinkel BP, Wilmott LA, Ignatowska-Jankowska BM, Citri A, Orly J, Lu L, Overall RW, Mulligan MK, Kempermann G, Williams RW, O'Connell KMS, Kaczorowski CC. Systems genetics identifies Hp1bp3 as a novel modulator of cognitive aging. Neurobiol Aging 2016; 46:58-67. [PMID: 27460150 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2016.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2016] [Revised: 06/07/2016] [Accepted: 06/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
An individual's genetic makeup plays an important role in determining susceptibility to cognitive aging. Identifying the specific genes that contribute to cognitive aging may aid in early diagnosis of at-risk patients, as well as identify novel therapeutics targets to treat or prevent development of symptoms. Challenges to identifying these specific genes in human studies include complex genetics, difficulty in controlling environmental factors, and limited access to human brain tissue. Here, we identify Hp1bp3 as a novel modulator of cognitive aging using a genetically diverse population of mice and confirm that HP1BP3 protein levels are significantly reduced in the hippocampi of cognitively impaired elderly humans relative to cognitively intact controls. Deletion of functional Hp1bp3 in mice recapitulates memory deficits characteristic of aged impaired mice and humans, further supporting the idea that Hp1bp3 and associated molecular networks are modulators of cognitive aging. Overall, our results suggest Hp1bp3 may serve as a potential target against cognitive aging and demonstrate the utility of genetically diverse animal models for the study of complex human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Neuner
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Benjamin P Garfinkel
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel; The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Lynda A Wilmott
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Bogna M Ignatowska-Jankowska
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Ami Citri
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Joseph Orly
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Lu Lu
- Department of Genetics, Genomics, and Informatics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Rupert W Overall
- CRTD-Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Megan K Mulligan
- Department of Genetics, Genomics, and Informatics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Gerd Kempermann
- CRTD-Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden 01307, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Dresden, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Robert W Williams
- Department of Genetics, Genomics, and Informatics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Kristen M S O'Connell
- Department of Physiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Catherine C Kaczorowski
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA.
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31
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Poulos AM, Mehta N, Lu B, Amir D, Livingston B, Santarelli A, Zhuravka I, Fanselow MS. Conditioning- and time-dependent increases in context fear and generalization. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 23:379-85. [PMID: 27317198 PMCID: PMC4918784 DOI: 10.1101/lm.041400.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 04/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
A prominent feature of fear memories and anxiety disorders is that they endure across extended periods of time. Here, we examine how the severity of the initial fear experience influences incubation, generalization, and sensitization of contextual fear memories across time. Adult rats were presented with either five, two, one, or zero shocks (1.2 mA, 2 sec) during contextual fear conditioning. Following a recent (1 d) or remote (28 d) retention interval all subjects were returned to the original training context to measure fear memory and/or to a novel context to measure the specificity of fear conditioning. Our results indicate rats that received two or five shocks show an “incubation”-like enhancement of fear between recent and remote retention intervals, while single-shocked animals show stable levels of context fear memory. Moreover, when fear was tested in a novel context, 1 and 2 shocked groups failed to freeze, whereas five shocked rats showed a time-dependent generalization of context memory. Stress enhancement of fear learning to a second round of conditioning was evident in all previously shocked animals. Based on these results, we conclude that the severity or number of foot shocks determines not only the level of fear memory, but also the time-dependent incubation of fear and its generalization across distinct contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M Poulos
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York 12222, USA Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - Nehali Mehta
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - Bryan Lu
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - Dorsa Amir
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - Briana Livingston
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - Anthony Santarelli
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York 12222, USA
| | - Irina Zhuravka
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - Michael S Fanselow
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
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32
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Rebecca Glatt A, St John SJ, Lu L, Boughter JD. Temporal and qualitative dynamics of conditioned taste aversions in C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice self-administering LiCl. Physiol Behav 2015; 153:97-108. [PMID: 26524511 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.10.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2015] [Revised: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Self-administration of LiCl solution has been shown to result in the formation of a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) that generalizes to NaCl in rats. This paradigm may have considerable ecological validity as it models CTA learning in natural settings, and also allows for the investigation of drinking microstructure as an assay of potential shifts in stimulus palatability. We used this paradigm to examine possible mouse strain differences in CTA acquisition, generalization, and extinction. In the first experiment, C57BL/6J (B6) and DBA/2J (D2) mice self-administered LiCl (or control NaCl) over a 20-minute free access acquisition period and were tested on the following day with a panel of taste solutions available in brief (5-s) trials delivered in random order. In the second experiment, mice again self-administered LiCl or NaCl (at low, 0.12 M, or high, 0.24 M concentrations) in a 20-minute session, and on the following day received a 20-minute free access period to equimolar NaCl. Strain differences were found for aspects of ingestive behavior, with B6 mice showing greater consumption of all stimuli, including water, while D2 mice lick faster, in less frequent but longer bursts. We did not, however, find evidence of a robust strain difference in taste aversion learning. Both strains demonstrated profound alterations in licking microstructure in the generalization session relative to controls. We suggest that a decrease in "lick efficiency" (the percentage of inter-lick intervals within a burst of short duration vs. longer duration) reflects avoidance behavior, and signals a shift in palatability of a stimulus following CTA.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Rebecca Glatt
- Department of Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science, USA
| | | | - Lianyi Lu
- Department of Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science, USA
| | - John D Boughter
- Department of Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science, USA.
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33
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Szklarczyk K, Korostynski M, Cieslak PE, Wawrzczak-Bargiela A, Przewlocki R. Opioid-dependent regulation of high and low fear responses in two inbred mouse strains. Behav Brain Res 2015; 292:95-101. [PMID: 26051817 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2015] [Revised: 05/18/2015] [Accepted: 06/01/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The molecular mechanisms underlying the susceptibility or resilience to trauma-related disorders remain incompletely understood. Opioids modulate emotional learning, but the roles of specific receptors are unclear. Here, we aimed to analyze the contribution of the opioid system to fear responses in two inbred mouse strains exhibiting distinct behavioral phenotypes. SWR/J and C57BL/6J mice were subjected to five consecutive electric footshocks (1mA each), and the contextual freezing time was measured. Stress-induced alterations in gene expression were analyzed in the amygdala and the hippocampus. In both strains, the fear response was modulated using pharmacological tools. SWR/J mice did not develop conditioned fear but exhibited increased transcriptional expression of Pdyn and Penk in the amygdala region. Blocking opioid receptors prior to the footshocks using naltrexone (2 mg/kg) or naltrindole (5 mg/kg) increased the freezing responses in these animals. The C57BL/6J strain displayed high conditioned fear, although no alteration in the mRNA abundance of genes encoding opioid precursors was observed. Double-injection of morphine (20 mg/kg) following stress and upon context re-exposure prevented the enhancement of freezing. Moreover, selective delta and kappa agonists caused a reduction in conditioned fear responses. To summarize, the increased expression of the Pdyn and Penk genes corresponded to reduced intensity of fear responses. Blockade of the endogenous opioid system restored freezing behavior in stress-resistant animals. The pharmacological stimulation of the kappa and delta opioid receptors in stress-susceptible individuals may alleviate fear. Thus, subtype-selective opioid receptor agonists may protect against the development of trauma-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaudia Szklarczyk
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology PAS, Krakow, Poland
| | - Michal Korostynski
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology PAS, Krakow, Poland
| | - Przemyslaw Eligiusz Cieslak
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology PAS, Krakow, Poland; Institute of Applied Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | | | - Ryszard Przewlocki
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology PAS, Krakow, Poland.
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34
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Holmes NM, Westbrook RF. Appetitive context conditioning proactively, but transiently, interferes with expression of counterconditioned context fear. Learn Mem 2014; 21:597-605. [PMID: 25320352 PMCID: PMC4201809 DOI: 10.1101/lm.035089.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2014] [Accepted: 07/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Four experiments used rats to study appetitive-aversive transfer. Rats trained to eat a palatable food in a distinctive context and shocked in that context ate and did not freeze when tested 1 d later but froze and did not eat when tested 14 d later. These results were associatively mediated (Experiments 1 and 2), observed when rats were or were not food deprived (Experiments 1 and 2), and were not due to latent inhibition (Experiment 3). In contrast, rats trained to eat in the context and shocked there 13 d later froze and did not eat when tested 1 d after the shocked exposure. However, rats that received an additional eating session in the context 1 d before the shocked exposure ate and did not freeze when tested 1 d after the shocked exposure (Experiment 4). The results show that appetitive conditioning transiently interferes with aversive conditioning. They are discussed in terms of a weak context-shock association becoming stronger with the lapse of time (so-called fear incubation) or of the interference by the context-food association becoming weaker with the lapse of time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan M Holmes
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia
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35
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Stress-induced enhancement of fear conditioning activates the amygdalar cholecystokinin system in a rat model of post-traumatic stress disorder. Neuroreport 2014; 25:1085-90. [DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000000232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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36
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Blockade of CB1 receptors prevents retention of extinction but does not increase low preincubated conditioned fear in the fear incubation procedure. Behav Pharmacol 2014; 25:23-31. [PMID: 24346290 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
We recently developed a procedure to study fear incubation, in which rats given 100 tone-shock pairings over 10 days show low fear 2 days after conditioned fear training and high fear after 30 days. Notably, fear 2 days after 10 sessions of fear conditioning is lower than fear seen 2 days after a single session of fear conditioning, suggesting that fear is suppressed. Here, we investigate the potential role of CB1 receptor activation by endocannabinoids in this fear suppression. We subjected rats to 10 days of fear conditioning and then administered systemic injections of the CB1 receptor antagonist SR141716 before a conditioned fear test was conducted 2 days later under extinction conditions. A second test was conducted without any injections on the following day (3 days after training) to examine retention of fear extinction. SR141716 injections did not increase fear expression 2 days after extended fear conditioning or affect within-session extinction; however, it impaired retention of between-session fear extinction in the day 3 test. These data suggest that CB1 receptor activation does not suppress fear soon after extended fear conditioning in the fear incubation task. The data also add to the existing literature on the role of CB1 receptors in extinction of conditioned fear.
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37
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Tipps ME, Raybuck JD, Buck KJ, Lattal KM. Delay and trace fear conditioning in C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice: issues of measurement and performance. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 21:380-93. [PMID: 25031364 PMCID: PMC4105718 DOI: 10.1101/lm.035261.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Strain comparison studies have been critical to the identification of novel genetic and molecular mechanisms in learning and memory. However, even within a single learning paradigm, the behavioral data for the same strain can vary greatly, making it difficult to form meaningful conclusions at both the behavioral and cellular level. In fear conditioning, there is a high level of variability across reports, especially regarding responses to the conditioned stimulus (CS). Here, we compare C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice using delay fear conditioning, trace fear conditioning, and a nonassociative condition. Our data highlight both the significant strain differences apparent in these fear conditioning paradigms and the significant differences in conditioning type within each strain. We then compare our data to an extensive literature review of delay and trace fear conditioning in these two strains. Finally, we apply a number of commonly used baseline normalization approaches to compare how they alter the reported differences. Our findings highlight three major sources of variability in the fear conditioning literature: CS duration, number of CS presentations, and data normalization to baseline measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E Tipps
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
| | - Jonathan D Raybuck
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
| | - Kari J Buck
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA Portland Alcohol Research Center, Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
| | - K Matthew Lattal
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
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38
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Kitamura T, Inokuchi K. Role of adult neurogenesis in hippocampal-cortical memory consolidation. Mol Brain 2014; 7:13. [PMID: 24552281 PMCID: PMC3942778 DOI: 10.1186/1756-6606-7-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2013] [Accepted: 02/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Acquired memory is initially dependent on the hippocampus (HPC) for permanent memory formation. This hippocampal dependency of memory recall progressively decays with time, a process that is associated with a gradual increase in dependency upon cortical structures. This process is commonly referred to as systems consolidation theory. In this paper, we first review how memory becomes hippocampal dependent to cortical dependent with an emphasis on the interactions that occur between the HPC and cortex during systems consolidation. We also review the mechanisms underlying the gradual decay of HPC dependency during systems consolidation from the perspective of memory erasures by adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Finally, we discuss the relationship between systems consolidation and memory precision.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kaoru Inokuchi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.
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39
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Elharrar E, Warhaftig G, Issler O, Sztainberg Y, Dikshtein Y, Zahut R, Redlus L, Chen A, Yadid G. Overexpression of corticotropin-releasing factor receptor type 2 in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis improves posttraumatic stress disorder-like symptoms in a model of incubation of fear. Biol Psychiatry 2013; 74:827-36. [PMID: 23871471 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.05.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2012] [Revised: 05/21/2013] [Accepted: 05/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe, persistent psychiatric disorder in response to a traumatic event, causing intense anxiety and fear. These responses may increase over time upon conditioning with fear-associated cues, a phenomenon termed fear incubation. Corticotropin-releasing factor receptor type 1 (CRFR1) is involved in activation of the central stress response, while corticotropin-releasing factor receptor type 2 (CRFR2) has been suggested to mediate termination of this response. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptors are found in stress-related regions, including the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST), which is implicated in sustained fear. METHODS Fear-related behaviors were analyzed in rats exposed to predator-associated cues, a model of psychological trauma, over 10 weeks. Rats were classified as susceptible (PTSD-like) or resilient. Expression levels of CRF receptors were measured in the amygdala nuclei and BNST of the two groups. In addition, lentiviruses overexpressing CRFR2 were injected into the medial division, posterointermediate part of the BNST (BSTMPI) of susceptible and resilient rats and response to stress cues was measured. RESULTS We found that exposure to stress and stress-associated cues induced a progressive increase in fear response of susceptible rats. The behavioral manifestations of these rats were correlated both with sustained elevation in CRFR1 expression and long-term downregulation in CRFR2 expression in the BSTMPI. Intra-BSTMPI injection of CRFR2 overexpressing lentiviruses attenuated behavioral impairments of susceptible rats. CONCLUSIONS These results implicate the BNST CRF receptors in the mechanism of coping with stress. Our findings suggest increase of CRFR2 levels as a new approach for understanding stress-related atypical psychiatric syndromes such as PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Einat Elharrar
- The Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan; The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan
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40
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Systems consolidation and the content of memory. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2013; 106:365-71. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2013.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2013] [Revised: 05/29/2013] [Accepted: 06/04/2013] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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Abstract
While fear and anxiety can grow over time in anxiety disorders, most efforts to model this phenomenon with fear conditioning in rodents cause fear that remains stable or decreases across weeks or months. Here, we describe several methods to induce conditioned fear that grows over the course of 1 month and is sustained for at least 2 months using an extended fear conditioning approach. These methods include a very reliable standard method that causes multiple fear measures to increase over months, as well as alternative methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles L. Pickens
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, 5625 Fishers Lane, Room 2N09, Rockville, MD 20851. . Phone: 301-443-4052. Fax: 301-480-1952
| | - Sam A. Golden
- Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Friedman Brain Institute and Department of Neuroscience, 1425 Madison Avenue, Icahn Building 10-02, New York, NY 10029. . Phone: 212-659-8625. Fax: 212-849-2611
| | - Sunila G. Nair
- University of Washington, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Harborview Medical Center, 325 9th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104. . Phone: 206-897-5801. Fax: 206-897-5804
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Coyner J, McGuire JL, Parker CC, Ursano RJ, Palmer AA, Johnson LR. Mice selectively bred for High and Low fear behavior show differences in the number of pMAPK (p44/42 ERK) expressing neurons in lateral amygdala following Pavlovian fear conditioning. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2013; 112:195-203. [PMID: 23811025 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2013.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2013] [Revised: 06/12/2013] [Accepted: 06/18/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Individual variability in the acquisition, consolidation and extinction of conditioned fear potentially contributes to the development of fear pathology including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Pavlovian fear conditioning is a key tool for the study of fundamental aspects of fear learning. Here, we used a selected mouse line of High and Low Pavlovian conditioned fear created from an advanced intercrossed line (AIL) in order to begin to identify the cellular basis of phenotypic divergence in Pavlovian fear conditioning. We investigated whether phosphorylated MAPK (p44/42 ERK/MAPK), a protein kinase required in the amygdala for the acquisition and consolidation of Pavlovian fear memory, is differentially expressed following Pavlovian fear learning in the High and Low fear lines. We found that following Pavlovian auditory fear conditioning, High and Low line mice differ in the number of pMAPK-expressing neurons in the dorsal sub nucleus of the lateral amygdala (LAd). In contrast, this difference was not detected in the ventral medial (LAvm) or ventral lateral (LAvl) amygdala sub nuclei or in control animals. We propose that this apparent increase in plasticity at a known locus of fear memory acquisition and consolidation relates to intrinsic differences between the two fear phenotypes. These data provide important insights into the micronetwork mechanisms encoding phenotypic differences in fear. Understanding the circuit level cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie individual variability in fear learning is critical for the development of effective treatment of fear-related illnesses such as PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Coyner
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University (USU), School of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Jennifer L McGuire
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University (USU), School of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | | | - Robert J Ursano
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University (USU), School of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Abraham A Palmer
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Luke R Johnson
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University (USU), School of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS), Bethesda, MD, USA.
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Generalization of contextual fear depends on associative rather than non-associative memory components. Behav Brain Res 2012; 233:483-93. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2012] [Revised: 05/05/2012] [Accepted: 05/10/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Choy KHC, Yu J, Hawkes D, Mayorov DN. Analysis of vigilant scanning behavior in mice using two-point digital video tracking. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2012; 221:649-57. [PMID: 22193725 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-011-2609-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2011] [Accepted: 12/04/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Vigilant scanning of the environment is a major risk assessment activity in many species. However, due to difficulties in its manual scoring, scanning has rarely been quantified in laboratory rodent studies. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS We developed a novel method for automated measurement of vigilant scanning in mice, based on simultaneous tracking of an animal's nose- and center-points. The studied scanning parameters included the frequency and duration of scans and scanning (nose-point) speed. The sensitivity of these parameters to anxiolytic diazepam (1-2 mg/kg) and anxiogenic FG-7142 (5 mg/kg) was evaluated upon exposure to the context (conditioning chamber) before and 24 h after footshock. RESULTS Scanning behavior was observed in all C57BL/6, 129xC57BL/6, and DBA/2 mice, as recurrent stationary episodes accompanied by observatory head movements. These episodes respectively comprised 28 ± 1%, 29 ± 1%, and 24 ± 2% of preexposure time. Diazepam dose-dependently decreased the scanning frequency and duration, without affecting the scanning speed. Fear conditioning increased freezing and inhibited other behaviors upon reexposure, with scanning being only marginally affected and still comprising 17 ± 2%, 16 ± 2%, and 19 ± 1% of reexposure time, respectively. Consequently, scanning accounted for most (DBA/2) or virtually all (C57BL/6 and 129xC57BL/6) gross motor activities upon reexposure. FG-7142 mirrored the effects of conditioning, inducing behavioral inhibition with scanning being least affected. CONCLUSIONS Two-point tracking is effective for studying vigilant scanning in mice. Using this approach, we show that scanning is a key risk assessment activity in both unconditioned and conditioned mice; scanning is resistant to threat-induced behavioral inhibition and is highly sensitive to anxiolytic treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwok Ho C Choy
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia
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Lattal KM, Maughan DK. A parametric analysis of factors affecting acquisition and extinction of contextual fear in C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice. Behav Processes 2012; 90:49-57. [PMID: 22465469 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2012.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2012] [Revised: 03/14/2012] [Accepted: 03/14/2012] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral analyses of genetically modified and inbred strains of mice have revealed neural systems and molecules that are involved in memory formation. Many of these studies have examined memories that form in contextual fear conditioning, in which an organism learns that a particular context signals the occurrence of a footshock. During fear extinction, nonreinforced exposure to the context results in the loss of the conditioned fear response. The study of extinction has been instrumental for behavioral and molecular theories of memory. However, many of the transgenic, knockout, and inbred strains of mice that have been widely studied in memory have behavioral deficits in contextual fear conditioning, which makes the study of extinction in these mice particularly challenging. Here we explore several strategies for studying extinction in C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice, two strains known to differ in contextual fear conditioning. First, we attempt to equate performance prior to extinction through several extensive conditioning protocols. Second, we examine extinction in subsets of mice matched for initial levels of context conditioning. Third, we examine within-strain effects of variables known to affect extinction. Differences between the strains persisted across extensive conditioning and extinction protocols, but both strains were sensitive to session duration and context manipulations during extinction. We describe the implications of our results for behavioral and neurobiological approaches to extinction, and we examine the general challenges in studying extinction in subjects that differ in learning or performance prior to extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Matthew Lattal
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA.
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Kitamura T, Okubo-Suzuki R, Takashima N, Murayama A, Hino T, Nishizono H, Kida S, Inokuchi K. Hippocampal function is not required for the precision of remote place memory. Mol Brain 2012; 5:5. [PMID: 22296713 PMCID: PMC3317849 DOI: 10.1186/1756-6606-5-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2012] [Accepted: 02/02/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During permanent memory formation, recall of acquired place memories initially depends on the hippocampus and eventually become hippocampus-independent with time. It has been suggested that the quality of original place memories also transforms from a precise form to a less precise form with similar time course. The question arises of whether the quality of original place memories is determined by brain regions on which the memory depends. RESULTS To directly test this idea, we introduced a new procedure: a non-associative place recognition memory test in mice. Combined with genetic and pharmacological approaches, our analyses revealed that place memory is precisely maintained for 28 days, although the recall of place memory shifts from hippocampus-dependent to hippocampus-independent with time. Moreover, the inactivation of the hippocampal function does not inhibit the precision of remote place memory. CONCLUSION These results indicate that the quality of place memories is not determined by brain regions on which the memory depends.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Kitamura
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
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Voluntary wheel running enhances contextual but not trace fear conditioning. Behav Brain Res 2011; 226:1-7. [PMID: 21896289 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.08.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2011] [Revised: 07/09/2011] [Accepted: 08/23/2011] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Exercise improves performance on a number of hippocampus involved cognitive tasks including contextual fear conditioning, but whether exercise enhances contextual fear when the retention interval is longer than 1 day is not known. Also unknown is whether exercise improves trace conditioning, a task that requires the hippocampus to bridge the time interval between stimuli. Hence, 4-month-old male C57BL/6J mice were housed with or without running wheels. To assess whether hippocampal neurogenesis was associated with behavioral outcomes, during the initial 10 days, mice received Bromodeoxyuridine to label dividing cells. After 30 days, one group of mice was trained in a contextual fear conditioning task. Freezing to context was assessed 1, 7, or 21 days post-training. A separate group was trained on a trace procedure, in which a tone and footshock were separated by a 15, 30, or 45s interval. Freezing to the tone was measured 24h later in a novel environment, and freezing to the training context was measured 48h later. Running enhanced freezing to context when the retention interval was 1, but not 7 or 21 days. Running had no effect on trace conditioning even though runners displayed enhanced freezing to the training context 48h later. Wheel running increased survival of new neurons in the hippocampus. Collectively, findings indicate that wheel running enhances cognitive performance on some tasks but not others and that enhanced neurogenesis is not always associated with improved performance on hippocampus tasks, one example of which is trace conditioning.
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Selective early-acquired fear memories undergo temporary suppression during adolescence. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:1182-7. [PMID: 21220344 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1012975108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Highly conserved neural circuitry between rodents and humans has allowed for in-depth characterization of behavioral and molecular processes associated with emotional learning and memory. Despite increased prevalence of affective disorders in adolescent humans, few studies have characterized how associative-emotional learning changes during the transition through adolescence or identified mechanisms underlying such changes. By examining fear conditioning in mice, as they transitioned into and out of adolescence, we found that a suppression of contextual fear occurs during adolescence. Although contextual fear memories were not expressed during early adolescence, they could be retrieved and expressed as the mice transitioned out of adolescence. This temporary suppression of contextual fear was associated with blunted synaptic activity in the basal amygdala and decreased PI3K and MAPK signaling in the hippocampus. These findings reveal a unique form of brain plasticity in fear learning during early adolescence and may prove informative for understanding endogenous mechanisms to suppress unwanted fear memories.
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Yu T, Liu C, Belichenko P, Clapcote SJ, Li S, Pao A, Kleschevnikov A, Bechard AR, Asrar S, Chen R, Fan N, Zhou Z, Jia Z, Chen C, Roder JC, Liu B, Baldini A, Mobley WC, Yu YE. Effects of individual segmental trisomies of human chromosome 21 syntenic regions on hippocampal long-term potentiation and cognitive behaviors in mice. Brain Res 2010; 1366:162-71. [PMID: 20932954 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.09.107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2010] [Revised: 09/15/2010] [Accepted: 09/29/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
As the genomic basis for Down syndrome (DS), human trisomy 21 is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability in children and young people. The genomic regions on human chromosome 21 (Hsa21) are syntenic to three regions in the mouse genome, located on mouse chromosome 10 (Mmu10), Mmu16, and Mmu17. Recently, we have developed three new mouse models using chromosome engineering carrying the genotypes of Dp(10)1Yey/+, Dp(16)1Yey/+, or Dp(17)1Yey/+, which harbor a duplication spanning the entire Hsa21 syntenic region on Mmu10, Mmu16, or Mmu17, respectively. In this study, we analyzed the hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and cognitive behaviors of these models. Our results show that, while the genotype of Dp(17)1Yey/+ results in abnormal hippocampal LTP, the genotype of Dp(16)1Yey/+ leads to both abnormal hippocampal LTP and impaired learning/memory. Therefore, these mutant mice can serve as powerful tools for further understanding the mechanism underlying cognitively relevant phenotypes associated with DS, particularly the impacts of different syntenic regions on these phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Yu
- Genetics Program and Department of Cancer Genetics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
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Time-limited involvement of dorsal hippocampus in unimodal discriminative contextual conditioning. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2010; 94:481-7. [PMID: 20816992 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2010.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2010] [Revised: 08/23/2010] [Accepted: 08/26/2010] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Converging evidence examining the effects of post-training manipulations of the hippocampus suggests that the hippocampus may play a time-limited role in the maintenance of a variety of forms of memory. In particular, either lesions or inactivation of the dorsal hippocampus results in many cases in a time-limited retrograde impairment in nondiscriminative contextual conditioning paradigms. However, the extent to which hippocampal manipulations result in a time-limited retrograde amnesia for a variety of forms of learning has recently been called into question (reviewed in Sutherland, Sparks, & Lehmann (2010)). The present study examined the effect of inactivation of the dorsal hippocampus either 7, 28, or 42 days following training in an explicitly nonspatial, discriminative contextual conditioning paradigm (Otto & Poon, 2006; Parsons & Otto, 2008). Inactivation of the dorsal hippocampus resulted in a significant deficit in the expression of contextual conditioning at 7 and 28 days, but not 42 days, following training. Importantly, inactivation of the hippocampus did not affect either baseline freezing levels or conditioning to an explicit CS. Together with previous data exploring hippocampal contributions to discriminative unimodal contextual conditioning, these data suggest that the hippocampus may play a particularly prominent role in the temporary maintenance of memory in discriminative contextual paradigms.
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