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Merlo SA, Belluscio MA, Pedreira ME, Merlo E. Memory persistence: from fundamental mechanisms to translational opportunities. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:98. [PMID: 38355584 PMCID: PMC10867010 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02808-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Memory persistence is a double edge sword. Persistence of adaptive memories is essential for survival and even determines who we are. Neurodegenerative conditions with significant memory loss such as Alzheimer's disease, testify how defects of memory persistence have severe and irreversible effects on personality, among other symptoms. Yet, maintenance of overly strong maladaptive memories underlies highly debilitating psychiatric conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder, specific phobia, substance dependence and binge eating disorder. Here we review the neurobiological mechanisms supporting memory formation, persistence, inhibition and forgetting. We then shift the focus to how such mechanisms have been exploited to alter the persistence of laboratory-generated memories in human healthy volunteers as a proof of concept. Finally, we review the effect of behavioural and pharmacological interventions in anxiety and addiction disorder patients, highlighting key findings, gaps, and future directions for basic and translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Abel Merlo
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas and Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas and Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratorio Bases Neuronales del Comportamiento, Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariano Andrés Belluscio
- Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas and Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratorio Bases Neuronales del Comportamiento, Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maria Eugenia Pedreira
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas and Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Granja-Galeano G, Dominguez-Rubio AP, Zappia CD, Wolfson M, Sanz-Blasco S, Aisemberg J, Zorrilla-Zubilete M, Fernandez N, Franchi A, Fitzsimons CP, Monczor F. CB1 receptor expression and signaling are required for dexamethasone-induced aversive memory consolidation. Neuropharmacology 2023; 239:109674. [PMID: 37541383 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
The molecular processes that underlie long-term memory formation involve signaling pathway activation by neurotransmitter release, which induces the expression of immediate early genes, such as Zif268, having a key role in memory formation. In this work, we show that the cannabinoid CB1 receptor signaling is necessary for the effects of dexamethasone on the behavioral response in an inhibitory avoidance task, on dexamethasone-induced ERK phosphorylation, and on dexamethasone-dependent Zif268 expression. Furthermore, we provide primary evidence for the mechanism responsible for this crosstalk between cannabinoid and glucocorticoid-mediated signaling pathways, showing that dexamethasone regulates endocannabinoid metabolism by inhibiting the activity of the Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), an integral membrane enzyme that hydrolyzes endocannabinoids and related amidated signaling lipids. Our results provide novel evidence regarding the role of the endocannabinoid system, and in particular of the CB1 receptor, as a mediator of the effects of glucocorticoids on the consolidation of aversive memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina Granja-Galeano
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (ININFA), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina
| | - Ana Paula Dominguez-Rubio
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de la Preñez y el Parto, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFyBO-UBA/CONICET). Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - C Daniel Zappia
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (ININFA), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina
| | - Manuel Wolfson
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de la Preñez y el Parto, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFyBO-UBA/CONICET). Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sara Sanz-Blasco
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (ININFA), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina
| | - Julieta Aisemberg
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de la Preñez y el Parto, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFyBO-UBA/CONICET). Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maria Zorrilla-Zubilete
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de la Preñez y el Parto, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFyBO-UBA/CONICET). Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Natalia Fernandez
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (ININFA), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina
| | - Ana Franchi
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de la Preñez y el Parto, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFyBO-UBA/CONICET). Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Carlos P Fitzsimons
- Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Science, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Federico Monczor
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (ININFA), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina.
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3
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Poli A, Viglione A, Mazziotti R, Totaro V, Morea S, Melani R, Silingardi D, Putignano E, Berardi N, Pizzorusso T. Selective Disruption of Perineuronal Nets in Mice Lacking Crtl1 is Sufficient to Make Fear Memories Susceptible to Erasure. Mol Neurobiol 2023; 60:4105-4119. [PMID: 37022587 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03314-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
The ability to store, retrieve, and extinguish memories of adverse experiences is an essential skill for animals' survival. The cellular and molecular factors that underlie such processes are only partially known. Using chondroitinase ABC treatment targeting chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs), previous studies showed that the maturation of the extracellular matrix makes fear memory resistant to deletion. Mice lacking the cartilage link protein Crtl1 (Crtl1-KO mice) display normal CSPG levels but impaired CSPG condensation in perineuronal nets (PNNs). Thus, we asked whether the presence of PNNs in the adult brain is responsible for the appearance of persistent fear memories by investigating fear extinction in Crtl1-KO mice. We found that mutant mice displayed fear memory erasure after an extinction protocol as revealed by analysis of freezing and pupil dynamics. Fear memory erasure did not depend on passive loss of retention; moreover, we demonstrated that, after extinction training, conditioned Crtl1-KO mice display no neural activation in the amygdala (Zif268 staining) in comparison to control animals. Taken together, our findings suggest that the aggregation of CSPGs into PNNs regulates the boundaries of the critical period for fear extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Poli
- BIO@SNS Lab, Scuola Normale Superiore Via G, Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Aurelia Viglione
- BIO@SNS Lab, Scuola Normale Superiore Via G, Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Raffaele Mazziotti
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Via Moruzzi, 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Valentino Totaro
- BIO@SNS Lab, Scuola Normale Superiore Via G, Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Silvia Morea
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Via Moruzzi, 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Riccardo Melani
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Davide Silingardi
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, and Child Health NEUROFARBA, University of Florence, 50134, Florence, Italy
| | - Elena Putignano
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Via Moruzzi, 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Berardi
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Via Moruzzi, 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, and Child Health NEUROFARBA, University of Florence, 50134, Florence, Italy
| | - Tommaso Pizzorusso
- BIO@SNS Lab, Scuola Normale Superiore Via G, Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy.
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Via Moruzzi, 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy.
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Glucose Homeostasis and Pancreatic Islet Size Are Regulated by the Transcription Factors Elk-1 and Egr-1 and the Protein Phosphatase Calcineurin. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24010815. [PMID: 36614256 PMCID: PMC9821712 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic β-cells synthesize and secrete insulin. A key feature of diabetes mellitus is the loss of these cells. A decrease in the number of β-cells results in decreased biosynthesis of insulin. Increasing the number of β-cells should restore adequate insulin biosynthesis leading to adequate insulin secretion. Therefore, identifying proteins that regulate the number of β-cells is a high priority in diabetes research. In this review article, we summerize the results of three sophisticated transgenic mouse models showing that the transcription factors Elk-1 and Egr-1 and the Ca2+/calmodulin-regulated protein phosphatase calcineurin control the formation of sufficiently large pancreatic islets. Impairment of the biological activity of Egr-1 and Elk-1 in pancreatic β-cells leads to glucose intolerance and dysregulation of glucose homeostasis, the process that maintains glucose concentration in the blood within a narrow range. Transgenic mice expressing an activated calcineurin mutant also had smaller islets and showed hyperglycemia. Calcineurin induces dephosphorylation of Elk-1 which subsequently impairs Egr-1 biosynthesis and the biological functions of Elk-1 and Egr-1 to regulate islet size and glucose homeostasis.
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Ferrara NC, Trask S, Pullins SE, Helmstetter FJ. Regulation of learned fear expression through the MgN-amygdala pathway. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 185:107526. [PMID: 34562619 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107526] [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: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Heightened fear responding is characteristic of fear- and anxiety-related disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder. Neural plasticity in the amygdala is essential for both initial fear learning and fear expression, and strengthening of synaptic connections between the medial geniculate nucleus (MgN) and amygdala is critical for auditory fear learning. However, very little is known about what happens in the MgN-amygdala pathway during fear recall and extinction, in which conditional fear decreases with repeated presentations of the auditory stimulus alone. In the present study, we found that optogenetic inhibition of activity in the MgN-amygdala pathway during fear retrieval and extinction reduced expression of conditional fear. While this effect persisted for at least two weeks following pathway inhibition, it was specific to the context in which optogenetic inhibition occurred, linking MgN-BLA inhibition to facilitation of extinction-like processes. Reduced fear expression through inhibition of the MgN-amygdala pathway was further characterized by similar synaptic expression of GluA1 and GluA2 AMPA receptor subunits compared to what was seen in controls. Inhibition also decreased CREB phosphorylation in the amygdala, similar to what has been reported following auditory fear extinction. We then demonstrated that this effect was reduced by inhibition of GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors. These results demonstrate a new and important role for the MgN-amygdala pathway in extinction-like processes, and show that suppressing activity in this pathway results in a persistent decrease in fear behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole C Ferrara
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Sydney Trask
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Shane E Pullins
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Fred J Helmstetter
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
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Cordner ZA, Marshall-Thomas I, Boersma GJ, Lee RS, Potash JB, Tamashiro KL. Fluoxetine and environmental enrichment similarly reverse chronic social stress-related depression- and anxiety-like behavior, but have differential effects on amygdala gene expression. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 15:100392. [PMID: 34568521 PMCID: PMC8449130 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The adverse effects of stress on brain and behavior have long been known and well-studied, with abundant evidence linking stress to, among other things, mood and anxiety disorders. Likewise, many have investigated potential treatments for stress-related mood and anxiety phenotypes and demonstrated good response to standard antidepressant medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), as well as environmental manipulations like exercise or enrichment. However, the extent to which stress and various treatments act on overlapping pathways in the brain is less well understood. Here, we used a widely studied social defeat stress paradigm to induce a robust depression- and anxiety-like phenotype and chronic corticosterone elevation that persisted for at least 4 weeks in wild type male mice. When mice were treated with either the SSRI fluoxetine or an enriched environment, both led to similar behavioral recovery from social defeat. We then focused on the amygdala and assessed the effects of social defeat, fluoxetine, and enrichment on 168 genes broadly related to synaptic plasticity or oxidative stress. We found 24 differentially expressed genes in response to social defeat stress. Interestingly, fluoxetine led to broad normalization of the stress-induced expression pattern while enrichment led to expression changes in a separate set of genes. Together, this study provides additional insight into the chronic effects of social defeat stress on behavior and gene expression in the amygdala. The findings also suggest that, for a subset of genes assessed, fluoxetine and environmental enrichment have strikingly divergent effects on expression in the amygdala, despite leading to similar behavioral outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary A. Cordner
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Avenue, Ross 618, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Isaiah Marshall-Thomas
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Avenue, Ross 618, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Gretha J. Boersma
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Avenue, Ross 618, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Richard S. Lee
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Avenue, Ross 618, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - James B. Potash
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Avenue, Ross 618, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Kellie L.K. Tamashiro
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Avenue, Ross 618, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Cellular & Molecular Medicine Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Avenue, Ross 618, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Corresponding author. Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Avenue, Ross 618, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
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7
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Han JK, Kwon SH, Kim YG, Choi J, Kim JI, Lee YS, Ye SK, Kim SJ. Ablation of STAT3 in Purkinje cells reorganizes cerebellar synaptic plasticity in long-term fear memory network. eLife 2021; 10:63291. [PMID: 33459594 PMCID: PMC7813544 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Emotional memory processing engages a large neuronal network of brain regions including the cerebellum. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the cerebellar cortex modulating the fear memory network are unclear. Here, we illustrate that synaptic signaling in cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs) via STAT3 regulates long-term fear memory. Transcriptome analyses revealed that PC-specific STAT3 knockout (STAT3PKO) results in transcriptional changes that lead to an increase in the expression of glutamate receptors. The amplitude of AMPA receptor-mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents at parallel fiber (PF) to PC synapses was larger in STAT3PKO mice than in wild-type (WT) littermates. Fear conditioning induced long-term depression of PF–PC synapses in STAT3PKO mice while the same manipulation induced long-term potentiation in WT littermates. STAT3PKO mice showed an aberrantly enhanced long-term fear memory. Neuronal activity in fear-related regions increased in fear-conditioned STAT3PKO mice. Our data suggest that STAT3-dependent molecular regulation in PCs is indispensable for proper expression of fear memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong-Kyu Han
- Department of Physiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University Graduate School, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Memory Network Medical Research Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Neuroscience Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun-Ho Kwon
- Memory Network Medical Research Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Pharmacology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Gyu Kim
- Department of Physiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaeyong Choi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Il Kim
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-Seok Lee
- Department of Physiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Neuroscience Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Kyu Ye
- Department of Physiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Pharmacology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Jeong Kim
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University Graduate School, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Memory Network Medical Research Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Neuroscience Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Identification of a Novel Retrieval-dependent Memory Process in the Crab Neohelice granulata. Neuroscience 2020; 448:149-159. [PMID: 32979399 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.09.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Fully consolidated associative memories may be altered by alternative retrieval dependent memory processes. While a brief exposure to the conditioned stimulus (CS) can trigger reconsolidation of the original memory, a prolonged CS exposure will trigger memory extinction. The conditioned response is maintained after reconsolidation, but is inhibited after extinction, presumably by the formation of a new inhibitory memory trace. In rats and humans, it has been shown that CS exposure of intermediate duration leave the memory in an insensitive or limbo state. Limbo is characterised by the absence of reconsolidation or extinction. Here we investigated the evolutionary conserved nature of limbo using a contextual Pavlovian conditioning (CPC) memory paradigm in the crab Neohelice granulata. In animals with fully consolidated CPC memory, systemic administration of the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide after 1 CS presentation disrupted the memory, presumably by interfering with memory reconsolidation. The same intervention given after 320 CSs prevented CPC memory extinction. Cycloheximide had no behavioural effect when administered after 80 CS presentations, a protocol that failed to extinguish CPC memory. Also, we observed that a stronger CPC memory engaged reconsolidation after 80 CS instead of limbo, indicating that memory strength affects the parametrical conditions to engage either reconsolidation or limbo. Altogether, these results indicate that limbo is an evolutionary conserved memory process segregating reconsolidation from extinction in the number of CSs space. Limbo appears as an intrinsic component of retrieval dependent memory processing, with a key function in the transition from memory maintenance to inhibition.
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Moreno A. Molecular mechanisms of forgetting. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 54:6912-6932. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Moreno
- Danish Institute of Translational Neuroscience (DANDRITE) Aarhus University Aarhus C Denmark
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Rich MT, Huang YH, Torregrossa MM. Calcineurin Promotes Neuroplastic Changes in the Amygdala Associated with Weakened Cocaine-Cue Memories. J Neurosci 2020; 40:1344-1354. [PMID: 31862855 PMCID: PMC7002139 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0453-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Revised: 11/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Interfering with memory reconsolidation or inducing memory extinction are two approaches for weakening maladaptive memories in disorders such as addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder. Both extinction and reconsolidation are regulated by intracellular protein kinases and phosphatases, and interfering with these signaling molecules can alter memory strength. The calcium-dependent protein phosphatase, calcineurin (CaN), has been implicated in both the consolidation and extinction of fear memories. However, the role of CaN in regulating drug-cue associative memories has not been investigated. Prior studies have demonstrated that plasticity at thalamo-lateral amygdala (T-LA) synapses is critically involved in the regulation of cocaine-cue memories. Therefore, in the present study, we tested the effects of LA administration of an activator of CaN, chlorogenic acid (CGA), on behavioral and electrophysiological indices of cocaine cue memory reconsolidation and extinction. Male, Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to self-administer cocaine paired with an audiovisual cue. The cue memory was then either briefly reactivated, extinguished, or not manipulated, followed immediately by LA infusion of CGA. Rats were tested 24 h later for cue-induced reinstatement, or LA slices were prepared for electrophysiological recordings. We found that intra-LA infusions of CGA following cue extinction or reconsolidation reduced cue-induced reinstatement, which was blocked by co-infusion of the CaN inhibitor, FK-506. Similarly, CGA infusions following cue re-exposure significantly attenuated EPSC amplitude at T-LA synapses, suggesting that CaN affects cocaine-cue memory reconsolidation and extinction by altering T-LA synaptic strength. Therefore, CaN signaling in the LA may represent a novel target for disrupting cocaine-associated memories to reduce relapse.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Repetitive drug use induces synaptic plasticity that underlies the formation of long-lasting associative memories for environmental cues paired with the drug. We previously identified thalamo-amygdala synapses (T-LA) that project via the interal capsule, as an important locus for the regulation of cocaine-cue memories. These synapses are strengthened by repeated cocaine-cue pairings, but this is reversed by extinction training or by optogenetic induction of in vivo long-term depression (LTD). Here, we demonstrate that activating calcineurin, a calcium-dependent phosphatase, following the reactivation or extinction of a cocaine-cue memory, induces LTD-like changes at T-LA synapses, and a corresponding decrease in cue-induced reinstatement, suggesting that calcineurin may be a potential therapeutic target for relapse prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew T Rich
- Department of Psychiatry
- Center for Neuroscience, and
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219
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Li L, Lai M, Cole S, Le Novère N, Edelstein SJ. Neurogranin stimulates Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II by suppressing calcineurin activity at specific calcium spike frequencies. PLoS Comput Biol 2020; 16:e1006991. [PMID: 32049957 PMCID: PMC7041932 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Calmodulin sits at the center of molecular mechanisms underlying learning and memory. Its complex and sometimes opposite influences, mediated via the binding to various proteins, are yet to be fully understood. Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and calcineurin (CaN) both bind open calmodulin, favoring Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) or Depression (LTD) respectively. Neurogranin binds to the closed conformation of calmodulin and its impact on synaptic plasticity is less clear. We set up a mechanistic computational model based on allosteric principles to simulate calmodulin state transitions and its interactions with calcium ions and the three binding partners mentioned above. We simulated calcium spikes at various frequencies and show that neurogranin regulates synaptic plasticity along three modalities. At low spike frequencies, neurogranin inhibits the onset of LTD by limiting CaN activation. At intermediate frequencies, neurogranin facilitates LTD, but limits LTP by precluding binding of CaMKII with calmodulin. Finally, at high spike frequencies, neurogranin promotes LTP by enhancing CaMKII autophosphorylation. While neurogranin might act as a calmodulin buffer, it does not significantly preclude the calmodulin opening by calcium. On the contrary, neurogranin synchronizes the opening of calmodulin's two lobes and promotes their activation at specific frequencies. Neurogranin suppresses basal CaN activity, thus increasing the chance of CaMKII trans-autophosphorylation at high-frequency calcium spikes. Taken together, our study reveals dynamic regulatory roles played by neurogranin on synaptic plasticity, which provide mechanistic explanations for opposing experimental findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Li
- Babraham Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Massimo Lai
- Quantitative Systems Pharmacology, CERTARA, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen Cole
- Cambridge Systems Biology Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Alapin JM, Dines M, Lamprecht R. EphB2 receptor forward signaling is needed for normal long-term memory formation in aged mice. Neurobiol Aging 2020; 86:11-15. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2019.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2019] [Revised: 08/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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13
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Tapella L, Soda T, Mapelli L, Bortolotto V, Bondi H, Ruffinatti FA, Dematteis G, Stevano A, Dionisi M, Ummarino S, Di Ruscio A, Distasi C, Grilli M, Genazzani AA, D'Angelo E, Moccia F, Lim D. Deletion of calcineurin from GFAP‐expressing astrocytes impairs excitability of cerebellar and hippocampal neurons through astroglial Na+/K+ATPase. Glia 2019; 68:543-560. [DOI: 10.1002/glia.23737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Tapella
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversità del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro” Novara Italy
| | - Teresa Soda
- Department of Brain and Behavioral SciencesUniversity of Pavia Pavia Italy
| | - Lisa Mapelli
- Department of Brain and Behavioral SciencesUniversity of Pavia Pavia Italy
| | - Valeria Bortolotto
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversità del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro” Novara Italy
| | - Heather Bondi
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversità del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro” Novara Italy
| | - Federico A. Ruffinatti
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversità del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro” Novara Italy
| | - Giulia Dematteis
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversità del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro” Novara Italy
| | - Alessio Stevano
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversità del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro” Novara Italy
| | - Marianna Dionisi
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversità del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro” Novara Italy
| | - Simone Ummarino
- Center of Life ScienceMedical School Initiative for RNA Medicine, Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts
- Department of Translational MedicineUniversità del Piemonte Orientale Novara Italy
| | - Annalisa Di Ruscio
- Center of Life ScienceMedical School Initiative for RNA Medicine, Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts
- Department of Translational MedicineUniversità del Piemonte Orientale Novara Italy
| | - Carla Distasi
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversità del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro” Novara Italy
| | - Mariagrazia Grilli
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversità del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro” Novara Italy
| | - Armando A. Genazzani
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversità del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro” Novara Italy
| | - Egidio D'Angelo
- Department of Brain and Behavioral SciencesUniversity of Pavia Pavia Italy
- IRCCS Mondino Foundation Pavia Italy
| | - Francesco Moccia
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology “Lazzaro Spallanzani”University of Pavia Pavia Italy
| | - Dmitry Lim
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversità del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro” Novara Italy
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Guo LB, Yu C, Ling QL, Fu Y, Wang YJ, Liu JG. Proteomic analysis of male rat nucleus accumbens, dorsal hippocampus and amygdala on conditioned place aversion induced by morphine withdrawal. Behav Brain Res 2019; 372:112008. [PMID: 31173798 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Addiction is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and taking behavior, which is thought to result from persistent neuroadaptations, encoded by changes of gene expression. We previously demonstrated that the changes in synaptic plasticity were required for the formation of aversive memories associated with morphine withdrawal. However, the proteins involved in synaptic plasticity and aversive memory formation have not been well explored. In the present study, we employed a two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE)-based proteomic technique to detect the changes of protein expression in the nucleus accumbens, amygdala and dorsal hippocampus of the rats that had developed conditioned morphine withdrawal. We found that twenty-three proteins were significantly altered in the amygdala and dorsal hippocampus after conditioned morphine withdrawal. These proteins can be classified into multiple categories, such as energy metabolism, signal transduction, synaptic transmission, cytoskeletal proteins, chaperones, and protein metabolism according to their biological functions. Eight proteins related to synaptic plasticity were further confirmed by western blot analysis. It is very likely that these identified proteins may contribute to conditioned morphine withdrawal-induced neural plasticity and aversive memory formation. Thus, our work will help understand the potential mechanism associated with generation of drug withdrawal memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liu-Bin Guo
- School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Chuan Yu
- Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, People's Republic of China
| | - Qing-Lan Ling
- Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Fu
- Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu-Jun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing-Gen Liu
- Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, People's Republic of China.
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15
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Règue M, Poilbout C, Martin V, Franc B, Lanfumey L, Mongeau R. Increased 5-HT2C receptor editing predisposes to PTSD-like behaviors and alters BDNF and cytokines signaling. Transl Psychiatry 2019; 9:100. [PMID: 30792491 PMCID: PMC6384909 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-019-0431-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a trauma- and stress-related disorder with dysregulated fear responses and neurobiological impairments, notably at neurotrophic and inflammation levels. Understanding the mechanisms underlying this disease is crucial to develop PTSD models that meet behavioral and neurobiological validity criteria as well as innovative therapeutic approaches. Serotonin 2C receptors (5-HT2CR) are known for their important role in anxiety, and mice having only the fully edited VGV isoform of 5-HT2CR, which thereby overexpressed brain 5-HT2CR, are of special interest to study PTSD predisposition. Innate and conditioned fear-related behaviors were assessed in VGV and wild-type mice. mRNA expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), tissue-plasminogen activator (tPA), and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, and calcineurin) were measured by qRT-PCR. The effect of acute and chronic paroxetine was evaluated on both behavior and gene expression. VGV mice displayed greater fear expression, extensive fear extinction deficits, and fear generalization. Paroxetine restored fear extinction in VGV mice when administered acutely and decreased innate fear and fear generalization when administered chronically. In parallel, Bdnf, tPA, and pro-inflammatory cytokines mRNA levels were dysregulated in VGV mice. Bdnf and tPA mRNA expression was decreased in the hippocampus but increased in the amygdala, and chronic paroxetine normalized Bdnf mRNA levels both in the amygdala and the hippocampus. Amygdalar calcineurin mRNA level in VGV mice was also normalized by chronic paroxetine. VGV-transgenic mice displayed behavioral and neurobiological features that could be accessory to the investigation of PTSD and its treatment. Furthermore, these data point out to the role of 5-HT2CR in neuroplasticity and neuroinflammation.
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MESH Headings
- Amygdala/metabolism
- Animals
- Anxiety/genetics
- Behavior, Animal/drug effects
- Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/genetics
- Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/metabolism
- Cytokines/metabolism
- Disease Models, Animal
- Fear
- Hippocampus/metabolism
- Male
- Maze Learning
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Transgenic
- Paroxetine/pharmacology
- RNA Editing
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2C/genetics
- Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2C/metabolism
- Signal Transduction
- Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/drug therapy
- Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Règue
- Inserm UMR S894, Centre de Psychiatrie et Neuroscience, Université Paris Descartes, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Corinne Poilbout
- Inserm UMR S894, Centre de Psychiatrie et Neuroscience, Université Paris Descartes, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Vincent Martin
- Inserm UMR S894, Centre de Psychiatrie et Neuroscience, Université Paris Descartes, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Bernard Franc
- Inserm UMR S894, Centre de Psychiatrie et Neuroscience, Université Paris Descartes, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Laurence Lanfumey
- Inserm UMR S894, Centre de Psychiatrie et Neuroscience, Université Paris Descartes, 75014, Paris, France
| | - Raymond Mongeau
- EA 4475, Pharmacologie de la circulation cérébrale, Université Paris Descartes, 75006, Paris, France.
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16
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Pagani MR, Merlo E. Kinase and Phosphatase Engagement Is Dissociated Between Memory Formation and Extinction. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:38. [PMID: 30842725 PMCID: PMC6391346 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Associative long-term memories (LTMs) support long-lasting behavioral changes resulting from sensory experiences. Retrieval of a stable LTM by means of a large number of conditioned stimulus (CS) alone presentations produces inhibition of the original memory through extinction. Currently, there are two opposing hypotheses to account for the neural mechanisms supporting extinction. The unlearning hypothesis posits that extinction affects the original memory trace by reverting the synaptic changes supporting LTM. On the contrary, the new learning hypothesis proposes that extinction is simply the formation of a new associative memory that inhibits the expression of the original one. We propose that detailed analysis of extinction-associated molecular mechanisms could help distinguish between these hypotheses. Here we will review experimental evidence regarding the role of protein kinases and phosphatases (K&P) on LTM formation and extinction. Even though K&P regulate both memory processes, their participation appears to be dissociated. LTM formation recruits kinases, but is constrained by phosphatases. Memory extinction presents a more diverse molecular landscape, requiring phosphatases and some kinases, but also being constrained by kinase activity. Based on the available evidence, we propose a new theoretical model for memory extinction: a neuronal segregation of K&P supports a combination of time-dependent reversible inhibition of the original memory [CS-unconditioned stimulus (US)], with establishment of a new associative memory trace (CS-noUS).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Rafael Pagani
- Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay (IFIBIO)-Houssay, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Emiliano Merlo
- Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay (IFIBIO)-Houssay, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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17
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Mechanisms of fear learning and extinction: synaptic plasticity-fear memory connection. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:163-182. [PMID: 30415278 PMCID: PMC6374177 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5104-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The ability to memorize threat-associated cues and subsequently react to them, exhibiting escape or avoidance responses, is an essential, often life-saving behavioral mechanism that can be experimentally studied using the fear (threat) conditioning training paradigm. Presently, there is substantial evidence supporting the Synaptic Plasticity-Memory (SPM) hypothesis in relation to the mechanisms underlying the acquisition, retention, and extinction of conditioned fear memory. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this review article is to summarize findings supporting the SPM hypothesis in the context of conditioned fear control, applying the set of criteria and tests which were proposed as necessary to causally link lasting changes in synaptic transmission in corresponding neural circuits to fear memory acquisition and extinction with an emphasis on their pharmacological diversity. RESULTS The mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in fear circuits exhibit complex pharmacological profiles and satisfy all four SPM criteria-detectability, anterograde alteration, retrograde alteration, and mimicry. CONCLUSION The reviewed findings, accumulated over the last two decades, provide support for both necessity and sufficiency of synaptic plasticity in fear circuits for fear memory acquisition and retention, and, in part, for fear extinction, with the latter requiring additional experimental work.
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18
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Chagas LDS, Trindade P, Gomes ALT, Mendonça HR, Campello-Costa P, Faria Melibeu ADC, Linden R, Serfaty CA. Rapid plasticity of intact axons following a lesion to the visual pathways during early brain development is triggered by microglial activation. Exp Neurol 2018; 311:148-161. [PMID: 30312606 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2018.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Revised: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Lesions in the central nervous system (CNS) can often induce structural reorganization within intact circuits of the brain. Several studies show advances in the understanding of mechanisms of brain plasticity and the role of the immune system activation. Microglia, a myeloid derived cell population colonizes the CNS during early phases of embryonic development. In the present study, we evaluated the role of microglial activation in the sprouting of intact axons following lesions of the visual pathways. We evaluated the temporal course of microglial activation in the superior colliculus following a contralateral monocular enucleation (ME) and the possible involvement of microglial cells in the plastic reorganization of the intact, uncrossed, retinotectal pathway from the remaining eye. Lister Hooded rats were enucleated at PND 10 and submitted to systemic treatment with inhibitors of microglial activation: cyclosporine A and minocycline. The use of neuroanatomical tracers allowed us to evaluate the time course of structural axonal plasticity. Immunofluorescence and western blot techniques were used to observe the expression of microglial marker, Iba-1 and the morphology of microglial cells. Following a ME, Iba-1 immunoreactivity showed a progressive increase of microglial activation in the contralateral SC at 24 h, peaking at 72 h after the lesion. Treatment with inhibitors of microglial activation blocked both the structural plasticity of intact uncrossed retinotectal axons and microglial activation as seen by the decrease of Iba-1 immunoreactivity. The local blockade of TNF-α with a neutralizing antibody was also able to block axonal plasticity of the intact eye following a ME. The data support the hypothesis that microglial activation is a necessary step for the regulation of neuroplasticity induced by lesions during early brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luana da Silva Chagas
- Federal Fluminense University, Biology Institute, Neurobiology Department, Laboratory of Neural Plasticity - Niteroi, PO Box: 100180, Brazil
| | - Pablo Trindade
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Post Graduating Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana Lúcia Tavares Gomes
- Federal Fluminense University, Biology Institute, Neurobiology Department, Laboratory of Neural Plasticity - Niteroi, PO Box: 100180, Brazil
| | | | - Paula Campello-Costa
- Federal Fluminense University, Biology Institute, Neurobiology Department, Laboratory of Neural Plasticity - Niteroi, PO Box: 100180, Brazil
| | - Adriana da Cunha Faria Melibeu
- Federal Fluminense University, Biology Institute, Neurobiology Department, Laboratory of Neural Plasticity - Niteroi, PO Box: 100180, Brazil
| | - Rafael Linden
- Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Biophisics Institute, Brazil
| | - Claudio Alberto Serfaty
- Federal Fluminense University, Biology Institute, Neurobiology Department, Laboratory of Neural Plasticity - Niteroi, PO Box: 100180, Brazil; National Institute for Science and Technology in Neuroimmunomodulation - INCT/NIM, Brazil.
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19
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Neuronal Activity-Dependent Activation of Astroglial Calcineurin in Mouse Primary Hippocampal Cultures. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19102997. [PMID: 30274399 PMCID: PMC6213389 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19102997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Revised: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 09/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes respond to neuronal activity by generating calcium signals which are implicated in the regulation of astroglial housekeeping functions and/or in modulation of synaptic transmission. We hypothesized that activity-induced calcium signals in astrocytes may activate calcineurin (CaN), a calcium/calmodulin-regulated protein phosphatase, implicated in neuropathology, but whose role in astroglial physiology remains unclear. We used a lentiviral vector expressing NFAT-EYFP (NY) fluorescent calcineurin sensor and a chemical protocol of LTP induction (cLTP) to show that, in mixed neuron-astrocytic hippocampal cultures, cLTP induced robust NY translocation into astrocyte nuclei and, hence, CaN activation. NY translocation was abolished by the CaN inhibitor FK506, and was not observed in pure astroglial cultures. Using Fura-2 single cell calcium imaging, we found sustained Ca2+ elevations in juxtaneuronal, but not distal, astrocytes. Pharmacological analysis revealed that both the Ca2+ signals and the nuclear NY translocation in astrocytes required NMDA and mGluR5 receptors and depended on extracellular Ca2+ entry via a store-operated mechanism. Our results provide a proof of principle that calcineurin in astrocytes may be activated in response to neuronal activity, thereby delineating a framework for investigating the role of astroglial CaN in the physiology of central nervous system.
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20
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Kraner SD, Norris CM. Astrocyte Activation and the Calcineurin/NFAT Pathway in Cerebrovascular Disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2018; 10:287. [PMID: 30297999 PMCID: PMC6160594 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2018.00287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Calcineurin (CN) is a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase with high abundance in nervous tissue. Though enriched in neurons, CN can become strongly induced in subsets of activated astrocytes under different pathological conditions where it interacts extensively with the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFATs). Recent work has shown that regions of small vessel damage are associated with the upregulation of a proteolized, highly active form of CN in nearby astrocytes, suggesting a link between the CN/NFAT pathway and chronic cerebrovascular disease. In this Mini Review article, we discuss CN/NFAT signaling properties in the context of vascular disease and use previous cell type-specific intervention studies in Alzheimer's disease and traumatic brain injury models as a framework to understand how astrocytic CN/NFATs may couple vascular pathology to neurodegeneration and cognitive loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan D. Kraner
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Christopher M. Norris
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, United States
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21
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Immediate early gene expression related to learning and retention of a visual discrimination task in bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium griseum). Brain Struct Funct 2018; 223:3975-4003. [PMID: 30109492 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-018-1728-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Using the expression of the immediate early gene (IEG) egr-1 as a neuronal activity marker, brain regions potentially involved in learning and long-term memory functions in the grey bamboo shark were assessed with respect to selected visual discrimination abilities. Immunocytochemistry revealed a significant up-regulation of egr-1 expression levels in a small region of the telencephalon of all trained sharks (i.e., 'early' and 'late learners', 'recallers') when compared to three control groups (i.e., 'controls', 'undisturbed swimmers', 'constant movers'). There was also a well-defined difference in egr-1 expression patterns between the three control groups. Additionally, some staining was observed in diencephalic and mesencephalic sections; however, staining here was weak and occurred only irregularly within and between groups. Therefore, it could have either resulted from unintentional cognitive or non-cognitive inducements (i.e., relating to the mental processes of perception, learning, memory, and judgment, as contrasted with emotional and volitional processes) rather than being a training effect. Present findings emphasize a relationship between the training conditions and the corresponding egr-1 expression levels found in the telencephalon of Chiloscyllium griseum. Results suggest important similarities in the neuronal plasticity and activity-dependent IEG expression of the elasmobranch brain with other vertebrate groups. The presence of the egr-1 gene seems to be evolutionarily conserved and may therefore be particularly useful for identifying functional neural responses within this group.
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22
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Jurek B, Neumann ID. The Oxytocin Receptor: From Intracellular Signaling to Behavior. Physiol Rev 2018; 98:1805-1908. [DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00031.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 408] [Impact Index Per Article: 68.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The many facets of the oxytocin (OXT) system of the brain and periphery elicited nearly 25,000 publications since 1930 (see FIGURE 1 , as listed in PubMed), which revealed central roles for OXT and its receptor (OXTR) in reproduction, and social and emotional behaviors in animal and human studies focusing on mental and physical health and disease. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of OXT expression and release, expression and binding of the OXTR in brain and periphery, OXTR-coupled signaling cascades, and their involvement in behavioral outcomes to assemble a comprehensive picture of the central and peripheral OXT system. Traditionally known for its role in milk let-down and uterine contraction during labor, OXT also has implications in physiological, and also behavioral, aspects of reproduction, such as sexual and maternal behaviors and pair bonding, but also anxiety, trust, sociability, food intake, or even drug abuse. The many facets of OXT are, on a molecular basis, brought about by a single receptor. The OXTR, a 7-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor capable of binding to either Gαior Gαqproteins, activates a set of signaling cascades, such as the MAPK, PKC, PLC, or CaMK pathways, which converge on transcription factors like CREB or MEF-2. The cellular response to OXT includes regulation of neurite outgrowth, cellular viability, and increased survival. OXTergic projections in the brain represent anxiety and stress-regulating circuits connecting the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, or the medial prefrontal cortex. Which OXT-induced patterns finally alter the behavior of an animal or a human being is still poorly understood, and studying those OXTR-coupled signaling cascades is one initial step toward a better understanding of the molecular background of those behavioral effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Jurek
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Inga D. Neumann
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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23
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Chatelle C, Ochoa-Fernandez R, Engesser R, Schneider N, Beyer HM, Jones AR, Timmer J, Zurbriggen MD, Weber W. A Green-Light-Responsive System for the Control of Transgene Expression in Mammalian and Plant Cells. ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:1349-1358. [PMID: 29634242 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The ever-increasing complexity of synthetic gene networks and applications of synthetic biology requires precise and orthogonal gene expression systems. Of particular interest are systems responsive to light as they enable the control of gene expression dynamics with unprecedented resolution in space and time. While broadly used in mammalian backgrounds, however, optogenetic approaches in plant cells are still limited due to interference of the activating light with endogenous photoreceptors. Here, we describe the development of the first synthetic light-responsive system for the targeted control of gene expression in mammalian and plant cells that responds to the green range of the light spectrum in which plant photoreceptors have minimal activity. We first engineered a system based on the light-sensitive bacterial transcription factor CarH and its cognate DNA operator sequence CarO from Thermus thermophilus to control gene expression in mammalian cells. The system was functional in various mammalian cell lines, showing high induction (up to 350-fold) along with low leakiness, as well as high reversibility. We quantitatively described the systems characteristics by the development and experimental validation of a mathematical model. Finally, we transferred the system into A. thaliana protoplasts and demonstrated gene repression in response to green light. We expect that this system will provide new opportunities in applications based on synthetic gene networks and will open up perspectives for optogenetic studies in mammalian and plant cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Alex R. Jones
- National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW, U.K
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24
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Gallo FT, Katche C, Morici JF, Medina JH, Weisstaub NV. Immediate Early Genes, Memory and Psychiatric Disorders: Focus on c-Fos, Egr1 and Arc. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:79. [PMID: 29755331 PMCID: PMC5932360 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 214] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Many psychiatric disorders, despite their specific characteristics, share deficits in the cognitive domain including executive functions, emotional control and memory. However, memory deficits have been in many cases undervalued compared with other characteristics. The expression of Immediate Early Genes (IEGs) such as, c-fos, Egr1 and arc are selectively and promptly upregulated in learning and memory among neuronal subpopulations in regions associated with these processes. Changes in expression in these genes have been observed in recognition, working and fear related memories across the brain. Despite the enormous amount of data supporting changes in their expression during learning and memory and the importance of those cognitive processes in psychiatric conditions, there are very few studies analyzing the direct implication of the IEGs in mental illnesses. In this review, we discuss the role of some of the most relevant IEGs in relation with memory processes affected in psychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco T Gallo
- Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Cynthia Katche
- Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias (IBCN) Dr. Eduardo de Robertis, Facultad de Medicina, CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Juan F Morici
- Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jorge H Medina
- Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias (IBCN) Dr. Eduardo de Robertis, Facultad de Medicina, CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Noelia V Weisstaub
- Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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25
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Medina JH. Neural, Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Active Forgetting. Front Syst Neurosci 2018; 12:3. [PMID: 29467630 PMCID: PMC5808127 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2018.00003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 01/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The neurobiology of memory formation attracts much attention in the last five decades. Conversely, the rules that govern and the mechanisms underlying forgetting are less understood. In addition to retroactive interference, retrieval-induced forgetting and passive decay of time, it has been recently demonstrated that the nervous system has a diversity of active and inherent processes involved in forgetting. In Drosophila, some operate mainly at an early stage of memory formation and involves dopamine (DA) neurons, specific postsynaptic DA receptor subtypes, Rac1 activation and induces rapid active forgetting. In mammals, others regulate forgetting and persistence of seemingly consolidated memories and implicate the activity of DA receptor subtypes and AMPA receptors in the hippocampus (HP) and related structures to activate parallel signaling pathways controlling active time-dependent forgetting. Most of them may involve plastic changes in synaptic and extrasynaptic receptors including specific removal of GluA2 AMPA receptors. Forgetting at longer timescales might also include changes in adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus (DG) of the HP. Therefore, based on relevance or value considerations neuronal circuits may regulate in a time-dependent manner what is formed, stored, and maintained and what is forgotten.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge H Medina
- Laboratorio de Memoria, IBCN Universidad de Buenos Aires-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (UBA-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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26
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Calcineurin/P-ERK/Egr-1 Pathway is Involved in Fear Memory Impairment after Isoflurane Exposure in Mice. Sci Rep 2017; 7:13947. [PMID: 29066839 PMCID: PMC5654981 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-13975-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Isoflurane exposure adversely influences subsequent fear memory formation in mice. Calcineurin (CaN), a phosphatase, prevents the establishment of emotional memory by dephosphorylating substrates and inhibiting the expression of learning and memory related genes. We investigated whether isoflurane impairment of fear memory formation was associated with altered CaN activity and downstream phosphorylated-extracellular signal-regulated kinases (p-ERK) and early growth response gene-1 (Egr-1) expression in hippocampus and amygdala. We also tested whether memory performance can be rescued by the CaN inhibitor FK506. Adult C57BL/6 mice were injected FK506 or vehicle after being exposed to 1.3% isoflurane or air for 1 h. After a 1 h- recovery, mice underwent classical fear conditioning (FC) training. Fear memory were tested 30 min, 48 h and 7 days after training. The activity of CaN, and expression of p-ERK and Egr-1 in hippocampus and amygdala were analyzed. Isoflurane exposure reduced mice freezing time in contextual and tone FC tests 30 min and 48 h after training. Hippocampus and amygdala from isoflurane-exposed mice had enhanced CaN activity, reduced p-ERK/ERK and Egr-1 expression. All these changes in isoflurane-exposed mice were attenuated by FK506 treatment. These results indicate calcineurin/p-ERK/Egr-1 Pathway is involved in fear memory impairment after isoflurane exposure in mice.
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Yokose J, Okubo-Suzuki R, Nomoto M, Ohkawa N, Nishizono H, Suzuki A, Matsuo M, Tsujimura S, Takahashi Y, Nagase M, Watabe AM, Sasahara M, Kato F, Inokuchi K. Overlapping memory trace indispensable for linking, but not recalling, individual memories. Science 2017; 355:398-403. [PMID: 28126819 DOI: 10.1126/science.aal2690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2016] [Accepted: 01/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Memories are not stored in isolation from other memories but are integrated into associative networks. However, the mechanisms underlying memory association remain elusive. Using two amygdala-dependent behavioral paradigms-conditioned taste aversion (CTA) and auditory-cued fear conditioning (AFC)-in mice, we found that presenting the conditioned stimulus used for the CTA task triggered the conditioned response of the AFC task after natural coreactivation of the memories. This was accompanied through an increase in the overlapping neuronal ensemble in the basolateral amygdala. Silencing of the overlapping ensemble suppressed CTA retrieval-induced freezing. However, retrieval of the original CTA or AFC memory was not affected. A small population of coshared neurons thus mediates the link between memories. They are not necessary for recalling individual memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Yokose
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.,Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Reiko Okubo-Suzuki
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.,Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Masanori Nomoto
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.,Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Noriaki Ohkawa
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.,Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Nishizono
- Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.,Division of Animal Experimental Laboratory, Life Science Research Centre, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Akinobu Suzuki
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.,Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Mina Matsuo
- Division of Animal Experimental Laboratory, Life Science Research Centre, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Shuhei Tsujimura
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.,Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Yukari Takahashi
- Department of Neuroscience, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo 105-8461, Japan
| | - Masashi Nagase
- Department of Neuroscience, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo 105-8461, Japan
| | - Ayako M Watabe
- Department of Neuroscience, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo 105-8461, Japan
| | - Masakiyo Sasahara
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Fusao Kato
- Department of Neuroscience, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo 105-8461, Japan
| | - Kaoru Inokuchi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan. .,Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
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28
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Rich MT, Torregrossa MM. Molecular and synaptic mechanisms regulating drug-associated memories: Towards a bidirectional treatment strategy. Brain Res Bull 2017; 141:58-71. [PMID: 28916448 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2017.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Revised: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The successful treatment of substance use disorders is dependent on the establishment of a long-term abstinent state. Relapse can be suppressed by interfering with memories of drug use that are evoked by re-exposure to drug-associated contexts and cues. Two strategies for accomplishing this goal are either to prevent drug-memory reconsolidation or to induce the formation of a competing, extinction memory. However, clinical attempts to prolong abstinence by behavioral modification of drug-related memories have had limited success. One approach to improve behavioral treatment strategies is to identify the molecular mechanisms that regulate these memory processes and then use pharmacological tools as supplements to improve efficacy. Still, due to the involvement of several overlapping signaling cascades in both reconsolidation and extinction, it is difficult to specifically modify one of the two processes. For example, attempting to elicit extinction may instead initiate reconsolidation, resulting in the unintentional strengthening of drug-related memories. A better approach is to identify diverging components of the two processes, whereby a single medication would simultaneously weaken reconsolidation and enhance extinction. This review will provide an overview of the neural substrates that are involved in the regulation of drug-associated memories, and will discuss emerging approaches to pharmacologically weaken these memories, including recent efforts to precisely and bidirectionally target reconsolidation and extinction. Ultimately, pharmacologically-enhanced memory-based approaches have the potential to produce more informed relapse-prevention therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew T Rich
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O'Hara St., Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States; Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, United States; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, 4400 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, United States.
| | - Mary M Torregrossa
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, United States.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Psychiatric disorders are multigenic diseases with complex etiology that contribute significantly to human morbidity and mortality. Although clinically distinct, several disorders share many symptoms, suggesting common underlying molecular changes exist that may implicate important regulators of pathogenesis and provide new therapeutic targets. METHODS We performed RNA sequencing on tissue from the anterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens from three groups of 24 patients each diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder, and from 24 control subjects. We identified differentially expressed genes and validated the results in an independent cohort. Anterior cingulate cortex samples were also subjected to metabolomic analysis. ChIP-seq data were used to characterize binding of the transcription factor EGR1. RESULTS We compared molecular signatures across the three brain regions and disorders in the transcriptomes of post-mortem human brain samples. The most significant disease-related differences were in the anterior cingulate cortex of schizophrenia samples compared to controls. Transcriptional changes were assessed in an independent cohort, revealing the transcription factor EGR1 as significantly down-regulated in both cohorts and as a potential regulator of broader transcription changes observed in schizophrenia patients. Additionally, broad down-regulation of genes specific to neurons and concordant up-regulation of genes specific to astrocytes was observed in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients relative to controls. Metabolomic profiling identified disruption of GABA levels in schizophrenia patients. CONCLUSIONS We provide a comprehensive post-mortem transcriptome profile of three psychiatric disorders across three brain regions. We highlight a high-confidence set of independently validated genes differentially expressed between schizophrenia and control patients in the anterior cingulate cortex and integrate transcriptional changes with untargeted metabolite profiling.
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30
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Cho C, MacDonald R, Shang J, Cho MJ, Chalifour LE, Paudel HK. Early growth response-1-mediated down-regulation of drebrin correlates with loss of dendritic spines. J Neurochem 2017; 142:56-73. [DOI: 10.1111/jnc.14031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Revised: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chulmin Cho
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery; McGill University; Montreal Quebec Canada
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research; Jewish General Hospital; Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Ryen MacDonald
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery; McGill University; Montreal Quebec Canada
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research; Jewish General Hospital; Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Jijun Shang
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research; Jewish General Hospital; Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Moon Jeong Cho
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery; McGill University; Montreal Quebec Canada
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research; Jewish General Hospital; Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Lorraine E. Chalifour
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research; Jewish General Hospital; Montreal Quebec Canada
- Department of Medicine; McGill University; Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Hemant K. Paudel
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery; McGill University; Montreal Quebec Canada
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research; Jewish General Hospital; Montreal Quebec Canada
- Department of Medicine; McGill University; Montreal Quebec Canada
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31
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Pearce K, Cai D, Roberts AC, Glanzman DL. Role of protein synthesis and DNA methylation in the consolidation and maintenance of long-term memory in Aplysia. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 28067617 PMCID: PMC5310836 DOI: 10.7554/elife.18299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2016] [Accepted: 01/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Previously, we reported that long-term memory (LTM) in Aplysia can be reinstated by truncated (partial) training following its disruption by reconsolidation blockade and inhibition of PKM (Chen et al., 2014). Here, we report that LTM can be induced by partial training after disruption of original consolidation by protein synthesis inhibition (PSI) begun shortly after training. But when PSI occurs during training, partial training cannot subsequently establish LTM. Furthermore, we find that inhibition of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT), whether during training or shortly afterwards, blocks consolidation of LTM and prevents its subsequent induction by truncated training; moreover, later inhibition of DNMT eliminates consolidated LTM. Thus, the consolidation of LTM depends on two functionally distinct phases of protein synthesis: an early phase that appears to prime LTM; and a later phase whose successful completion is necessary for the normal expression of LTM. Both the consolidation and maintenance of LTM depend on DNA methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaycey Pearce
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, UCLA, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Diancai Cai
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, UCLA, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Adam C Roberts
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, UCLA, Los Angeles, United States
| | - David L Glanzman
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, UCLA, Los Angeles, United States.,Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, United States.,Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, Brain Research Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, United States
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32
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Simone JJ, McCormick CM. Intracellular signalling and plasma hormone profiles associated with the expression of unconditioned and conditioned fear and anxiety in female rats. Physiol Behav 2016; 169:234-244. [PMID: 27939364 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Revised: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
There is considerable overlap in the neural regions and intracellular signalling pathways implicated in anxiety and fear, although less is known in females. Here, we investigated whether unconditioned and conditioned fear are associated with distinct patterns of expression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1 and -2 (ERK1/2), protein kinase B (Akt), and calcineurin (CaN) (proteins that are key regulators of the expression of and/or memory processes of fear and anxiety) in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, and amygdala (important regions in neural fear circuitry) of adult female rats, and used a multivariate approach to find patterns of signalling that might discriminate between the different states of fear. To isolate fear to the conditioned cue from generalized fear to the test context, rats were conditioned to an auditory tone (i.e. tone paired with footshock) and twenty-four hours later exposed to a novel context in the presence or absence of the conditioned cue. A third group that was exposed to the conditioning context without undergoing fear conditioning was included to control for unconditioned responses to the testing procedures, which are anxiogenic. A discriminate function analysis and MANOVA determined that hippocampal signalling best discriminated the three groups from each other. The addition of values for plasma concentrations of corticosterone and progesterone (as indices of activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal stress axis) to statistical analyses increased the separation of the three groups. There was high degree of association among the three signalling molecules in the four brain regions within each group. There was an absence of the associations between the medial prefrontal cortex and the amygdala in the cued fear recall group that were strong for the non-conditioned group. These results demonstrated unique neuronal and hormonal signalling profiles associated with unconditioned, generalized, and conditioned fear expression in females and highlight the importance of including appropriate comparisons to best discriminate between these different emotional states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J Simone
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, L2S 3A1
| | - Cheryl M McCormick
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, L2S 3A1; Centre for Neuroscience, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, L2S 3A1; Department of Psychology, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, L2S 3A1.
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Serum Response Factor (SRF) Ablation Interferes with Acute Stress-Associated Immediate and Long-Term Coping Mechanisms. Mol Neurobiol 2016; 54:8242-8262. [PMID: 27914009 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-016-0300-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Stress experience modulates behavior, metabolism, and energy expenditure of organisms. One molecular hallmark of an acute stress response is a rapid induction of immediate early genes (IEGs) such as c-Fos and Egr family members. IEG transcription in neurons is mediated by the neuronal activity-driven gene regulator serum response factor (SRF). We show a first role of SRF in immediate and long-lasting acute restraint stress (AS) responses. For this, we employed a standardized mouse phenotyping protocol at the German Mouse Clinic (GMC) including behavioral, metabolic, and cardiologic tests as well as gene expression profiling to analyze the consequences of forebrain-specific SRF deletion in mice exposed to AS. Adult mice with an SRF deletion in glutamatergic neurons (Srf; CaMKIIa-CreERT2 ) showed hyperactivity, decreased anxiety, and impaired working memory. In response to restraint AS, instant stress reactivity including locomotor behavior and corticosterone induction was impaired in Srf mutant mice. Interestingly, even several weeks after previous AS exposure, SRF-deficient mice showed long-lasting AS-associated changes including altered locomotion, metabolism, energy expenditure, and cardiovascular changes. This suggests a requirement of SRF for mediating long-term stress coping mechanisms in wild-type mice. SRF ablation decreased AS-mediated IEG induction and activity of the actin severing protein cofilin. In summary, our data suggest an SRF function in immediate AS reactions and long-term post-stress-associated coping mechanisms.
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Involvement of CRFR 1 in the Basolateral Amygdala in the Immediate Fear Extinction Deficit. eNeuro 2016; 3:eN-NWR-0084-16. [PMID: 27844053 PMCID: PMC5093152 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0084-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2016] [Revised: 10/12/2016] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Several animal and clinical studies have highlighted the ineffectiveness of fear extinction sessions delivered shortly after trauma exposure. This phenomenon, termed the immediate extinction deficit, refers to situations in which extinction programs applied shortly after fear conditioning may result in the reduction of fear behaviors (in rodents, frequently measured as freezing responses to the conditioned cue) during extinction training, but failure to consolidate this reduction in the long term. The molecular mechanisms driving this immediate extinction resistance remain unclear. Here we present evidence for the involvement of the corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) system in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in male Wistar rats. Intra-BLA microinfusion of the CRFR1 antagonist NBI30775 enhances extinction recall, whereas administration of the CRF agonist CRF6–33 before delayed extinction disrupts recall of extinction. We link the immediate fear extinction deficit with dephosphorylation of GluA1 glutamate receptors at Ser845 and enhanced activity of the protein phosphatase calcineurin in the BLA. Their reversal after treatment with the CRFR1 antagonist indicates their dependence on CRFR1 actions. These findings can have important implications for the improvement of therapeutic approaches to trauma, as well as furthering our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying fear-related disorders.
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35
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Blouin AM, Sillivan SE, Joseph NF, Miller CA. The potential of epigenetics in stress-enhanced fear learning models of PTSD. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 23:576-86. [PMID: 27634148 PMCID: PMC5026205 DOI: 10.1101/lm.040485.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Prolonged distress and dysregulated memory processes are the core features of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and represent the debilitating, persistent nature of the illness. However, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the expression of these symptoms are challenging to study in human patients. Stress-enhanced fear learning (SEFL) paradigms, which encompass both stress and memory components in rodents, are emerging as valuable preclinical models of PTSD. Rodent models designed to study the long-term mechanisms of either stress or fear memory alone have identified a critical role for numerous epigenetic modifications to DNA and histone proteins. However, the epigenetic modifications underlying SEFL remain largely unknown. This review will provide a brief overview of the epigenetic modifications implicated in stress and fear memory independently, followed by a description of existing SEFL models and the few epigenetic mechanisms found to date to underlie SEFL. The results of the animal studies discussed here highlight neuroepigenetics as an essential area for future research in the context of PTSD through SEFL studies, because of its potential to identify novel candidates for neurotherapeutics targeting stress-induced pathogenic memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley M Blouin
- Department of Metabolism and Aging and Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida 33458, USA
| | - Stephanie E Sillivan
- Department of Metabolism and Aging and Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida 33458, USA
| | - Nadine F Joseph
- Department of Metabolism and Aging and Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida 33458, USA
| | - Courtney A Miller
- Department of Metabolism and Aging and Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida 33458, USA
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36
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Barker DJ, Simmons SJ, West MO. Ultrasonic Vocalizations as a Measure of Affect in Preclinical Models of Drug Abuse: A Review of Current Findings. Curr Neuropharmacol 2016; 13:193-210. [PMID: 26411762 PMCID: PMC4598431 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x13999150318113642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The present review describes ways in which ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) have been used in studies of substance abuse. Accordingly, studies are reviewed which demonstrate roles for affective processing in response to the presentation of drug-related cues, experimenter- and self-administered drug, drug withdrawal, and during tests of relapse/reinstatement. The review focuses on data collected from studies using cocaine and amphetamine, where a large body of evidence has been collected. Data suggest that USVs capture animals’ initial positive reactions to psychostimulant administration and are capable of identifying individual differences in affective responding. Moreover, USVs have been used to demonstrate that positive affect becomes sensitized to psychostimulants over acute exposure before eventually exhibiting signs of tolerance. In the drug-dependent animal, a mixture of USVs suggesting positive and negative affect is observed, illustrating mixed responses to psychostimulants. This mixture is predominantly characterized by an initial bout of positive affect followed by an opponent negative emotional state, mirroring affective responses observed in human addicts. During drug withdrawal, USVs demonstrate the presence of negative affective withdrawal symptoms. Finally, it has been shown that drug-paired cues produce a learned, positive anticipatory response during training, and that presentation of drug-paired cues following abstinence produces both positive affect and reinstatement behavior. Thus, USVs are a useful tool for obtaining an objective measurement of affective states in animal models of substance abuse and can increase the information extracted from drug administration studies. USVs enable detection of subtle differences in a behavioral response that might otherwise be missed using traditional measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Barker
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Neuronal Networks Section, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21224.
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37
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Scholz B, Doidge AN, Barnes P, Hall J, Wilkinson LS, Thomas KL. The Regulation of Cytokine Networks in Hippocampal CA1 Differentiates Extinction from Those Required for the Maintenance of Contextual Fear Memory after Recall. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0153102. [PMID: 27224427 PMCID: PMC4880201 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2014] [Accepted: 03/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the distinctiveness of gene regulatory networks in CA1 associated with the extinction of contextual fear memory (CFM) after recall using Affymetrix GeneChip Rat Genome 230 2.0 Arrays. These data were compared to previously published retrieval and reconsolidation-attributed, and consolidation datasets. A stringent dual normalization and pareto-scaled orthogonal partial least-square discriminant multivariate analysis together with a jack-knifing-based cross-validation approach was used on all datasets to reduce false positives. Consolidation, retrieval and extinction were correlated with distinct patterns of gene expression 2 hours later. Extinction-related gene expression was most distinct from the profile accompanying consolidation. A highly specific feature was the discrete regulation of neuroimmunological gene expression associated with retrieval and extinction. Immunity-associated genes of the tyrosine kinase receptor TGFβ and PDGF, and TNF families' characterized extinction. Cytokines and proinflammatory interleukins of the IL-1 and IL-6 families were enriched with the no-extinction retrieval condition. We used comparative genomics to predict transcription factor binding sites in proximal promoter regions of the retrieval-regulated genes. Retrieval that does not lead to extinction was associated with NF-κB-mediated gene expression. We confirmed differential NF-κBp65 expression, and activity in all of a representative sample of our candidate genes in the no-extinction condition. The differential regulation of cytokine networks after the acquisition and retrieval of CFM identifies the important contribution that neuroimmune signalling plays in normal hippocampal function. Further, targeting cytokine signalling upon retrieval offers a therapeutic strategy to promote extinction mechanisms in human disorders characterised by dysregulation of associative memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birger Scholz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Amie N. Doidge
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Philip Barnes
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy Hall
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Lawrence S. Wilkinson
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Schools of Psychology and Medicine, Behavioral Genetics Group, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics and Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Kerrie L. Thomas
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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38
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Sachser RM, Santana F, Crestani AP, Lunardi P, Pedraza LK, Quillfeldt JA, Hardt O, Alvares LDO. Forgetting of long-term memory requires activation of NMDA receptors, L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels, and calcineurin. Sci Rep 2016; 6:22771. [PMID: 26947131 PMCID: PMC4780112 DOI: 10.1038/srep22771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 02/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
In the past decades, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying memory consolidation, reconsolidation, and extinction have been well characterized. However, the neurobiological underpinnings of forgetting processes remain to be elucidated. Here we used behavioral, pharmacological and electrophysiological approaches to explore mechanisms controlling forgetting. We found that post-acquisition chronic inhibition of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel (LVDCC), and protein phosphatase calcineurin (CaN), maintains long-term object location memory that otherwise would have been forgotten. We further show that NMDAR activation is necessary to induce forgetting of object recognition memory. Studying the role of NMDAR activation in the decay of the early phase of long-term potentiation (E-LTP) in the hippocampus, we found that ifenprodil infused 30 min after LTP induction in vivo blocks the decay of CA1-evoked postsynaptic plasticity, suggesting that GluN2B-containing NMDARs activation are critical to promote LTP decay. Taken together, these findings indicate that a well-regulated forgetting process, initiated by Ca2+ influx through LVDCCs and GluN2B-NMDARs followed by CaN activation, controls the maintenance of hippocampal LTP and long-term memories over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Marcelo Sachser
- Neurobiology of Memory Lab, Biophysics Department, Bioscience Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Fabiana Santana
- Psychobiology and Neurocomputation Lab, Biophysics Department, Bioscience Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Crestani
- Psychobiology and Neurocomputation Lab, Biophysics Department, Bioscience Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Paula Lunardi
- Neurobiology of Memory Lab, Biophysics Department, Bioscience Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Lizeth Katherine Pedraza
- Neurobiology of Memory Lab, Biophysics Department, Bioscience Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Jorge Alberto Quillfeldt
- Psychobiology and Neurocomputation Lab, Biophysics Department, Bioscience Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Oliver Hardt
- Centre for Cognitive and Neural Systems, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - Lucas de Oliveira Alvares
- Neurobiology of Memory Lab, Biophysics Department, Bioscience Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.,Laboratório de Neurobiologia da Memória, Departamento de Biofísica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, Prédio 43422, Sala 216A, CEP 91.501-970, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil
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Mayford M, Reijmers L. Exploring Memory Representations with Activity-Based Genetics. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2015; 8:a021832. [PMID: 26684182 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a021832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The brain is thought to represent specific memories through the activity of sparse and distributed neural ensembles. In this review, we examine the use of immediate early genes (IEGs), genes that are induced by neural activity, to specifically identify and genetically modify neurons activated naturally by environmental experience. Recent studies using this approach have identified cellular and molecular changes specific to neurons activated during learning relative to their inactive neighbors. By using opto- and chemogenetic regulators of neural activity, the neurons naturally recruited during learning can be artificially reactivated to directly test their role in coding external information. In contextual fear conditioning, artificial reactivation of learning-induced neural ensembles in the hippocampus or neocortex can substitute for the context itself. That is, artificial stimulation of these neurons can apparently cause the animals to "think" they are in the context. This represents a powerful approach to testing the principles by which the brain codes for the external world and how these circuits are modified with learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Mayford
- Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences Department, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Leon Reijmers
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts 02111
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40
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Wang H, Ye H, Xie M, Daoud El-Baba M, Fussenegger M. Cosmetics-triggered percutaneous remote control of transgene expression in mice. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:e91. [PMID: 25943548 PMCID: PMC4538802 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2014] [Accepted: 03/31/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthetic biology has significantly advanced the rational design of trigger-inducible gene switches that program cellular behavior in a reliable and predictable manner. Capitalizing on genetic componentry, including the repressor PmeR and its cognate operator OPmeR, that has evolved in Pseudomonas syringae pathovar tomato DC3000 to sense and resist plant-defence metabolites of the paraben class, we have designed a set of inducible and repressible mammalian transcription-control devices that could dose-dependently fine-tune transgene expression in mammalian cells and mice in response to paraben derivatives. With an over 60-years track record as licensed preservatives in the cosmetics industry, paraben derivatives have become a commonplace ingredient of most skin-care products including shower gels, cleansing toners and hand creams. As parabens can rapidly reach the bloodstream of mice following topical application, we used this feature to percutaneously program transgene expression of subcutaneous designer cell implants using off-the-shelf commercial paraben-containing skin-care cosmetics. The combination of non-invasive, transdermal and orthogonal trigger-inducible remote control of transgene expression may provide novel opportunities for dynamic interventions in future gene and cell-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Wang
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Haifeng Ye
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, 200241 Shanghai, China
| | - Mingqi Xie
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marie Daoud El-Baba
- Département Génie Biologique, Institut Universitaire de Technologie, F-69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France
| | - Martin Fussenegger
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland Faculty of Science, University of Basel, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland
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Almeida-Corrêa S, Moulin TC, Carneiro CFD, Gonçalves MMC, Junqueira LS, Amaral OB. Calcineurin inhibition blocks within-, but not between-session fear extinction in mice. Learn Mem 2015; 22:159-69. [PMID: 25691516 PMCID: PMC4340130 DOI: 10.1101/lm.037770.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2014] [Accepted: 01/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Memory extinction involves the formation of a new associative memory that inhibits a previously conditioned association. Nonetheless, it could also depend on weakening of the original memory trace if extinction is assumed to have multiple components. The phosphatase calcineurin (CaN) has been described as being involved in extinction but not in the initial consolidation of fear learning. With this in mind, we set to study whether CaN could have different roles in distinct components of extinction. Systemic treatment with the CaN inhibitors cyclosporin A (CsA) or FK-506, as well as i.c.v. administration of CsA, blocked within-session, but not between-session extinction or initial learning of contextual fear conditioning. Similar effects were found in multiple-session extinction of contextual fear conditioning and in auditory fear conditioning, indicating that CaN is involved in different types of short-term extinction. Meanwhile, inhibition of protein synthesis by cycloheximide (CHX) treatment did not affect within-session extinction, but disrupted fear acquisition and slightly impaired between-session extinction. Our results point to a dissociation of within- and between-session extinction of fear conditioning, with the former being more dependent on CaN activity and the latter on protein synthesis. Moreover, the modulation of within-session extinction did not affect between-session extinction, suggesting that these components are at least partially independent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suellen Almeida-Corrêa
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22290-290, Brazil
| | - Thiago C Moulin
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22290-290, Brazil
| | - Clarissa F D Carneiro
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22290-290, Brazil
| | - Marina M C Gonçalves
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22290-290, Brazil
| | - Lara S Junqueira
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22290-290, Brazil
| | - Olavo B Amaral
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22290-290, Brazil
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Cattane N, Minelli A, Milanesi E, Maj C, Bignotti S, Bortolomasi M, Chiavetto LB, Gennarelli M. Altered gene expression in schizophrenia: findings from transcriptional signatures in fibroblasts and blood. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0116686. [PMID: 25658856 PMCID: PMC4319917 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2013] [Accepted: 12/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Whole-genome expression studies in the peripheral tissues of patients affected by schizophrenia (SCZ) can provide new insight into the molecular basis of the disorder and innovative biomarkers that may be of great utility in clinical practice. Recent evidence suggests that skin fibroblasts could represent a non-neural peripheral model useful for investigating molecular alterations in psychiatric disorders. METHODS A microarray expression study was conducted comparing skin fibroblast transcriptomic profiles from 20 SCZ patients and 20 controls. All genes strongly differentially expressed were validated by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) in fibroblasts and analyzed in a sample of peripheral blood cell (PBC) RNA from patients (n = 25) and controls (n = 22). To evaluate the specificity for SCZ, alterations in gene expression were tested in additional samples of fibroblasts and PBCs RNA from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) (n = 16; n = 21, respectively) and Bipolar Disorder (BD) patients (n = 15; n = 20, respectively). RESULTS Six genes (JUN, HIST2H2BE, FOSB, FOS, EGR1, TCF4) were significantly upregulated in SCZ compared to control fibroblasts. In blood, an increase in expression levels was confirmed only for EGR1, whereas JUN was downregulated; no significant differences were observed for the other genes. EGR1 upregulation was specific for SCZ compared to MDD and BD. CONCLUSIONS Our study reports the upregulation of JUN, HIST2H2BE, FOSB, FOS, EGR1 and TCF4 in the fibroblasts of SCZ patients. A significant alteration in EGR1 expression is also present in SCZ PBCs compared to controls and to MDD and BD patients, suggesting that this gene could be a specific biomarker helpful in the differential diagnosis of major psychoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Cattane
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Biology and Genetic Division, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Alessandra Minelli
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Biology and Genetic Division, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Elena Milanesi
- Genetics Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Carlo Maj
- Genetics Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Stefano Bignotti
- Psychiatric Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | | | - Luisella Bocchio Chiavetto
- Genetics Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
- Faculty of Psychology, eCampus University, Novedrate, Como, Italy
| | - Massimo Gennarelli
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Biology and Genetic Division, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
- Genetics Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
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Cavallo JS, Hamilton BN, Farley J. In vitro extinction learning in Hermissenda: involvement of conditioned inhibition molecules. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:354. [PMID: 25374517 PMCID: PMC4204529 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2014] [Accepted: 09/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Extinction of a conditioned association is typically viewed as the establishment of new learning rather than the erasure of the original memory. However, recent research in the nudibranch, Hermissenda crassicornis (H.c.) demonstrated that extinction training (using repeated light-alone presentations) given 15 min, but not 23 h, after memory acquisition reversed both the cellular correlates of learning (enhanced Type B cell excitability) and the behavioral changes (reduced phototaxis) produced by associative conditioning (pairings of light, CS, and rotation, US). Here, we investigated the putative molecular signaling pathways that underlie this extinction in H.c. by using a novel in vitro protocol combined with pharmacological manipulations. After intact H.c. received either light-rotation pairings (Paired), random presentations of light and rotation (Random), or no stimulation (Untrained), B cells from isolated CNSs were recorded from during exposure to extinction training consisting of two series of 15 consecutive light-steps (LSs). When in vitro extinction was administered shortly (2 h, but not 24 h) after paired training, B cells from Paired animals showed progressive and robust declines in spike frequency by the 30th LS, while control cells (Random and Untrained) did not. We found that several molecules implicated in H.c. conditioned inhibitory (CI) learning, protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) and arachidonic acid (AA)/12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX) metabolites, also contributed to the spike frequency decreases produced by in vitro extinction. Protein phosphatase 2B (PP2B) also appeared to play a role. Calyculin A (PP1 inhibitor), cyclosporin A (PP2B inhibitor), and baicalein (a 12-LOX inhibitor) all blocked the spike frequency declines in Paired B cells produced by 30 LSs. Conversely, injection of catalytically-active PP1 (caPP1) or PP2B (caPP2B) into Untrained B cells partially mimicked the spike frequency declines observed in Paired cells, as did bath-applied AA, and occluded additional LS-produced reductions in spiking in Paired cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel S Cavallo
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Brittany N Hamilton
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Joseph Farley
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA
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Li H, Li X, Smerin SE, Zhang L, Jia M, Xing G, Su YA, Wen J, Benedek D, Ursano R. Mitochondrial Gene Expression Profiles and Metabolic Pathways in the Amygdala Associated with Exaggerated Fear in an Animal Model of PTSD. Front Neurol 2014; 5:164. [PMID: 25295026 PMCID: PMC4172054 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2014.00164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2013] [Accepted: 08/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The metabolic mechanisms underlying the development of exaggerated fear in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are not well defined. In the present study, alteration in the expression of genes associated with mitochondrial function in the amygdala of an animal model of PTSD was determined. Amygdala tissue samples were excised from 10 non-stressed control rats and 10 stressed rats, 14 days post-stress treatment. Total RNA was isolated, cDNA was synthesized, and gene expression levels were determined using a cDNA microarray. During the development of the exaggerated fear associated with PTSD, 48 genes were found to be significantly upregulated and 37 were significantly downregulated in the amygdala complex based on stringent criteria (p < 0.01). Ingenuity pathway analysis revealed up- or downregulation in the amygdala complex of four signaling networks – one associated with inflammatory and apoptotic pathways, one with immune mediators and metabolism, one with transcriptional factors, and one with chromatin remodeling. Thus, informatics of a neuronal gene array allowed us to determine the expression profile of mitochondrial genes in the amygdala complex of an animal model of PTSD. The result is a further understanding of the metabolic and neuronal signaling mechanisms associated with delayed and exaggerated fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Li
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , Bethesda, MD , USA
| | - Xin Li
- Department of Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, and Biomathematics, Georgetown University Medical Center , Washington, DC , USA
| | - Stanley E Smerin
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , Bethesda, MD , USA
| | - Lei Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , Bethesda, MD , USA
| | - Min Jia
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , Bethesda, MD , USA
| | - Guoqiang Xing
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , Bethesda, MD , USA
| | - Yan A Su
- Department of Gene and Protein Biomarkers, GenProMarkers , Rockville, MD , USA
| | - Jillian Wen
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , Bethesda, MD , USA
| | - David Benedek
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , Bethesda, MD , USA
| | - Robert Ursano
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , Bethesda, MD , USA
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Kwapis JL, Wood MA. Epigenetic mechanisms in fear conditioning: implications for treating post-traumatic stress disorder. Trends Neurosci 2014; 37:706-20. [PMID: 25220045 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2014.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2014] [Revised: 08/15/2014] [Accepted: 08/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other anxiety disorders stemming from dysregulated fear memory are problematic and costly. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that contribute to the formation and maintenance of these persistent fear associations is crucial to developing treatments for PTSD. Epigenetic mechanisms, which control gene expression to produce long-lasting changes in cellular function, may support the formation of fear memory underlying PTSD. We address here the role of epigenetic mechanisms in the formation, storage, updating, and extinction of fear memories. We also discuss methods of targeting these epigenetic mechanisms to reduce the initial formation of fear memory or to enhance its extinction. Epigenetic mechanisms may provide a novel target for pharmaceutical and other treatments to reduce aversive memory contributing to PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janine L Kwapis
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Marcelo A Wood
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
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Almeida-Corrêa S, Amaral OB. Memory labilization in reconsolidation and extinction--evidence for a common plasticity system? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 108:292-306. [PMID: 25173958 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2014.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2014] [Revised: 06/27/2014] [Accepted: 08/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Reconsolidation and extinction are two processes occurring upon memory retrieval that have received great attention in memory research over the last decade, partly due to their purported potential in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Due to their opposite behavioral effects, the two phenomena have usually been considered as separate entities, with few attempts to build a unified view of how both could be produced by similar mechanisms. Based on computational modeling, we have previously proposed that reconsolidation and extinction are behavioral outcomes of the same set of plasticity systems, albeit working at different synapses. One of these systems seems to be pharmacologically similar to the one involved in initial memory consolidation, and likely involves traditional Hebbian plasticity, while the second seems to be more involved with the labilization of existing memories and/or synaptic changes. In this article, we review the evidence for the existence of a plasticity system specifically involved in memory labilization, as well as its possible molecular requirements, anatomical substrates, synaptic mechanisms and physiological roles. Based on these data, we propose that the field of memory updating might ultimately benefit from a paradigm shift in which reconsolidation and extinction are viewed not as separate processes but as different instantiations of plasticity systems responsible for reinforcement and labilization of synaptic changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suellen Almeida-Corrêa
- Leopoldo de Meis Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Olavo B Amaral
- Leopoldo de Meis Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Sol Fustiñana M, de la Fuente V, Federman N, Freudenthal R, Romano A. Protein degradation by ubiquitin-proteasome system in formation and labilization of contextual conditioning memory. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 21:478-87. [PMID: 25135196 PMCID: PMC4138359 DOI: 10.1101/lm.035998.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS) of protein degradation has been evaluated in different forms of neural plasticity and memory. The role of UPS in such processes is controversial. Several results support the idea that the activation of this system in memory consolidation is necessary to overcome negative constrains for plasticity. In this case, the inhibition of the UPS during consolidation impairs memory. Similar results were reported for memory reconsolidation. However, in other cases, the inhibition of UPS had no effect on memory consolidation and reconsolidation but impedes the amnesic action of protein synthesis inhibition after retrieval. The last finding suggests a specific action of the UPS inhibitor on memory labilization. However, another interpretation is possible in terms of the synthesis/degradation balance of positive and negative elements in neural plasticity, as was found in the case of long-term potentiation. To evaluate these alternative interpretations, other reconsolidation-interfering drugs than translation inhibitors should be tested. Here we analyzed initially the UPS inhibitor effect in contextual conditioning in crabs. We found that UPS inhibition during consolidation impaired long-term memory. In contrast, UPS inhibition did not affect memory reconsolidation after contextual retrieval but, in fact, impeded memory labilization, blocking the action of drugs that does not affect directly the protein synthesis. To extend these finding to vertebrates, we performed similar experiments in contextual fear memory in mice. We found that the UPS inhibitor in hippocampus affected memory consolidation and blocked memory labilization after retrieval. These findings exclude alternative interpretations to the requirement of UPS in memory labilization and give evidence of this mechanism in both vertebrates and invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Sol Fustiñana
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología de la Memoria, Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, IFIByNE, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Noel Federman
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología de la Memoria, Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, IFIByNE, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ramiro Freudenthal
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología de la Memoria, Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, IFIByNE, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Arturo Romano
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología de la Memoria, Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, IFIByNE, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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48
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de la Fuente V, Federman N, Fustiñana MS, Zalcman G, Romano A. Calcineurin phosphatase as a negative regulator of fear memory in hippocampus: control on nuclear factor-κB signaling in consolidation and reconsolidation. Hippocampus 2014; 24:1549-61. [PMID: 25043904 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2014] [Revised: 07/07/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Protein phosphatases are important regulators of neural plasticity and memory. Some studies support that the Ca(2+) /calmodulin-dependent phosphatase calcineurin (CaN) is, on the one hand, a negative regulator of memory formation and, on the other hand, a positive regulator of memory extinction and reversal learning. However, the signaling mechanisms by which CaN exerts its action in such processes are not well understood. Previous findings support that CaN negatively regulate the nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) signaling pathway during extinction. Here, we have studied the role of CaN in contextual fear memory consolidation and reconsolidation in the hippocampus. We investigated the CaN control on the NF-κB signaling pathway, a key mechanism that regulates gene expression in memory processes. We found that post-training intrahippocampal administration of the CaN inhibitor FK506 enhanced memory retention one day but not two weeks after training. Accordingly, the inhibition of CaN by FK506 increased NF-κB activity in dorsal hippocampus. The administration of the NF-κB signaling pathway inhibitor sulfasalazine (SSZ) impeded the enhancing effect of FK506. In line with our findings in consolidation, FK506 administration before memory reactivation enhanced memory reconsolidation when tested one day after re-exposure to the training context. Strikingly, memory was also enhanced two weeks after training, suggesting that reinforcement during reconsolidation is more persistent than during consolidation. The coadministration of SSZ and FK506 blocked the enhancement effect in reconsolidation, suggesting that this facilitation is also dependent on the NF-κB signaling pathway. In summary, our results support a novel mechanism by which memory formation and reprocessing can be controlled by CaN regulation on NF-κB activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verónica de la Fuente
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología de la Memoria, Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina; Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina
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A Synthetic Multifunctional Mammalian pH Sensor and CO2 Transgene-Control Device. Mol Cell 2014; 55:397-408. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2014.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2012] [Revised: 03/07/2014] [Accepted: 05/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Mirante O, Brandalise F, Bohacek J, Mansuy IM. Distinct molecular components for thalamic- and cortical-dependent plasticity in the lateral amygdala. Front Mol Neurosci 2014; 7:62. [PMID: 25071439 PMCID: PMC4080466 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2014.00062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2014] [Accepted: 06/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-dependent long-term depression (LTD) in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA) is a form of synaptic plasticity thought to be a cellular substrate for the extinction of fear memory. The LA receives converging inputs from the sensory thalamus and neocortex that are weakened following fear extinction. Combining field and patch-clamp electrophysiological recordings in mice, we show that paired-pulse low-frequency stimulation can induce a robust LTD at thalamic and cortical inputs to LA, and we identify different underlying molecular components at these pathways. We show that while LTD depends on NMDARs and activation of the protein phosphatases PP2B and PP1 at both pathways, it requires NR2B-containing NMDARs at the thalamic pathway, but NR2C/D-containing NMDARs at the cortical pathway. LTD appears to be induced post-synaptically at the thalamic input but presynaptically at the cortical input, since post-synaptic calcium chelation and NMDAR blockade prevent thalamic but not cortical LTD. These results highlight distinct molecular features of LTD in LA that may be relevant for traumatic memory and its erasure, and for pathologies such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Osvaldo Mirante
- Brain Research Institute, Medical Faculty, University Zürich Zürich, Switzerland ; Department of Health Science and Technology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Federico Brandalise
- Brain Research Institute, Medical Faculty, University Zürich Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Bohacek
- Brain Research Institute, Medical Faculty, University Zürich Zürich, Switzerland ; Department of Health Science and Technology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Isabelle M Mansuy
- Brain Research Institute, Medical Faculty, University Zürich Zürich, Switzerland ; Department of Health Science and Technology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich, Switzerland
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