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Fu X, Tasker JG. Neuromodulation of inhibitory synaptic transmission in the basolateral amygdala during fear and anxiety. Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1421617. [PMID: 38994327 PMCID: PMC11236696 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1421617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala plays pivotal roles in the regulation of fear and anxiety and these processes are profoundly modulated by different neuromodulatory systems that are recruited during emotional arousal. Recent studies suggest activities of BLA interneurons and inhibitory synaptic transmission in BLA principal cells are regulated by neuromodulators to influence the output and oscillatory network states of the BLA, and ultimately the behavioral expression of fear and anxiety. In this review, we first summarize a cellular mechanism of stress-induced anxiogenesis mediated by the interaction of glucocorticoid and endocannabinoid signaling at inhibitory synapses in the BLA. Then we discuss cell type-specific activity patterns induced by neuromodulators converging on the Gq signaling pathway in BLA perisomatic parvalbumin-expressing (PV) and cholecystokinin-expressing (CCK) basket cells and their effects on BLA network oscillations and fear learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Fu
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Jeffrey G. Tasker
- Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, United States
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, United States
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2
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Liu Y, Ye S, Li XN, Li WG. Memory Trace for Fear Extinction: Fragile yet Reinforceable. Neurosci Bull 2024; 40:777-794. [PMID: 37812300 PMCID: PMC11178705 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-023-01129-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear extinction is a biological process in which learned fear behavior diminishes without anticipated reinforcement, allowing the organism to re-adapt to ever-changing situations. Based on the behavioral hypothesis that extinction is new learning and forms an extinction memory, this new memory is more readily forgettable than the original fear memory. The brain's cellular and synaptic traces underpinning this inherently fragile yet reinforceable extinction memory remain unclear. Intriguing questions are about the whereabouts of the engram neurons that emerged during extinction learning and how they constitute a dynamically evolving functional construct that works in concert to store and express the extinction memory. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the engram circuits and their neural connectivity plasticity for fear extinction, aiming to establish a conceptual framework for understanding the dynamic competition between fear and extinction memories in adaptive control of conditioned fear responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Liu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Huashan Hospital, Institute for Translational Brain Research, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Shuai Ye
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Huashan Hospital, Institute for Translational Brain Research, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xin-Ni Li
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Huashan Hospital, Institute for Translational Brain Research, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Wei-Guang Li
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Huashan Hospital, Institute for Translational Brain Research, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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3
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Scarpa G, Antonoudiou P, Weiss G, Stone B, Maguire JL. Sex-dependent effects of early life stress on network and behavioral states. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.10.593547. [PMID: 38766016 PMCID: PMC11100797 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.10.593547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Background Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with numerous detriments in health, including increased vulnerability to psychiatric illnesses. Early life stress (ELS) in rodents has been shown to effectively model several of the behavioral and endocrine impacts of ACEs and has been utilized to investigate the underlying mechanisms contributing to disease. However, the precise neural mechanisms responsible for mediating the impact of ELS on vulnerability to psychiatric illnesses remain largely unknown. Methods We use behavior, immunoassay, in vivo LFP recording, histology, and patch clamp to describe the effects of ELS on stress behaviors, endocrinology, network states, protein expression, and cellular physiology in male and female mice. Results We demonstrate that a murine maternal separation (MS) ELS model causes sex-dependent alterations in behavioral and hormonal responses following an acute stressor. Local field potential (LFP) recordings in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and frontal cortex (FC) reveal similar sex-dependent alterations at baseline, in response to acute ethological stress, and during fear memory extinction, supporting a large body of literature demonstrating that these network states contribute to stress reactivity and vulnerability to psychiatric illnesses. Sex differences were accompanied by altered physiology of BLA principal neurons in males and BLA PV interneurons in females. Conclusions Collectively, these results implicate novel, sex-dependent mechanisms through which ACEs may impact psychiatric health, involving altered cellular physiology and network states involved in emotional processing.
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Bratsch-Prince JX, Warren JW, Jones GC, McDonald AJ, Mott DD. Acetylcholine Engages Distinct Amygdala Microcircuits to Gate Internal Theta Rhythm. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1568232024. [PMID: 38438258 PMCID: PMC11055655 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1568-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Acetylcholine (ACh) is released from basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in response to salient stimuli and engages brain states supporting attention and memory. These high ACh states are associated with theta oscillations, which synchronize neuronal ensembles. Theta oscillations in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in both humans and rodents have been shown to underlie emotional memory, yet their mechanism remains unclear. Here, using brain slice electrophysiology in male and female mice, we show large ACh stimuli evoke prolonged theta oscillations in BLA local field potentials that depend upon M3 muscarinic receptor activation of cholecystokinin (CCK) interneurons (INs) without the need for external glutamate signaling. Somatostatin (SOM) INs inhibit CCK INs and are themselves inhibited by ACh, providing a functional SOM→CCK IN circuit connection gating BLA theta. Parvalbumin (PV) INs, which can drive BLA oscillations in baseline states, are not involved in the generation of ACh-induced theta, highlighting that ACh induces a cellular switch in the control of BLA oscillatory activity and establishes an internally BLA-driven theta oscillation through CCK INs. Theta activity is more readily evoked in BLA over the cortex or hippocampus, suggesting preferential activation of the BLA during high ACh states. These data reveal a SOM→CCK IN circuit in the BLA that gates internal theta oscillations and suggest a mechanism by which salient stimuli acting through ACh switch the BLA into a network state enabling emotional memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua X Bratsch-Prince
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - James W Warren
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - Grace C Jones
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - Alexander J McDonald
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - David D Mott
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
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5
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Amaya KA, Teboul E, Weiss GL, Antonoudiou P, Maguire JL. Basolateral amygdala parvalbumin interneurons coordinate oscillations to drive reward behaviors. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1561-1568.e4. [PMID: 38479389 PMCID: PMC11003843 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) mediates both fear and reward learning.1,2 Previous work has shown that parvalbumin (PV) interneurons in the BLA contribute to BLA oscillatory states integral to fear expression.3,4,5,6,7 However, despite it being critical to our understanding of reward behaviors, it is unknown whether BLA oscillatory states and PV interneurons similarly contribute to reward processing. Local field potentials in the BLA were collected as male and female mice consumed sucrose reward, where prominent changes in the beta band (15-30 Hz) emerged with reward experience. During consumption of one water bottle during a two-water-bottle choice test, rhythmic optogenetic stimulation of BLA PVs produced a robust bottle preference, showing that PVs can sufficiently drive reward seeking. Finally, to demonstrate that PV activity is necessary for reward value use, PVs were chemogenetically inhibited following outcome devaluation, rendering mice incapable of using updated reward representations to guide their behavior. Taken together, these experiments provide novel information about the physiological signatures of reward while highlighting BLA PV interneuron contributions to behaviors that are BLA dependent. This work builds upon established knowledge of PV involvement in fear expression and provides evidence that PV orchestration of unique BLA network states is involved in both learning types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth A Amaya
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
| | - Eric Teboul
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Grant L Weiss
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Pantelis Antonoudiou
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Jamie L Maguire
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
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6
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Cattani A, Arnold DB, McCarthy M, Kopell N. Basolateral amygdala oscillations enable fear learning in a biophysical model. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.04.28.538604. [PMID: 37163011 PMCID: PMC10168360 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.28.538604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a key site where fear learning takes place through synaptic plasticity. Rodent research shows prominent low theta (~3-6 Hz), high theta (~6-12 Hz), and gamma (>30 Hz) rhythms in the BLA local field potential recordings. However, it is not understood what role these rhythms play in supporting the plasticity. Here, we create a biophysically detailed model of the BLA circuit to show that several classes of interneurons (PV, SOM, and VIP) in the BLA can be critically involved in producing the rhythms; these rhythms promote the formation of a dedicated fear circuit shaped through rhythmic gating of spike-timing-dependent plasticity. Each class of interneurons is necessary for the plasticity. We find that the low theta rhythm is a biomarker of successful fear conditioning. Finally, we discuss how the peptide released by the VIP cell may alter the dynamics of plasticity to support the necessary fine timing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Cattani
- Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Don B Arnold
- Department of Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Michelle McCarthy
- Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Nancy Kopell
- Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
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7
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Evans-Strong A, Walton N, Blandino K, Roper ATC, Donaldson ST, Lewis M, Maguire J. Witnessed trauma exposure induces fear in mice through a reduction in endogenous neurosteroid synthesis. J Neuroendocrinol 2024; 36:e13378. [PMID: 38482748 PMCID: PMC11091913 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13378] [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: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Neurosteroids have been implicated in the pathophysiology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Allopregnanolone is reduced in subsets of individuals with PTSD and has been explored as a novel treatment strategy. Both direct trauma exposure and witnessed trauma are risk factors for PTSD; however, the role of neurosteroids in the behavioral outcomes of these unique experiences has not been explored. Here, we investigate whether observational fear is associated with a reduced capacity for endogenous neurosteroidogenesis and the relationship with behavioral outcomes. We demonstrated that mice directly subjected to a threat (foot shocks) and those witnessing the threat have decreased plasma levels of allopregnanolone. The expression of a key enzyme involved in endogenous neurosteroid synthesis, 5α-reductase type 2, is decreased in the basolateral amygdala, which is a major emotional processing hub implicated in PTSD. We demonstrated that genetic knockdown or pharmacological inhibition of 5α-reductase type 2 exaggerates the behavioral expression of fear in response to witnessed trauma, whereas oral treatment with an exogenous, synthetic neuroactive steroid gamma-aminobutyric acid-A receptor positive allosteric modulator with molecular pharmacology similar to allopregnanolone (SGE-516 [tool compound]) decreased the behavioral response to observational fear. These data implicate impaired endogenous neurosteroidogenesis in the pathophysiology of threat exposure, both direct and witnessed. Further, these data suggest that treatment with exogenous 5α-reduced neurosteroids or targeting endogenous neurosteroidogenesis may be beneficial for the treatment of individuals with PTSD, whether resulting from direct or witnessed trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aidan Evans-Strong
- Neuroscience Department, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Najah Walton
- Neuroscience Department, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Katrina Blandino
- Neuroscience Department, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Abigail T C Roper
- Developmental and Brain Sciences Program, Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - S Tiffany Donaldson
- Developmental and Brain Sciences Program, Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mike Lewis
- Sage Therapeutics, Inc, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jamie Maguire
- Neuroscience Department, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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DiLeo A, Antonodiou P, Blandino K, Conlin E, Melón L, Maguire JL. Network States in the Basolateral Amygdala Predicts Voluntary Alcohol Consumption. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.06.21.545962. [PMID: 38464012 PMCID: PMC10925084 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.21.545962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Although most adults in the United States will drink alcohol in their life, only about 6% will go on to develop an alcohol use disorder (AUD). While a great deal of work has furthered our understanding of the cycle of addiction, it remains unclear why certain people transition to disordered drinking. Altered activity in regions implicated in AUDs, like the basolateral amygdala (BLA), has been suggested to play a role in the pathophysiology of AUDs, but how these networks contribute to alcohol misuse remains unclear. Our recent work demonstrated that alcohol can modulate BLA network states and that GABAergic parvalbumin (PV) interneurons are crucial modulators of network activity in the BLA. Further, our lab has demonstrated that δ subunit-containing GABA A receptors, which are modulated by alcohol, are highly expressed on PV interneurons in the BLA. These receptors on PV interneurons have also been shown to influence alcohol intake in a voluntary binge drinking paradigm and anxiety-like behavior in withdrawal. Therefore, we hypothesized that alcohol may impact BLA network states via δ subunit-containing GABA A receptors on PV interneurons to impact the extent of alcohol use. To test this hypothesis, we measured the impact of acute alcohol exposure on oscillatory states in the basolateral amygdala and then assessed the relationship to the extent of voluntary ethanol consumption in the Intermittent Access, Drinking-in-the-Dark-Multiple Scheduled Access, and Chronic Intermittent Ethanol exposure paradigms. Remarkably, we demonstrate that the average alcohol intake negatively correlates with δ subunit-containing GABA A receptor expression on PV interneurons and gamma power in the BLA after the first exposure to alcohol. These data implicate δ subunit-containing GABA A receptor expression on PV interneurons in the BLA in voluntary alcohol intake and suggest that BLA network states may serve as a useful biomarker for those at risk for alcohol misuse. Significance Statement Oscillatory states in the BLA have been demonstrated to drive behavioral states involved in emotional processing, including negative valence processing. Given that negative emotional states/hyperkatifeia contribute to the cycle of AUDs, our previous work demonstrating the ability of alcohol to modulate BLA network states and thereby behavioral states suggests that this mechanism may influence alcohol intake. Here we demonstrate a relationship between the ability of alcohol to modulate oscillations in the BLA and future alcohol intake such that the extent to which alcohol influences BLA network states predict the extent of future voluntary alcohol intake. These findings suggest that individual variability in the sensitivity of the BLA network to alcohol influences voluntary alcohol consumption.
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9
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McDonald AJ. Functional neuroanatomy of basal forebrain projections to the basolateral amygdala: Transmitters, receptors, and neuronal subpopulations. J Neurosci Res 2024; 102:e25318. [PMID: 38491847 PMCID: PMC10948038 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
The projections of the basal forebrain (BF) to the hippocampus and neocortex have been extensively studied and shown to be important for higher cognitive functions, including attention, learning, and memory. Much less is known about the BF projections to the basolateral nuclear complex of the amygdala (BNC), although the cholinergic innervation of this region by the BF is actually far more robust than that of cortical areas. This review will focus on light and electron microscopic tract-tracing and immunohistochemical (IHC) studies, many of which were published in the last decade, that have analyzed the relationship of BF inputs and their receptors to specific neuronal subtypes in the BNC in order to better understand the anatomical substrates of BF-BNC circuitry. The results indicate that BF inputs to the BNC mainly target the basolateral nucleus of the BNC (BL) and arise from cholinergic, GABAergic, and perhaps glutamatergic BF neurons. Cholinergic inputs mainly target dendrites and spines of pyramidal neurons (PNs) that express muscarinic receptors (MRs). MRs are also expressed by cholinergic axons, as well as cortical and thalamic axons that synapse with PN dendrites and spines. BF GABAergic axons to the BL also express MRs and mainly target BL interneurons that contain parvalbumin. It is suggested that BF-BL circuitry could be very important for generating rhythmic oscillations known to be critical for emotional learning. BF cholinergic inputs to the BNC might also contribute to memory formation by activating M1 receptors located on PN dendritic shafts and spines that also express NMDA receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Joseph McDonald
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
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10
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Sun W, Liu Z, Jiang X, Chen MB, Dong H, Liu J, Südhof TC, Quake SR. Spatial transcriptomics reveal neuron-astrocyte synergy in long-term memory. Nature 2024; 627:374-381. [PMID: 38326616 PMCID: PMC10937396 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-07011-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Memory encodes past experiences, thereby enabling future plans. The basolateral amygdala is a centre of salience networks that underlie emotional experiences and thus has a key role in long-term fear memory formation1. Here we used spatial and single-cell transcriptomics to illuminate the cellular and molecular architecture of the role of the basolateral amygdala in long-term memory. We identified transcriptional signatures in subpopulations of neurons and astrocytes that were memory-specific and persisted for weeks. These transcriptional signatures implicate neuropeptide and BDNF signalling, MAPK and CREB activation, ubiquitination pathways, and synaptic connectivity as key components of long-term memory. Notably, upon long-term memory formation, a neuronal subpopulation defined by increased Penk and decreased Tac expression constituted the most prominent component of the memory engram of the basolateral amygdala. These transcriptional changes were observed both with single-cell RNA sequencing and with single-molecule spatial transcriptomics in intact slices, thereby providing a rich spatial map of a memory engram. The spatial data enabled us to determine that this neuronal subpopulation interacts with adjacent astrocytes, and functional experiments show that neurons require interactions with astrocytes to encode long-term memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenfei Sun
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Zhihui Liu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Xian Jiang
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Michelle B Chen
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Hua Dong
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan Liu
- Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Redwood City, CA, USA
| | - Thomas C Südhof
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Stephen R Quake
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Redwood City, CA, USA.
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11
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Plas SL, Tuna T, Bayer H, Juliano VAL, Sweck SO, Arellano Perez AD, Hassell JE, Maren S. Neural circuits for the adaptive regulation of fear and extinction memory. Front Behav Neurosci 2024; 18:1352797. [PMID: 38370858 PMCID: PMC10869525 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1352797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The regulation of fear memories is critical for adaptive behaviors and dysregulation of these processes is implicated in trauma- and stress-related disorders. Treatments for these disorders include pharmacological interventions as well as exposure-based therapies, which rely upon extinction learning. Considerable attention has been directed toward elucidating the neural mechanisms underlying fear and extinction learning. In this review, we will discuss historic discoveries and emerging evidence on the neural mechanisms of the adaptive regulation of fear and extinction memories. We will focus on neural circuits regulating the acquisition and extinction of Pavlovian fear conditioning in rodent models, particularly the role of the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in the contextual control of extinguished fear memories. We will also consider new work revealing an important role for the thalamic nucleus reuniens in the modulation of prefrontal-hippocampal interactions in extinction learning and memory. Finally, we will explore the effects of stress on this circuit and the clinical implications of these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha L. Plas
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Tuğçe Tuna
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Hugo Bayer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Vitor A. L. Juliano
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Samantha O. Sweck
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Angel D. Arellano Perez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - James E. Hassell
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
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12
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Colmers PLW, Antonoudiou P, Basu T, Scapa G, Fuller P, Maguire J. Loss of PV interneurons in the BLA contributes to altered network and behavioral states in chronically epileptic mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.05.570112. [PMID: 38106120 PMCID: PMC10723361 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.05.570112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Psychiatric disorders, including anxiety and depression, are highly comorbid in people with epilepsy. However, the mechanisms mediating the shared pathophysiology are currently unknown. There is considerable evidence implicating the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in the network communication of anxiety and fear, a process demonstrated to involve parvalbumin-positive (PV) interneurons. The loss of PV interneurons has been well described in the hippocampus of chronically epileptic mice and in postmortem human tissue of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). We hypothesize that a loss of PV interneurons in the BLA may contribute to comorbid mood disorders in epilepsy. To test this hypothesis, we employed a ventral intrahippocampal kainic acid (vIHKA) model of chronic epilepsy in mice, which exhibits profound behavioral deficits associated with chronic epilepsy. We demonstrate a loss of PV interneurons and dysfunction of remaining PV interneurons in the BLA of chronically epileptic mice. Further, we demonstrate altered principal neuron function and impaired coordination of BLA network and behavioral states in chronically epileptic mice. To determine whether these altered network and behavioral states were due to the loss of PV interneurons, we ablated a similar percentage of PV interneurons observed in chronically epileptic mice by stereotaxically injecting AAV-Flex-DTA into the BLA of PV-Cre mice. Loss of PV interneurons in the BLA is sufficient to alter behavioral states, inducing deficits in fear learning and recall of fear memories. These data suggest that compromised inhibition in the BLA in chronically epileptic mice contributes to behavioral deficits, suggesting a novel mechanism contributing to comorbid anxiety and epilepsy. Significance Statement Psychiatric illnesses and epilepsy are highly comorbid and negatively impact the quality of life of people with epilepsy. The pathophysiological mechanisms mediating the bidirectional relationship between mood disorders and epilepsy remain unknown and, therefore, treatment options remain inadequate. Here we demonstrate a novel mechanism, involving the loss of PV interneurons in the BLA, leading to a corruption of network and behavioral states in mice. These findings pinpoint a critical node and demonstrate a novel cellular and circuit mechanism involved in the comorbidity of psychiatric illnesses and epilepsy.
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Chen APF, Chen L, Shi KW, Cheng E, Ge S, Xiong Q. Nigrostriatal dopamine modulates the striatal-amygdala pathway in auditory fear conditioning. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7231. [PMID: 37945595 PMCID: PMC10636191 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43066-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The auditory striatum, a sensory portion of the dorsal striatum, plays an essential role in learning and memory. In contrast to its roles and underlying mechanisms in operant conditioning, however, little is known about its contribution to classical auditory fear conditioning. Here, we reveal the function of the auditory striatum in auditory-conditioned fear memory. We find that optogenetically inhibiting auditory striatal neurons impairs fear memory formation, which is mediated through the striatal-amygdala pathway. Using calcium imaging in behaving mice, we find that auditory striatal neuronal responses to conditioned tones potentiate across memory acquisition and expression. Furthermore, nigrostriatal dopaminergic projections plays an important role in modulating conditioning-induced striatal potentiation. Together, these findings demonstrate the existence of a nigro-striatal-amygdala circuit for conditioned fear memory formation and expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allen P F Chen
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Renaissance School of Medicine at SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Lu Chen
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Kaiyo W Shi
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Eileen Cheng
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Shaoyu Ge
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Qiaojie Xiong
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
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14
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Zimmermann KS, Richardson R, Baker KD. Developmental changes in functional connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and amygdala following fear extinction. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 205:107847. [PMID: 37865263 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala and prefrontal cortex (PFC) undergo dramatic changes in structure, function, and regional connectivity in early life, ultimately stabilizing in early adulthood. Pathways between these two structures underlie many forms of emotional learning, including the extinction of conditioned fear. Here we sought to characterize changes in extinction-related medial PFC (mPFC) → amygdala functional connectivity across development that might explain adolescent impairments in extinction. The retrograde tracer Fluorogold was infused into the amygdala of postnatal day (P)22-23 (juvenile), P31-32 (adolescent), or ≥ P69 (adult) rats, which were then exposed to fear conditioning and extinction training. Brains were collected following extinction or context exposure and processed for expression of pMAPK (as a marker of learning-dependent plasticity) in prelimbic (PL) and infralimbic (IL) amygdala-projecting neurons. Consistent with previous findings, amygdala-projecting mPFC neurons were located primarily in layers (L)II/III and V of the mPFC. We noted that mPFC LII/III projected predominantly to the ipsilateral basolateral amygdala, whereas LV projected bilaterally and targeted multiple amygdalar nuclei. Extinction was not associated with changes in extinction-related plasticity in the PL-amygdala pathways in any age group. No changes were seen in LII/III of the IL, but extinction-related plasticity in LV amygdala-projecting IL neurons decreased linearly across development. These findings suggest that extinction-related functional connectivity between the IL and the amygdala undergoes fundamental changes across development that may contribute to alterations in fear suppression across development.
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Affiliation(s)
- K S Zimmermann
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - R Richardson
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - K D Baker
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.
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15
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Totty MS, Tuna T, Ramanathan KR, Jin J, Peters SE, Maren S. Thalamic nucleus reuniens coordinates prefrontal-hippocampal synchrony to suppress extinguished fear. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6565. [PMID: 37848425 PMCID: PMC10582091 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42315-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Traumatic events result in vivid and enduring fear memories. Suppressing the retrieval of these memories is central to behavioral therapies for pathological fear. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and hippocampus (HPC) have been implicated in retrieval suppression, but how mPFC-HPC activity is coordinated during extinction retrieval is unclear. Here we show that after extinction training, coherent theta oscillations (6-9 Hz) in the HPC and mPFC are correlated with the suppression of conditioned freezing in male and female rats. Inactivation of the nucleus reuniens (RE), a thalamic hub interconnecting the mPFC and HPC, reduces extinction-related Fos expression in both the mPFC and HPC, dampens mPFC-HPC theta coherence, and impairs extinction retrieval. Conversely, theta-paced optogenetic stimulation of RE augments fear suppression and reduces relapse of extinguished fear. Collectively, these results demonstrate a role for RE in coordinating mPFC-HPC interactions to suppress fear memories after extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Totty
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Tuğçe Tuna
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Karthik R Ramanathan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Jingji Jin
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Shaun E Peters
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
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16
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Han HB, Shin HS, Jeong Y, Kim J, Choi JH. Dynamic switching of neural oscillations in the prefrontal-amygdala circuit for naturalistic freeze-or-flight. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2308762120. [PMID: 37669394 PMCID: PMC10500169 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2308762120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) are involved in the regulation of defensive behavior under threat, but their engagement in flexible behavior shifts remains unclear. Here, we report the oscillatory activities of mPFC-BLA circuit in reaction to a naturalistic threat, created by a predatory robot in mice. Specifically, we found dynamic frequency tuning among two different theta rhythms (~5 or ~10 Hz) was accompanied by agile changes of two different defensive behaviors (freeze-or-flight). By analyzing flight trajectories, we also found that high beta (~30 Hz) is engaged in the top-down process for goal-directed flights and accompanied by a reduction in fast gamma (60 to 120 Hz, peak near 70 Hz). The elevated beta nested the fast gamma activity by its phase more strongly. Our results suggest that the mPFC-BLA circuit has a potential role in oscillatory gear shifting allowing flexible information routing for behavior switches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hio-Been Han
- Computational Cognitive & Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul02792, Republic of Korea
- Program of Brain and Cognitive Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee-Sup Shin
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon34126, Republic of Korea
- SL Bigen Co., Incheon21983, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Jeong
- Program of Brain and Cognitive Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon34141, Republic of Korea
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jisoo Kim
- Computational Cognitive & Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul02792, Republic of Korea
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 3EG, United Kingdom
| | - Jee Hyun Choi
- Computational Cognitive & Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul02792, Republic of Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, Korea University of Science and Technology, Daejeon34113, Republic of Korea
- Department of Physics and Center for Theoretical Physics, Seoul National University, Seoul08826, Republic of Korea
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17
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Antonoudiou P, Stone B, Colmers PLW, Evans-Strong A, Walton N, Maguire J. Influence of chronic stress on network states governing valence processing: Potential relevance to the risk for psychiatric illnesses. J Neuroendocrinol 2023; 35:e13274. [PMID: 37186481 PMCID: PMC11025365 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13274] [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: 01/07/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Stress is a major risk factor for psychiatric illnesses and understanding the mechanisms through which stress disrupts behavioral states is imperative to understanding the underlying pathophysiology of mood disorders. Both chronic stress and early life stress alter valence processing, the process of assigning value to sensory inputs and experiences (positive or negative), which determines subsequent behavior and is essential for emotional processing and ultimately survival. Stress disrupts valence processing in both humans and preclinical models, favoring negative valence processing and impairing positive valence processing. Valence assignment involves neural computations performed in emotional processing hubs, including the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and ventral hippocampus, which can be influenced by neuroendocrine mediators. Oscillations within and between these regions are critical for the neural computations necessary to perform valence processing functions. Major advances in the field have demonstrated a role for oscillatory states in valence processing under physiological conditions and emerging studies are exploring how these network states are altered under pathophysiological conditions and impacted by neuroendocrine factors. The current review highlights what is currently known regarding the impact of stress and the role of neuroendocrine mediators on network states and valence processing. Further, we propose a model in which chronic stress alters information routing through emotional processing hubs, resulting in a facilitation of negative valence processing and a suppression of positive valence processing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bradly Stone
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | | | - Najah Walton
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jamie Maguire
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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18
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Lee H, Kaang BK. How engram mediates learning, extinction, and relapse. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 81:102723. [PMID: 37030026 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
Fear learning ensures survival through an expression of certain behavior as a conditioned fear response. Fear memory is processed and stored in a fear memory circuit, including the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. A gradual decrease in conditioned fear response can be induced by fear extinction, which is mediated through the weakening of the original fear memory traces and the newly formed inhibition of those traces. Fear memory can also recover after extinction, which shows flexible control of the fear memory state. Here, we demonstrate how fear engram, which is a physical substrate of fear memory, changes during fear extinction and relapse by reviewing recent studies regarding engram.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoonwon Lee
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Bong-Kiun Kaang
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea.
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19
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Walton NL, Antonoudiou P, Barros L, Dargan T, DiLeo A, Evans-Strong A, Gabby J, Howard S, Paracha R, Sánchez EJ, Weiss GL, Kong D, Maguire JL. Impaired Endogenous Neurosteroid Signaling Contributes to Behavioral Deficits Associated With Chronic Stress. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 94:249-261. [PMID: 36736870 PMCID: PMC10363189 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic stress is a major risk factor for psychiatric illnesses, including depression. However, the pathophysiological mechanisms whereby stress leads to mood disorders remain unclear. Allopregnanolone acts as a positive allosteric modulator preferentially on δ subunit-containing GABAA (gamma-aminobutyric acid A) receptors. Accumulating clinical and preclinical evidence supports the antidepressant effects of exogenous administration of allopregnanolone analogs; yet, the role of endogenous allopregnanolone in the pathophysiology of depression remains unknown. METHODS We utilized a chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) mouse model, followed by behavioral and biochemical assays, to examine whether altered neurosteroid signaling contributes to behavioral outcomes following CUS. We subsequently performed in vivo CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) knockdown of rate-limiting enzymes involved in allopregnanolone synthesis, 5α-reductase type 1 and 2 (5α1/2), in addition to lentiviral overexpression of 5α1/2 in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) of mice that underwent CUS to assess the impact of 5α1/2 on behavioral outcomes. RESULTS The expression of δ subunit-containing GABAA receptors and endogenous levels of allopregnanolone were reduced in the BLA following CUS. Treatment with an exogenous allopregnanolone analog, SGE-516, was sufficient to increase allopregnanolone levels in the BLA following CUS. Knockdown of 5α1/2 in the BLA mimicked the behavioral outcomes associated with CUS. Conversely, overexpression of 5α1/2 in the BLA improved behavioral outcomes following CUS. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate that chronic stress impairs endogenous neurosteroid signaling in the BLA, which is sufficient to induce behavioral deficits. Further, these studies suggest that allopregnanolone-based treatments may directly target the underlying pathophysiology of mood disorders suggesting that targeting endogenous neurosteroidogenesis may offer a novel therapeutic strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Najah L Walton
- Department of Neuroscience, Program of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Pantelis Antonoudiou
- Department of Neuroscience, Program of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lea Barros
- Department of Neuroscience, Program of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Building Diversity in Biomedical Sciences Program, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Biology, Hamilton College, Clinton, New York
| | - Tauryn Dargan
- Department of Neuroscience, Program of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Alyssa DiLeo
- Department of Neuroscience, Program of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Aidan Evans-Strong
- Department of Neuroscience, Program of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jenah Gabby
- Department of Neuroscience, Program of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Building Diversity in Biomedical Sciences Program, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Samantha Howard
- Department of Neuroscience, Program of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Division of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Rumzah Paracha
- Department of Neuroscience, Program of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Edgardo J Sánchez
- Department of Neuroscience, Program of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Building Diversity in Biomedical Sciences Program, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico, Cayey, Puerto Rico
| | - Grant L Weiss
- Department of Neuroscience, Program of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Dong Kong
- Department of Neuroscience, Program of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Division of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jamie L Maguire
- Department of Neuroscience, Program of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
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20
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Gill JL, Schneiders JA, Stangl M, Aghajan ZM, Vallejo M, Hiller S, Topalovic U, Inman CS, Villaroman D, Bari A, Adhikari A, Rao VR, Fanselow MS, Craske MG, Krahl SE, Chen JWY, Vick M, Hasulak NR, Kao JC, Koek RJ, Suthana N, Langevin JP. A pilot study of closed-loop neuromodulation for treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2997. [PMID: 37225710 PMCID: PMC10209131 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38712-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The neurophysiological mechanisms in the human amygdala that underlie post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remain poorly understood. In a first-of-its-kind pilot study, we recorded intracranial electroencephalographic data longitudinally (over one year) in two male individuals with amygdala electrodes implanted for the management of treatment-resistant PTSD (TR-PTSD) under clinical trial NCT04152993. To determine electrophysiological signatures related to emotionally aversive and clinically relevant states (trial primary endpoint), we characterized neural activity during unpleasant portions of three separate paradigms (negative emotional image viewing, listening to recordings of participant-specific trauma-related memories, and at-home-periods of symptom exacerbation). We found selective increases in amygdala theta (5-9 Hz) bandpower across all three negative experiences. Subsequent use of elevations in low-frequency amygdala bandpower as a trigger for closed-loop neuromodulation led to significant reductions in TR-PTSD symptoms (trial secondary endpoint) following one year of treatment as well as reductions in aversive-related amygdala theta activity. Altogether, our findings provide early evidence that elevated amygdala theta activity across a range of negative-related behavioral states may be a promising target for future closed-loop neuromodulation therapies in PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay L Gill
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Julia A Schneiders
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Research and Development Service; Department of Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Matthias Stangl
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Zahra M Aghajan
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Mauricio Vallejo
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sonja Hiller
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Uros Topalovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Cory S Inman
- Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Diane Villaroman
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ausaf Bari
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Avishek Adhikari
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Vikram R Rao
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Michael S Fanselow
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michelle G Craske
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Scott E Krahl
- Research and Development Service; Department of Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - James W Y Chen
- Neurology Service; Department of Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Nicholas R Hasulak
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Phoenix Research Consulting LLC, Gilbert, AZ, USA
| | - Jonathan C Kao
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ralph J Koek
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Psychiatry and Mental Health Service; Department of Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nanthia Suthana
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Jean-Philippe Langevin
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Neurosurgery Service; Department of Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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21
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Ramsaran AI, Wang Y, Golbabaei A, Aleshin S, de Snoo ML, Yeung BRA, Rashid AJ, Awasthi A, Lau J, Tran LM, Ko SY, Abegg A, Duan LC, McKenzie C, Gallucci J, Ahmed M, Kaushik R, Dityatev A, Josselyn SA, Frankland PW. A shift in the mechanisms controlling hippocampal engram formation during brain maturation. Science 2023; 380:543-551. [PMID: 37141366 DOI: 10.1126/science.ade6530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The ability to form precise, episodic memories develops with age, with young children only able to form gist-like memories that lack precision. The cellular and molecular events in the developing hippocampus that underlie the emergence of precise, episodic-like memory are unclear. In mice, the absence of a competitive neuronal engram allocation process in the immature hippocampus precluded the formation of sparse engrams and precise memories until the fourth postnatal week, when inhibitory circuits in the hippocampus mature. This age-dependent shift in precision of episodic-like memories involved the functional maturation of parvalbumin-expressing interneurons in subfield CA1 through assembly of extracellular perineuronal nets, which is necessary and sufficient for the onset of competitive neuronal allocation, sparse engram formation, and memory precision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam I Ramsaran
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ying Wang
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ali Golbabaei
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stepan Aleshin
- Molecular Neuroplasticity, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Mitchell L de Snoo
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bi-Ru Amy Yeung
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Asim J Rashid
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ankit Awasthi
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jocelyn Lau
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lina M Tran
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Vector Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sangyoon Y Ko
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrin Abegg
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Lana Chunan Duan
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Cory McKenzie
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julia Gallucci
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Moriam Ahmed
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rahul Kaushik
- Molecular Neuroplasticity, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Dityatev
- Molecular Neuroplasticity, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
- Medical Faculty, Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Sheena A Josselyn
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Brain, Mind, & Consciousness Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Paul W Frankland
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Child & Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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22
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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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23
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Frontera JL, Sala RW, Georgescu IA, Baba Aissa H, d'Almeida MN, Popa D, Léna C. The cerebellum regulates fear extinction through thalamo-prefrontal cortex interactions in male mice. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1508. [PMID: 36932068 PMCID: PMC10023697 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36943-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear extinction is a form of inhibitory learning that suppresses the expression of aversive memories and plays a key role in the recovery of anxiety and trauma-related disorders. Here, using male mice, we identify a cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway regulating fear extinction. The cerebellar fastigial nucleus (FN) projects to the lateral subregion of the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MD), which is reciprocally connected with the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). The inhibition of FN inputs to MD in male mice impairs fear extinction in animals with high fear responses and increases the bursting of MD neurons, a firing pattern known to prevent extinction learning. Indeed, this MD bursting is followed by high levels of the dmPFC 4 Hz oscillations causally associated with fear responses during fear extinction, and the inhibition of FN-MD neurons increases the coherence of MD bursts and oscillations with dmPFC 4 Hz oscillations. Overall, these findings reveal a regulation of fear-related thalamo-cortical dynamics by the cerebellum and its contribution to fear extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimena L Frontera
- Neurophysiology of Brain Circuits Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Romain W Sala
- Neurophysiology of Brain Circuits Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Ioana A Georgescu
- Neurophysiology of Brain Circuits Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Hind Baba Aissa
- Neurophysiology of Brain Circuits Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Marion N d'Almeida
- Neurophysiology of Brain Circuits Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Daniela Popa
- Neurophysiology of Brain Circuits Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Clément Léna
- Neurophysiology of Brain Circuits Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France.
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24
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Venkataraman A, Dias BG. Expanding the canon: An inclusive neurobiology of thalamic and subthalamic fear circuits. Neuropharmacology 2023; 226:109380. [PMID: 36572176 PMCID: PMC9984284 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Appropriate expression of fear in the face of threats in the environment is essential for survival. The sustained expression of fear in the absence of threat signals is a central pathological feature of trauma- and anxiety-related disorders. Our understanding of the neural circuitry that controls fear inhibition coalesces around the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. By discussing thalamic and sub-thalamic influences on fear-related learning and expression in this review, we suggest a more inclusive neurobiological framework that expands our canonical view of fear. First, we visit how fear-related learning and expression is influenced by the aforementioned canonical brain regions. Next, we review emerging data that shed light on new roles for thalamic and subthalamic nuclei in fear-related learning and expression. Then, we highlight how these neuroanatomical hubs can modulate fear via integration of sensory and salient stimuli, gating information flow and calibrating behavioral responses, as well as maintaining and updating memory representations. Finally, we propose that the presence of this thalamic and sub-thalamic neuroanatomy in parallel with the tripartite prefrontal cortex-amygdala-hippocampus circuit allows for dynamic modulation of information based on interoceptive and exteroceptive signals. This article is part of the Special Issue on "Fear, Anxiety and PTSD".
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Affiliation(s)
- Archana Venkataraman
- Department of Cellular & Molecular Pharmacology, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Brian George Dias
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Division of Endocrinology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Developmental Neuroscience and Neurogenetics Program, The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
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25
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Guex R, Ros T, Mégevand P, Spinelli L, Seeck M, Vuilleumier P, Domínguez-Borràs J. Prestimulus amygdala spectral activity is associated with visual face awareness. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:1044-1057. [PMID: 35353177 PMCID: PMC9930624 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Alpha cortical oscillations have been proposed to suppress sensory processing in the visual, auditory, and tactile domains, influencing conscious stimulus perception. However, it is unknown whether oscillatory neural activity in the amygdala, a subcortical structure involved in salience detection, has a similar impact on stimulus awareness. Recording intracranial electroencephalography (EEG) from 9 human amygdalae during face detection in a continuous flash suppression task, we found increased spectral prestimulus power and phase coherence, with most consistent effects in the alpha band, when faces were undetected relative to detected, similarly as previously observed in cortex with this task using scalp-EEG. Moreover, selective decreases in the alpha and gamma bands preceded face detection, with individual prestimulus alpha power correlating negatively with detection rate in patients. These findings reveal for the first time that prestimulus subcortical oscillations localized in human amygdala may contribute to perceptual gating mechanisms governing subsequent face detection and offer promising insights on the role of this structure in visual awareness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael Guex
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Geneva – Campus Biotech, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Geneva – HUG, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva 1202, Switzerland
| | - Tomas Ros
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, Functional Brain Mapping Laboratory, Campus Biotech, University of Geneva, Geneva 1202, Switzerland
- Lemanic Biomedical Imaging Centre (CIBM), Geneva 1202, Switzerland
| | - Pierre Mégevand
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Geneva – Campus Biotech, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Geneva – HUG, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Spinelli
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Geneva – HUG, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
| | - Margitta Seeck
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Geneva – HUG, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
| | - Patrik Vuilleumier
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Geneva – Campus Biotech, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva 1202, Switzerland
| | - Judith Domínguez-Borràs
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Geneva – Campus Biotech, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08035, Spain
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26
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Kim SW, Kim M, Baek J, Latchoumane CF, Gangadharan G, Yoon Y, Kim DS, Lee JH, Shin HS. Hemispherically lateralized rhythmic oscillations in the cingulate-amygdala circuit drive affective empathy in mice. Neuron 2023; 111:418-429.e4. [PMID: 36460007 PMCID: PMC10681369 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Observational fear, a form of emotional contagion, is thought to be a basic form of affective empathy. However, the neural process engaged at the specific moment when socially acquired information provokes an emotional response remains elusive. Here, we show that reciprocal projections between the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) in the right hemisphere are essential for observational fear, and 5-7 Hz neural oscillations were selectively increased in those areas at the onset of observational freezing. A closed-loop disruption demonstrated the causal relationship between 5-7 Hz oscillations in the cingulo-amygdala circuit and observational fear responses. The increase/decrease in theta power induced by optogenetic manipulation of the hippocampal theta rhythm bi-directionally modulated observational fear. Together, these results indicate that hippocampus-dependent 5-7 Hz oscillations in the cingulo-amygdala circuit in the right hemisphere are the essential component of the cognitive process that drives empathic fear, but not freezing, in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seong-Wook Kim
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea
| | - Minsoo Kim
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea; Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jinhee Baek
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Gireesh Gangadharan
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, Karnataka, India
| | - Yongwoo Yoon
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea
| | - Duk-Soo Kim
- Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan-Si 31151, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Hyung Lee
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Hee-Sup Shin
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea; SL Bigen, Incheon 21983, Republic of Korea.
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27
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Dai Z, Liu Y, Nie L, Chen W, Xu X, Li Y, Zhang J, Shen F, Sui N, Liang J. Locus coeruleus input-modulated reactivation of dentate gyrus opioid-withdrawal engrams promotes extinction. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:327-340. [PMID: 36302846 PMCID: PMC9751301 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01477-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Extinction training during the reconsolidation window following memory recall is an effective behavioral pattern for promoting the extinction of pathological memory. However, promoted extinction by recall-extinction procedure has not been universally replicated in different studies. One potential reason for this may relate to whether initially acquired memory is successfully activated. Thus, the methods for inducing the memory into an active or plastic condition may contribute to promoting its extinction. The aim of this study is to find and demonstrate a manipulatable neural circuit that engages in the memory recall process and where its activation improves the extinction process through recall-extinction procedure. Here, naloxone-precipitated conditioned place aversion (CPA) in morphine-dependent mice was mainly used as a pathological memory model. We found that the locus coeruleus (LC)-dentate gyrus (DG) circuit was necessary for CPA memory recall and that artificial activation of LC inputs to the DG just prior to initiating a recall-extinction procedure significantly promoted extinction learning. We also found that activating this circuit caused an increase in the ensemble size of DG engram cells activated during the extinction, which was confirmed by a cFos targeted strategy to label cells combined with immunohistochemical and in vivo calcium imaging techniques. Collectively, our data uncover that the recall experience is important for updating the memory during the reconsolidation window; they also suggest a promising neural circuit or target based on the recall-extinction procedure for weakening pathological aversion memory, such as opioid withdrawal memory and fear memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhonghua Dai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lina Nie
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Weiqi Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xing Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yonghui Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jianjun Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fang Shen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Nan Sui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Liang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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28
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Hazra D, Yoshinaga S, Yoshida K, Takata N, Tanaka KF, Kubo KI, Nakajima K. Rhythmic activation of excitatory neurons in the mouse frontal cortex improves the prefrontal cortex-mediated cognitive function. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:5243-5258. [PMID: 35136976 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays essential roles in cognitive processes. Previous studies have suggested the layer and the cell type-specific activation for cognitive enhancement. However, the mechanism by which a temporal pattern of activation affects cognitive function remains to be elucidated. Here, we investigated whether the specific activation of excitatory neurons in the superficial layers mainly in the PFC according to a rhythmic or nonrhythmic pattern could modulate the cognitive functions of normal mice. We used a C128S mutant of channelrhodopsin 2, a step function opsin, and administered two light illumination patterns: (i) alternating pulses of blue and yellow light for rhythmic activation or (ii) pulsed blue light only for nonrhythmic activation. Behavioral analyses were performed to compare the behavioral consequences of these two neural activation patterns. The alternating blue and yellow light pulses, but not the pulsed blue light only, significantly improved spatial working memory and social recognition without affecting motor activity or the anxiety level. These results suggest that the rhythmic, but not the nonrhythmic, activation could enhance cognitive functions. This study indicates that not only the population of neurons that are activated but also the pattern of activation plays a crucial role in the cognitive enhancement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debabrata Hazra
- Department of Anatomy, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Satoshi Yoshinaga
- Department of Anatomy, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan.,Department of Anatomy, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo 105-8461, Japan
| | - Keitaro Yoshida
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Norio Takata
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Kenji F Tanaka
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichiro Kubo
- Department of Anatomy, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan.,Department of Anatomy, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo 105-8461, Japan
| | - Kazunori Nakajima
- Department of Anatomy, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
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29
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Dynamic tripartite construct of interregional engram circuits underlies forgetting of extinction memory. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:4077-4091. [PMID: 35804093 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01684-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Fear extinction allows for adaptive control of learned fear responses but often fails, resulting in a renewal or spontaneous recovery of the extinguished fear, i.e., forgetting of the extinction memory readily occurs. Using an activity-dependent neuronal labeling strategy, we demonstrate that engram neurons for fear extinction memory are dynamically positioned in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), basolateral amygdala (BLA), and ventral hippocampus (vHPC), which constitute an engram construct in the term of directional engram synaptic connectivity from the BLA or vHPC to mPFC, but not that in the opposite direction, for retrieval of extinction memory. Fear renewal or spontaneous recovery switches the extinction engram construct from an accessible to inaccessible state, whereas additional extinction learning or optogenetic induction of long-term potentiation restores the directional engram connectivity and prevents the return of fear. Thus, the plasticity of engram construct underlies forgetting of extinction memory.
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30
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Zaki Y, Mau W, Cincotta C, Monasterio A, Odom E, Doucette E, Grella SL, Merfeld E, Shpokayte M, Ramirez S. Hippocampus and amygdala fear memory engrams re-emerge after contextual fear relapse. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1992-2001. [PMID: 35941286 PMCID: PMC9485238 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01407-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The formation and extinction of fear memories represent two forms of learning that each engage the hippocampus and amygdala. How cell populations in these areas contribute to fear relapse, however, remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that, in male mice, cells active during fear conditioning in the dentate gyrus of hippocampus exhibit decreased activity during extinction and are re-engaged after contextual fear relapse. In vivo calcium imaging reveals that relapse drives population dynamics in the basolateral amygdala to revert to a network state similar to the state present during fear conditioning. Finally, we find that optogenetic inactivation of neuronal ensembles active during fear conditioning in either the hippocampus or amygdala is sufficient to disrupt fear expression after relapse, while optogenetic stimulation of these same ensembles after extinction is insufficient to artificially mimic fear relapse. These results suggest that fear relapse triggers a partial re-emergence of the original fear memory representation, providing new insight into the neural substrates of fear relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yosif Zaki
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - William Mau
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Christine Cincotta
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Amy Monasterio
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Emma Odom
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Emily Doucette
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Stephanie L Grella
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Emily Merfeld
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Monika Shpokayte
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Steve Ramirez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
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31
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Vasudevan K, Ramanathan KR, Vierkant V, Maren S. Nucleus reuniens inactivation does not impair consolidation or reconsolidation of fear extinction. LEARNING & MEMORY (COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y.) 2022; 29:216-222. [PMID: 35902273 PMCID: PMC9374271 DOI: 10.1101/lm.053611.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Recent data reveal that the thalamic nucleus reuniens (RE) has a critical role in the extinction of conditioned fear. Muscimol (MUS) infusions into the RE impair within-session extinction of conditioned freezing and result in poor long-term extinction memories in rats. Although this suggests that RE inactivation impairs extinction learning, it is also possible that it is involved in the consolidation of extinction memories. To examine this possibility, we examined the effects of RE inactivation on the consolidation and reconsolidation of fear extinction in male and female rats. Twenty-four hours after auditory fear conditioning, rats underwent an extinction procedure (45 CS-alone trials) in a novel context and were infused with saline (SAL) or MUS within minutes of the final extinction trial. Twenty-four hours later, conditioned freezing to the extinguished CS was assessed in the extinction context. Postextinction inactivation of the RE did not affect extinction retrieval. In a second experiment, rats underwent extinction training and, 24 h later, were presented with a single CS to reactivate the extinction memory; rats were infused with SAL or MUS immediately after the reactivation session. Pharmacological inactivation of the RE did not affect conditioned freezing measured in a drug-free retrieval test the following day. Importantly, we found in a subsequent test that MUS infusions immediately before retrieval testing increased conditioned freezing and impaired extinction retrieval, as we have previously reported. These results indicate that although RE inactivation impairs the expression of extinction, it does not impair either the consolidation or reconsolidation of extinction memories. We conclude that the RE may have a critical role in suppressing context-inappropriate fear memories in the extinction context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krithika Vasudevan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Karthik R Ramanathan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Valerie Vierkant
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
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32
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Totty MS, Maren S. Neural Oscillations in Aversively Motivated Behavior. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:936036. [PMID: 35846784 PMCID: PMC9284508 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.936036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Fear and anxiety-based disorders are highly debilitating and among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders. These disorders are associated with abnormal network oscillations in the brain, yet a comprehensive understanding of the role of network oscillations in the regulation of aversively motivated behavior is lacking. In this review, we examine the oscillatory correlates of fear and anxiety with a particular focus on rhythms in the theta and gamma-range. First, we describe neural oscillations and their link to neural function by detailing the role of well-studied theta and gamma rhythms to spatial and memory functions of the hippocampus. We then describe how theta and gamma oscillations act to synchronize brain structures to guide adaptive fear and anxiety-like behavior. In short, that hippocampal network oscillations act to integrate spatial information with motivationally salient information from the amygdala during states of anxiety before routing this information via theta oscillations to appropriate target regions, such as the prefrontal cortex. Moreover, theta and gamma oscillations develop in the amygdala and neocortical areas during the encoding of fear memories, and interregional synchronization reflects the retrieval of both recent and remotely encoded fear memories. Finally, we argue that the thalamic nucleus reuniens represents a key node synchronizing prefrontal-hippocampal theta dynamics for the retrieval of episodic extinction memories in the hippocampus.
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Stressed rats fail to exhibit avoidance reactions to innately aversive social calls. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1145-1155. [PMID: 34848856 PMCID: PMC9018727 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01230-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Disruptions in amygdalar function, a brain area involved in encoding emotionally salient information, has been implicated in stress-related affective disorders. Earlier animal studies on the behavioral consequences of stress-induced abnormalities in the amygdala focused on learned behaviors using fear conditioning paradigms. If and how stress affects unconditioned, innate fear responses to ethologically natural aversive stimuli remains unexplored. Hence, we subjected rats to aversive ultrasonic vocalization calls emitted on one end of a linear track. Unstressed control rats exhibited a robust avoidance response by spending more time away from the source of the playback calls. Unexpectedly, prior exposure to chronic immobilization stress prevented this avoidance reaction, rather than enhancing it. Further, this stress-induced impairment extended to other innately aversive stimuli, such as white noise and electric shock in an inhibitory avoidance task. However, conditioned fear responses were enhanced by the same stress. Inactivation of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in control rats prevented this avoidance reaction evoked by the playback. Consistent with this, analysis of the immediate early gene cFos revealed higher activity in the BLA of control, but not stressed rats, after exposure to the playback. Further, in vivo recordings in freely behaving control rats exposed to playback showed enhanced theta activity in the BLA, which also was absent in stressed rats. These findings offer a new framework for studying stress-induced alterations in amygdala-dependent maladaptive responses to more naturally threatening and emotionally relevant social stimuli. The divergent impact of stress on defensive responses--impaired avoidance responses together with increased conditioned fear--also has important implications for models of learned helplessness and depression.
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Stujenske JM, O'Neill PK, Fernandes-Henriques C, Nahmoud I, Goldburg SR, Singh A, Diaz L, Labkovich M, Hardin W, Bolkan SS, Reardon TR, Spellman TJ, Salzman CD, Gordon JA, Liston C, Likhtik E. Prelimbic cortex drives discrimination of non-aversion via amygdala somatostatin interneurons. Neuron 2022; 110:2258-2267.e11. [PMID: 35397211 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The amygdala and prelimbic cortex (PL) communicate during fear discrimination retrieval, but how they coordinate discrimination of a non-threatening stimulus is unknown. Here, we show that somatostatin (SOM) interneurons in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) become active specifically during learned non-threatening cues and desynchronize cell firing by blocking phase reset of theta oscillations during the safe cue. Furthermore, we show that SOM activation and desynchronization of the BLA is PL-dependent and promotes discrimination of non-threat. Thus, fear discrimination engages PL-dependent coordination of BLA SOM responses to non-threatening stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph M Stujenske
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Pia-Kelsey O'Neill
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind, Brain, and Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Carolina Fernandes-Henriques
- Biology Program, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Itzick Nahmoud
- Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
| | | | - Ashna Singh
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Laritza Diaz
- Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
| | | | | | - Scott S Bolkan
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA
| | | | - Timothy J Spellman
- Department of Neuroscience, UConn School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06032, USA
| | - C Daniel Salzman
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind, Brain, and Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Joshua A Gordon
- National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Conor Liston
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Ekaterina Likhtik
- Biology Program, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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35
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Gq neuromodulation of BLA parvalbumin interneurons induces burst firing and mediates fear-associated network and behavioral state transition in mice. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1290. [PMID: 35277502 PMCID: PMC8917207 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28928-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Patterned coordination of network activity in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) is important for fear expression. Neuromodulatory systems play an essential role in regulating changes between behavioral states, however the mechanisms underlying this neuromodulatory control of transitions between brain and behavioral states remain largely unknown. We show that chemogenetic Gq activation and α1 adrenoreceptor activation in mouse BLA parvalbumin (PV) interneurons induces a previously undescribed, stereotyped phasic bursting in PV neurons and time-locked synchronized bursts of inhibitory postsynaptic currents and phasic firing in BLA principal neurons. This Gq-coupled receptor activation in PV neurons suppresses gamma oscillations in vivo and in an ex vivo slice model, and facilitates fear memory recall, which is consistent with BLA gamma suppression during conditioned fear expression. Thus, here we identify a neuromodulatory mechanism in PV inhibitory interneurons of the BLA which regulates BLA network oscillations and fear memory recall. The authors study mechanisms underlying neuromodulatory control of transitions between brain and behavioral states. They identify a mechanism whereby modulation of Gq activity in basolateral amygdala parvalbumin interneurons mediates the transition to a fear-associated network and behavioral state.
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Namkung H, Thomas KL, Hall J, Sawa A. Parsing neural circuits of fear learning and extinction across basic and clinical neuroscience: Towards better translation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 134:104502. [PMID: 34921863 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Over the past decades, studies of fear learning and extinction have advanced our understanding of the neurobiology of threat and safety learning. Animal studies can provide mechanistic/causal insights into human brain regions and their functional connectivity involved in fear learning and extinction. Findings in humans, conversely, may further enrich our understanding of neural circuits in animals by providing macroscopic insights at the level of brain-wide networks. Nevertheless, there is still much room for improvement in translation between basic and clinical research on fear learning and extinction. Through the lens of neural circuits, in this article, we aim to review the current knowledge of fear learning and extinction in both animals and humans, and to propose strategies to fill in the current knowledge gap for the purpose of enhancing clinical benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ho Namkung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Kerrie L Thomas
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Jeremy Hall
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Akira Sawa
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
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Antonoudiou P, Colmers PLW, Walton NL, Weiss GL, Smith AC, Nguyen DP, Lewis M, Quirk MC, Barros L, Melon LC, Maguire JL. Allopregnanolone Mediates Affective Switching Through Modulation of Oscillatory States in the Basolateral Amygdala. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 91:283-293. [PMID: 34561029 PMCID: PMC8714669 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Brexanolone (allopregnanolone) was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of postpartum depression, demonstrating long-lasting antidepressant effects. Despite our understanding of the mechanism of action of neurosteroids as positive allosteric modulators of GABAA (gamma-aminobutyric acid A) receptors, we still do not fully understand how allopregnanolone exerts persistent antidepressant effects. METHODS We used electroencephalogram recordings in rats and humans along with local field potential, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and behavioral tests in mice to assess the impact of neurosteroids on network states in brain regions implicated in mood and used optogenetic manipulations to directly examine their relationship to behavioral states. RESULTS We demonstrated that allopregnanolone and synthetic neuroactive steroid analogs with molecular pharmacology similar to allopregnanolone (SGE-516 [tool compound] and zuranolone [SAGE-217, investigational compound]) modulate oscillations across species. We further demonstrated a critical role for interneurons in generating oscillations in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and a role for δ-containing GABAA receptors in mediating the ability of neurosteroids to modulate network and behavioral states. Allopregnanolone in the BLA enhances BLA high theta oscillations (6-12 Hz) through δ-containing GABAA receptors, a mechanism distinct from other GABAA positive allosteric modulators, such as benzodiazepines, and alters behavioral states. Treatment with the allopregnanolone analog SGE-516 protects mice from chronic stress-induced disruption of network and behavioral states, which is correlated with the modulation of theta oscillations in the BLA. Optogenetic manipulation of the network state influences the behavioral state after chronic unpredictable stress. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate a novel molecular and cellular mechanism mediating the well-established anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of neuroactive steroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pantelis Antonoudiou
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, 02111, USA
| | - Phillip LW Colmers
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, 02111, USA
| | - Najah L Walton
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, 02111, USA
| | - Grant L Weiss
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, 02111, USA
| | - Anne C Smith
- Sage Therapeutics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142, USA
| | - David P Nguyen
- Sage Therapeutics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142, USA
| | - Mike Lewis
- Sage Therapeutics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142, USA
| | - Michael C Quirk
- Sage Therapeutics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142, USA
| | - Lea Barros
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, 02111, USA,Department of Biology, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY. 13323, United States
| | - Laverne C Melon
- Department of Biology, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459, USA
| | - Jamie L Maguire
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
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Hennings AC, McClay M, Drew MR, Lewis-Peacock JA, Dunsmoor JE. Neural reinstatement reveals divided organization of fear and extinction memories in the human brain. Curr Biol 2022; 32:304-314.e5. [PMID: 34813732 PMCID: PMC8792329 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Neurobiological research in rodents has revealed that competing experiences of fear and extinction are stored as distinct memory traces in the brain. This divided organization is adaptive for mitigating overgeneralization of fear to related stimuli that are learned to be safe while also maintaining threat associations for unsafe stimuli. The mechanisms involved in organizing these competing memories in the human brain remain unclear. Here, we used a hybrid form of Pavlovian conditioning with an episodic memory component to identify overlapping multivariate patterns of fMRI activity associated with the formation and retrieval of fear versus extinction. In healthy adults, distinct regions of the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus showed selective reactivation of fear versus extinction memories based on the temporal context in which these memories were encoded. This dissociation was absent in participants with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The divided neural organization of fear and extinction may support flexible retrieval of context-appropriate emotional memories, while their disorganization may promote overgeneralization and increased fear relapse in affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Augustin C Hennings
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Mason McClay
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael R Drew
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Jarrod A Lewis-Peacock
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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39
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Merino E, Raya-Salom D, Teruel-Martí V, Adell A, Cervera-Ferri A, Martínez-Ricós J. Effects of Acute Stress on the Oscillatory Activity of the Hippocampus-Amygdala-Prefrontal Cortex Network. Neuroscience 2021; 476:72-89. [PMID: 34543675 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Displaying a stress response to threatening stimuli is essential for survival. These reactions must be adjusted to be adaptive. Otherwise, even mental illnesses may develop. Describing the physiological stress response may contribute to distinguishing the abnormal responses that accompany the pathology, which may help to improve the development of both diagnoses and treatments. Recent advances have elucidated many of the processes and structures involved in stress response management; however, there is still much to unravel regarding this phenomenon. The main aim of the present research is to characterize the response of three brain areas deeply involved in the stress response (i.e., to an acute stressful experience). Specifically, the electrophysiological activity of the infralimbic division of the medial prefrontal cortex (IL), the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA), and the dorsal hippocampus (dHPC) was recorded after the infusion of 0.5 µl of corticosterone-releasing factor into the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), a procedure which has been validated as a paradigm to cause acute stress. This procedure induced a delayed reduction in slow waves in the three structures, and an increase in faster oscillations, such as those in theta, beta, and gamma bands. The mutual information at low theta frequencies between the BLA and the IL increased, and the delta and slow wave mutual information decreased. The low theta-mid gamma phase-amplitude coupling increased within BLA, as well as between BLA and IL. This electrical pattern may facilitate the activation of these structures, in response to the stressor, and memory consolidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Merino
- Neuronal Circuits Laboratory, Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of Valencia, Valencia 46010, Spain
| | - Danae Raya-Salom
- Neuronal Circuits Laboratory, Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of Valencia, Valencia 46010, Spain
| | - Vicent Teruel-Martí
- Neuronal Circuits Laboratory, Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of Valencia, Valencia 46010, Spain
| | - Albert Adell
- Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria, IBBTEC (CSIC, Universidad de Cantabria), Santander 39011, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Centre for Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Santander, Spain
| | - Ana Cervera-Ferri
- Neuronal Circuits Laboratory, Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of Valencia, Valencia 46010, Spain.
| | - Joana Martínez-Ricós
- Neuronal Circuits Laboratory, Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of Valencia, Valencia 46010, Spain.
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40
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Yau JOY, Chaichim C, Power JM, McNally GP. The Roles of Basolateral Amygdala Parvalbumin Neurons in Fear Learning. J Neurosci 2021; 41:9223-9234. [PMID: 34561234 PMCID: PMC8570827 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2461-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is obligatory for fear learning. This learning is linked to BLA excitatory projection neurons whose activity is regulated by complex networks of inhibitory interneurons, dominated by parvalbumin (PV)-expressing GABAergic neurons. The roles of these GABAergic interneurons in learning to fear and learning not to fear, activity profiles of these interneurons across the course of fear learning, and whether or how these change across the course of learning all remain poorly understood. Here, we used PV cell-type-specific recording and manipulation approaches in male transgenic PV-Cre rats during pavlovian fear conditioning to address these issues. We show that activity of BLA PV neurons during the moments of aversive reinforcement controls fear learning about aversive events, but activity during moments of nonreinforcement does not control fear extinction learning. Furthermore, we show expectation-modulation of BLA PV neurons during fear learning, with greater activity to an unexpected than expected aversive unconditioned stimulus (US). This expectation-modulation was specifically because of BLA PV neuron sensitivity to aversive prediction error. Finally, we show that BLA PV neuron function in fear learning is conserved across these variations in prediction error. We suggest that aversive prediction-error modulation of PV neurons could enable BLA fear-learning circuits to retain selectivity for specific sensory features of aversive USs despite variations in the strength of US inputs, thereby permitting the rapid updating of fear associations when these sensory features change.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The capacity to learn about sources of danger in the environment is essential for survival. This learning depends on complex microcircuitries of inhibitory interneurons in the basolateral amygdala. Here, we show that parvalbumin-positive GABAergic interneurons in the rat basolateral amygdala are important for fear learning during moments of danger, but not for extinction learning during moments of safety, and that the activity of these neurons is modulated by expectation of danger. This may enable fear-learning circuits to retain selectivity for specific aversive events across variations in expectation, permitting the rapid updating of learning when aversive events change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Oi-Yue Yau
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Chanchanok Chaichim
- Department of Physiology, Translational Neuroscience Facility, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - John M Power
- Department of Physiology, Translational Neuroscience Facility, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Gavan P McNally
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
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41
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Lesnikova A, Casarotto P, Moliner R, Fred SM, Biojone C, Castrén E. Perineuronal Net Receptor PTPσ Regulates Retention of Memories. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2021; 13:672475. [PMID: 34366821 PMCID: PMC8339997 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2021.672475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Perineuronal nets (PNNs) have an important physiological role in the retention of learning by restricting cognitive flexibility. Their deposition peaks after developmental periods of intensive learning, usually in late childhood, and they help in long-term preservation of newly acquired skills and information. Modulation of PNN function by various techniques enhances plasticity and regulates the retention of memories, which may be beneficial when memory persistence entails negative symptoms such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this study, we investigated the role of PTPσ [receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase S, a phosphatase that is activated by binding of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) from PNNs] in retention of memories using Novel Object Recognition and Fear Conditioning models. We observed that mice haploinsufficient for PTPRS gene (PTPσ+/–), although having improved short-term object recognition memory, display impaired long-term memory in both Novel Object Recognition and Fear Conditioning paradigm, as compared to WT littermates. However, PTPσ+/– mice did not show any differences in behavioral tests that do not heavily rely on cognitive flexibility, such as Elevated Plus Maze, Open Field, Marble Burying, and Forced Swimming Test. Since PTPσ has been shown to interact with and dephosphorylate TRKB, we investigated activation of this receptor and its downstream pathways in limbic areas known to be associated with memory. We found that phosphorylation of TRKB and PLCγ are increased in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdaloid complex of PTPσ+/– mice, but other TRKB-mediated signaling pathways are not affected. Our data suggest that PTPσ downregulation promotes TRKB phosphorylation in different brain areas, improves short-term memory performance but disrupts long-term memory retention in the tested animal models. Inhibition of PTPσ or disruption of PNN-PTPσ-TRKB complex might be a potential target for disorders where negative modulation of the acquired memories can be beneficial.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Plinio Casarotto
- Neuroscience Center, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Rafael Moliner
- Neuroscience Center, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Senem Merve Fred
- Neuroscience Center, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Caroline Biojone
- Neuroscience Center, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eero Castrén
- Neuroscience Center, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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42
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McDonald AJ, Mott DD. Neuronal localization of m1 muscarinic receptor immunoreactivity in the monkey basolateral amygdala. J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:2450-2463. [PMID: 33410202 PMCID: PMC8113068 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The basolateral nuclear complex (BNC) of the amygdala plays an important role in the generation of emotional/motivational behavior and the consolidation of emotional memories. Activation of M1 cholinergic receptors (M1Rs) in the BNC is critical for memory consolidation. Previous receptor binding studies in the monkey amygdala demonstrated that the BNC has a high density of M1Rs, but did not have sufficient resolution to identify which neurons in the BNC expressed them. This was accomplished in the present immunohistochemical investigation using an antibody for the m1 receptor (m1R). Analysis of m1Rs in the monkey BNC using immunoperoxidase techniques revealed that their expression was very dense in the BNC, and suggested that virtually all of the pyramidal projection neurons (PNs) in all of the BNC nuclei were m1R-immunoreactive (m1R+). This was confirmed with dual-labeling immunofluorescence using staining for calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMK) as a marker for BNC PNs. However, additional dual-labeling studies indicated that one-third of inhibitory interneurons (INs) expressing glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) were also m1R+. Moreover, the finding that 60% of parvalbumin (PV) immunoreactive neurons were m1R+ indicated that this IN subpopulation was the main GAD+ subpopulation exhibiting m1R expression. The cholinergic innervation of the amygdala is greatly reduced in Alzheimer's disease and there is currently considerable interest in developing selective M1R positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) to treat the symptoms. The results of the present study indicate that M1Rs in both PNs and INs in the primate BNC would be targeted by M1R PAMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Joseph McDonald
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - David D Mott
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
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43
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Okonogi T, Sasaki T. Theta-Range Oscillations in Stress-Induced Mental Disorders as an Oscillotherapeutic Target. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:698753. [PMID: 34177486 PMCID: PMC8219864 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.698753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Emotional behavior and psychological disorders are expressed through coordinated interactions across multiple brain regions. Brain electrophysiological signals are composed of diverse neuronal oscillations, representing cell-level to region-level neuronal activity patterns, and serve as a biomarker of mental disorders. Here, we review recent observations from rodents demonstrating how neuronal oscillations in the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex are engaged in emotional behavior and altered by psychiatric changes such as anxiety and depression. In particular, we focus mainly on theta-range (4–12 Hz) oscillations, including several distinct oscillations in this frequency range. We then discuss therapeutic possibilities related to controlling such mental disease-related neuronal oscillations to ameliorate psychiatric symptoms and disorders in rodents and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toya Okonogi
- Laboratory of Chemical Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takuya Sasaki
- Laboratory of Chemical Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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44
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McDonald AJ, Mascagni F. Specific neuronal subpopulations in the rat basolateral amygdala express high levels of nonphosphorylated neurofilaments. J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:3292-3312. [PMID: 33960421 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2021] [Revised: 05/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Cortical pyramidal neurons (PNs) containing nonphosphorylated neurofilaments (NNFs) localized with the SMI-32 monoclonal antibody have been shown to be especially vulnerable to degeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The present investigation is the first to study the expression of SMI-32+ NNFs in neurons of the basolateral nuclear complex of the amygdala (BNC), which contains cortex-like PNs and nonpyramidal neurons (NPNs). We observed that PNs in the rat basolateral nucleus (BL), but not in the lateral (LAT) or basomedial (BM) nuclei, have significant levels of SMI-32-ir in their somata with antibody diluents that did not contain Triton X-100, but staining in these cells was greatly attenuated when the antibody diluent contained 0.3% Triton. Using Triton-containing diluents, we found that all SMI-32+ neurons in all three of the BNC nuclei were NPNs. Using a dual-labeling immunoperoxidase technique, we demonstrated that most of these SMI-32+ NPNs were parvalbumin-positive (PV+) or somatostatin-positive NPNs but not vasoactive intestinal peptide-positive or neuropeptide Y-positive NPNs. Using a technique that combines retrograde tracing with SMI-32 immunohistochemistry using intermediate levels of Triton in the diluent, we found that all BNC neurons projecting to the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MD) were large NPNs, and most were SMI-32+. In contrast, BNC neurons projecting to the ventral striatum or cerebral cortex were PNs that expressed low levels of SMI-32 immunoreactivity (SMI-32-ir) in the BL, and no SMI-32-ir in the LAT or BM. These data suggest that the main neuronal subpopulations in the BNC that degenerate in AD may be PV+ and MD-projecting NPNs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Joseph McDonald
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Franco Mascagni
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
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45
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Hoffman AF, Hwang EK, Lupica CR. Impairment of Synaptic Plasticity by Cannabis, Δ 9-THC, and Synthetic Cannabinoids. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2021; 11:cshperspect.a039743. [PMID: 32341064 PMCID: PMC8091957 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a039743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The ability of neurons to dynamically and flexibly encode synaptic inputs via short- and long-term plasticity is critical to an organism's ability to learn and adapt to the environment. Whereas synaptic plasticity may be encoded by pre- or postsynaptic mechanisms, current evidence suggests that optimization of learning requires both forms of plasticity. Endogenous cannabinoids (eCBs) play critical roles in modulating synaptic transmission via activation of cannabinoid CB1 receptors (CB1Rs) in many central nervous system (CNS) regions, and the eCB system has been implicated, either directly or indirectly, in several forms of synaptic plasticity. Because of this, perturbations within the eCB signaling system can lead to impairments in a variety of learned behaviors. One agent of altered eCB signaling is exposure to "exogenous cannabinoids" such as the primary psychoactive constituent of cannabis, Δ9-THC, or illicit synthetic cannabinoids that in many cases have higher potency and efficacy than Δ9-THC. Thus, by targeting the eCB system, these agonists can produce widespread impairment of synaptic plasticity by disrupting ongoing eCB function. Here, we review studies in which Δ9-THC and synthetic cannabinoids impair synaptic plasticity in a variety of neuronal circuits and examine evidence that this contributes to their well-documented ability to disrupt cognition and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander F Hoffman
- Electrophysiology Research Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA
| | - Eun-Kyung Hwang
- Electrophysiology Research Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA
| | - Carl R Lupica
- Electrophysiology Research Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA
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46
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Maturation of amygdala inputs regulate shifts in social and fear behaviors: A substrate for developmental effects of stress. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 125:11-25. [PMID: 33581221 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Stress can negatively impact brain function and behaviors across the lifespan. However, stressors during adolescence have particularly harmful effects on brain maturation, and on fear and social behaviors that extend beyond adolescence. Throughout development, social behaviors are refined and the ability to suppress fear increases, both of which are dependent on amygdala activity. We review rodent literature focusing on developmental changes in social and fear behaviors, cortico-amygdala circuits underlying these changes, and how this circuitry is altered by stress. We first describe changes in fear and social behaviors from adolescence to adulthood and parallel developmental changes in cortico-amygdala circuitry. We propose a framework in which maturation of cortical inputs to the amygdala promote changes in social drive and fear regulation, and the particularly damaging effects of stress during adolescence may occur through lasting changes in this circuit. This framework may explain why anxiety and social pathologies commonly co-occur, adolescents are especially vulnerable to stressors impacting social and fear behaviors, and predisposed towards psychiatric disorders related to abnormal cortico-amygdala circuits.
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47
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McDonald AJ. Immunohistochemical Identification of Interneuronal Subpopulations in the Basolateral Amygdala of the Rhesus Monkey (Macaca mulatta). Neuroscience 2021; 455:113-127. [PMID: 33359654 PMCID: PMC7855802 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Inhibitory circuits in the basolateral nuclear complex of the amygdala (BNC) critical for controlling the acquisition, expression, and extinction of emotional responses are mediated by GABAergic interneurons (INs). Studies in rodents have demonstrated that separate IN subpopulations, identified by their expression of calcium-binding proteins and neuropeptides, play discrete roles in the intrinsic circuitry of the BNC. Far less is known about IN subpopulations in primates. In order to fill in this gap in our understanding of primate INs, the present investigation used dual-labeling immunohistochemistry for IN markers to identify subpopulations expressing cholecystokinin (CCK), calbindin (CB), calretinin (CR), and somatostatin (SOM) in somata and axon terminals in the monkey BNC. In general, colocalization patterns seen in somata and axon terminals were similar. It was found that there was virtually no colocalization of CB and CR, the two calcium-binding proteins investigated. Three subtypes of CCK-immunoreactive (CCK+) INs were identified on the basis of their expression of CR or CB: (1) CCK+/CR+; (2) CCK+/CB+); and (3) CCK+/CR-/CB-. Almost no colocalization of CCK with SOM was observed, but there was extensive colocalization of SOM and CB. CCK+, CR+, and CCK+/CR+ double-labeled axon terminals were seen surrounding pyramidal cell somata in basket-like plexuses, as well as in the neuropil. CB+, SOM+, and CB+/SOM+ terminals did not form baskets, suggesting that these IN subpopulations are mainly dendrite-targeting neurons. In general, the IN subpopulations in the monkey are not dissimilar to those seen in rodents but, unlike rodents, CB+ INs in the monkey are not basket cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J McDonald
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
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48
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Li WG, Wu YJ, Gu X, Fan HR, Wang Q, Zhu JJ, Yi X, Wang Q, Jiang Q, Li Y, Yuan TF, Xu H, Lu J, Xu NJ, Zhu MX, Xu TL. Input associativity underlies fear memory renewal. Natl Sci Rev 2021; 8:nwab004. [PMID: 34691732 PMCID: PMC8433092 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwab004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Synaptic associativity, a feature of Hebbian plasticity wherein coactivation of two inputs onto the same neuron produces synergistic actions on postsynaptic activity, is a primary cellular correlate of associative learning. However, whether and how synaptic associativity are implemented into context-dependent relapse of extinguished memory (i.e. fear renewal) is unknown. Here, using an auditory fear conditioning paradigm in mice, we show that fear renewal is determined by the associativity between convergent inputs from the auditory cortex (ACx) and ventral hippocampus (vHPC) onto the lateral amygdala (LA) that reactivate ensembles engaged during learning. Fear renewal enhances synaptic strengths of both ACx to LA and the previously unknown vHPC to LA monosynaptic inputs. While inactivating either of the afferents abolishes fear renewal, optogenetic activation of their input associativity in the LA recapitulates fear renewal. Thus, input associativity underlies fear memory renewal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Guang Li
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Yan-Jiao Wu
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Xue Gu
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Hui-Ran Fan
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Jia-Jie Zhu
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Xin Yi
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Qin Wang
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Qin Jiang
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Ying Li
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Ti-Fei Yuan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 201108, China
| | - Han Xu
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of the Second Affiliated Hospital, NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Jiangteng Lu
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Nan-Jie Xu
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
| | - Michael Xi Zhu
- Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Tian-Le Xu
- Center for Brain Science of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20025, China
- Shanghai Research Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Shanghai 201210, China
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49
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Liu J, Likhtik E, Shereen AD, Dennis-Tiwary TA, Casaccia P. White Matter Plasticity in Anxiety: Disruption of Neural Network Synchronization During Threat-Safety Discrimination. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:587053. [PMID: 33250713 PMCID: PMC7674975 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.587053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence highlighted the importance of white matter tracts in typical and atypical behaviors. White matter dynamically changes in response to learning, stress, and social experiences. Several lines of evidence have reported white matter dysfunction in psychiatric conditions, including depression, stress- and anxiety-related disorders. The mechanistic underpinnings of these associations, however, remain poorly understood. Here, we outline an integrative perspective positing a link between aberrant myelin plasticity and anxiety. Drawing on extant literature and emerging new findings, we suggest that in anxiety, unique changes may occur in response to threat and to safety learning and the ability to discriminate between both types of stimuli. We propose that altered myelin plasticity in the neural circuits underlying these two forms of learning relates to the emergence of anxiety-related disorders, by compromising mechanisms of neural network synchronization. The clinical and translational implications of this model for anxiety-related disorders are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Liu
- Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center, Neuroscience Initiative, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Ekaterina Likhtik
- Department of Biology, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
- Graduate Program in Biology at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - A. Duke Shereen
- Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center, Neuroscience Initiative, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Tracy A. Dennis-Tiwary
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
- Graduate Program in Psychology and Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Patrizia Casaccia
- Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center, Neuroscience Initiative, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
- Graduate Program in Biology at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
- Graduate Program in Biochemistry at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
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50
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Legrand N, Etard O, Vandevelde A, Pierre M, Viader F, Clochon P, Doidy F, Peschanski D, Eustache F, Gagnepain P. Long-term modulation of cardiac activity induced by inhibitory control over emotional memories. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15008. [PMID: 32929105 PMCID: PMC7490349 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71858-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Efforts to exclude past experiences from conscious awareness can lead to forgetting. Memory suppression is central to affective disorders, but we still do not really know whether emotions, including their physiological causes, are also impacted by this process in normal functioning individuals. In two studies, we measured the after-effects of suppressing negative memories on cardiac response in healthy participants. Results of Study 1 revealed that efficient control of memories was associated with long-term inhibition of the cardiac deceleration that is normally induced by disgusting stimuli. Attempts to suppress sad memories, by contrast, aggravated the cardiac response, an effect that was closely related to the inability to forget this specific material. In Study 2, electroencephalography revealed a reduction in power in the theta (3-8 Hz), alpha (8-12 Hz) and low-beta (13-20 Hz) bands during the suppression of unwanted memories, compared with their voluntary recall. Interestingly, however, the reduction of power in the theta frequency band during memory control was related to a subsequent inhibition of the cardiac response. These results provide a neurophysiological basis for the influence of memory control mechanisms on the cardiac system, opening up new avenues and questions for treating intrusive memories using motivated forgetting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Legrand
- Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Caen, France
| | - Olivier Etard
- Service d'Explorations Fonctionnelles du Système Nerveux, CHU de Caen, Caen, France
- Imagerie et Stratégies Thérapeutiques de la Schizophrénie, Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, ISTS EA 7466, GIP Cyceron, Caen, France
| | - Anaïs Vandevelde
- Imagerie et Stratégies Thérapeutiques de la Schizophrénie, Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, ISTS EA 7466, GIP Cyceron, Caen, France
| | - Melissa Pierre
- Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Caen, France
| | - Fausto Viader
- Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Caen, France
| | - Patrice Clochon
- Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Caen, France
| | - Franck Doidy
- Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Caen, France
| | - Denis Peschanski
- European Center for Sociology and Political Science (CESSP), Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne, HESAM Université, EHESS, CNRS, UMR8209, Paris, France
| | - Francis Eustache
- Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Caen, France
| | - Pierre Gagnepain
- Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Caen, France.
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