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Luft JG, Popik B, Gonçalves DA, Cruz FC, de Oliveira Alvares L. Distinct engrams control fear and extinction memory. Hippocampus 2024; 34:230-240. [PMID: 38396226 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23601] [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: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Memories are stored in engram cells, which are necessary and sufficient for memory recall. Recalling a memory might undergo reconsolidation or extinction. It has been suggested that the original memory engram is reactivated during reconsolidation so that memory can be updated. Conversely, during extinction training, a new memory is formed that suppresses the original engram. Nonetheless, it is unknown whether extinction creates a new engram or modifies the original fear engram. In this study, we utilized the Daun02 procedure, which uses c-Fos-lacZ rats to induce apoptosis of strongly activated neurons and examine whether a new memory trace emerges as a result of a short or long reactivation, or if these processes rely on modifications within the original engram located in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and infralimbic (IL) cortex. By eliminating neurons activated during consolidation and reactivation, we observed significant impacts on fear memory, highlighting the importance of the BLA engram in these processes. Although we were unable to show any impact when removing the neurons activated after the test of a previously extinguished memory in the BLA, disrupting the IL extinction engram reactivated the aversive memory that was suppressed by the extinction memory. Thus, we demonstrated that the IL cortex plays a crucial role in the network involved in extinction, and disrupting this specific node alone is sufficient to impair extinction behavior. Additionally, our findings indicate that extinction memories rely on the formation of a new memory, supporting the theory that extinction memories rely on the formation of a new memory, whereas the reconsolidation process reactivates the same original memory trace.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordana Griebler Luft
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia da Memória, Departamento de Biofísica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Bruno Popik
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia da Memória, Departamento de Biofísica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Débora Aguirre Gonçalves
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia da Memória, Departamento de Biofísica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Fabio Cardoso Cruz
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lucas de Oliveira Alvares
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia da Memória, Departamento de Biofísica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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2
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Son S, Nagahama K, Lee J, Jung K, Kwak C, Kim J, Noh YW, Kim E, Lee S, Kwon HB, Heo WD. Real-time visualization of structural dynamics of synapses in live cells in vivo. Nat Methods 2024; 21:353-360. [PMID: 38191933 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-023-02122-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
The structural plasticity of synapses is crucial for regulating brain functions. However, currently available methods for studying synapse organization based on split fluorescent proteins (FPs) have been limited in assessing synaptic dynamics in vivo due to the irreversible binding of split FPs. Here, we develop 'SynapShot', a method for visualizing the structural dynamics of intact synapses by combining dimerization-dependent FPs (ddFPs) with engineered synaptic adhesion molecules. SynapShot allows real-time monitoring of reversible and bidirectional changes of synaptic contacts under physiological stimulation. The application of green and red ddFPs in SynapShot enables simultaneous visualization of two distinct populations of synapses. Notably, the red-shifted SynapShot is highly compatible with blue light-based optogenetic techniques, allowing for visualization of synaptic dynamics while precisely controlling specific signaling pathways. Furthermore, we demonstrate that SynapShot enables real-time monitoring of structural changes in synaptic contacts in the mouse brain during both primitive and higher-order behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seungkyu Son
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Kenichiro Nagahama
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jinsu Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Kanghoon Jung
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Chuljung Kwak
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jihoon Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Woo Noh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Eunjoon Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sangkyu Lee
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
| | - Hyung-Bae Kwon
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Won Do Heo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
- KAIST Institute for the BioCentury, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
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3
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Huang C, Voglewede MM, Ozsen EN, Wang H, Zhang H. SHANK3 Mutations Associated with Autism and Schizophrenia Lead to Shared and Distinct Changes in Dendritic Spine Dynamics in the Developing Mouse Brain. Neuroscience 2023; 528:1-11. [PMID: 37532012 PMCID: PMC10528879 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.07.024] [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: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia are distinct neurodevelopmental disorders that share certain symptoms and genetic components. Both disorders show abnormalities in dendritic spines, which are the main sites of excitatory synaptic inputs. Recent studies have identified the synaptic scaffolding protein Shank3 as a leading candidate gene for both disorders. Mutations in the SHANK3 gene have been linked to both ASD and schizophrenia; however, how patient-derived mutations affect the structural plasticity of dendritic spines during brain development is unknown. Here we use live two photon in vivo imaging to examine dendritic spine structural plasticity in mice with SHANK3 mutations associated with ASD and schizophrenia. We identified shared and distinct phenotypes in dendritic spine morphogenesis and plasticity in the ASD-associated InsG3680 mutant mice and the schizophrenia-associated R1117X mutant mice. No significant changes in dendritic arborization were observed in either mutant, raising the possibility that synaptic dysregulation may be a key contributor to the behavioral defects previously reported in these mice. These findings shed light on how patient-linked mutations in SHANK3 affect dendritic spine dynamics in the developing brain, which provides insight into the synaptic basis for the distinct phenotypes observed in ASD and schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengyu Huang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Mikayla M Voglewede
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Elif Naz Ozsen
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Hui Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China; Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, United States.
| | - Huaye Zhang
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, United States.
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4
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Yang S, Zhu G. Phytotherapy of abnormality of fear memory: A narrative review of mechanisms. Fitoterapia 2023; 169:105618. [PMID: 37482307 DOI: 10.1016/j.fitote.2023.105618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
It is generally believed that in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the high expression of fear memory is mainly determined by amygdala hyperactivity and hippocampus hypoactivity. In this review, we firstly updated the mechanisms of fear memory, and then searched the experimental evidence of phytotherapy for fear memory in the past five years. Based on the summary of those experimental studies, we further discussed the future research strategies of plant medicines, including the study of the mechanism of specific brain regions, the optimal time for the prevention and treatment of fear memory-related diseases such as PTSD, and the development of new drugs with active components of plant medicines. Accordingly, plant medicines play a clear role in improving fear memory abnormalities and have the drug development potential in the treatment of fear-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaojie Yang
- The Second Affiliation Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui 230061, China; Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine, The Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology (Brain diseases), Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui 230012, China
| | - Guoqi Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine, The Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology (Brain diseases), Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui 230012, China.
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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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Kastellakis G, Tasciotti S, Pandi I, Poirazi P. The dendritic engram. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1212139. [PMID: 37576932 PMCID: PMC10412934 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1212139] [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: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence from a wide range of studies, including behavioral, cellular, molecular and computational findings, support a key role of dendrites in the encoding and recall of new memories. Dendrites can integrate synaptic inputs in non-linear ways, provide the substrate for local protein synthesis and facilitate the orchestration of signaling pathways that regulate local synaptic plasticity. These capabilities allow them to act as a second layer of computation within the neuron and serve as the fundamental unit of plasticity. As such, dendrites are integral parts of the memory engram, namely the physical representation of memories in the brain and are increasingly studied during learning tasks. Here, we review experimental and computational studies that support a novel, dendritic view of the memory engram that is centered on non-linear dendritic branches as elementary memory units. We highlight the potential implications of dendritic engrams for the learning and memory field and discuss future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Kastellakis
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Simone Tasciotti
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Heraklion, Greece
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Ioanna Pandi
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Heraklion, Greece
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Panayiota Poirazi
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Heraklion, Greece
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Min JY, Park S, Cho J, Huh Y. The anterior insular cortex processes social recognition memory. Sci Rep 2023; 13:10853. [PMID: 37407809 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38044-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Impaired social abilities are characteristics of a variety of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, and bipolar disorder. Studies consistently implicated the relationship between the anterior insular cortex (aIC) and social ability, however, how the aIC involves in processing specific subtypes of social ability was uninvestigated. We, therefore, investigated whether the absence or presence of the aIC affects the social behaviors of mice. We found that electrolytic lesions of the aIC specifically impaired mice's ability to recognize a novel stranger mouse, while the sociability of the aIC-lesioned mice was intact. Interestingly, the aIC-lesioned mice were still distinguished between a mouse that had been housed together before the aIC lesion and a novel mouse, supporting that retrieval of social recognition memory may not involve the aIC. Additional behavioral tests revealed that this specific social ability impairment induced by the aIC lesion was not due to impairment in olfaction, learning and memory, locomotion, or anxiety levels. Together our data suggest that the aIC is specifically involved in processing social recognition memory, but not necessarily involved in retrieving it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-You Min
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Scranton College, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Sanggeon Park
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Scranton College, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea
- Brain Disease Research Institute, Ewha Brain Institute, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeiwon Cho
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Scranton College, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea.
- Brain Disease Research Institute, Ewha Brain Institute, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea.
| | - Yeowool Huh
- Department of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung‑si, 25601, Republic of Korea.
- Translational Brain Research Center, International St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University, Incheon, 22711, Republic of Korea.
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Zhornitsky S, Oliva HNP, Jayne LA, Allsop ASA, Kaye AP, Potenza MN, Angarita GA. Changes in synaptic markers after administration of ketamine or psychedelics: a systematic scoping review. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1197890. [PMID: 37435405 PMCID: PMC10331617 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1197890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Ketamine and psychedelics have abuse liability. They can also induce "transformative experiences" where individuals experience enhanced states of awareness. This enhanced awareness can lead to changes in preexisting behavioral patterns which could be beneficial in the treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs). Preclinical and clinical studies suggest that ketamine and psychedelics may alter markers associated with synaptic density, and that these changes may underlie effects such as sensitization, conditioned place preference, drug self-administration, and verbal memory performance. In this scoping review, we examined studies that measured synaptic markers in animals and humans after exposure to ketamine and/or psychedelics. Methods A systematic search was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, through PubMed, EBSCO, Scopus, and Web of Science, based on a published protocol (Open Science Framework, DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/43FQ9). Both in vivo and in vitro studies were included. Studies on the following synaptic markers were included: dendritic structural changes, PSD-95, synapsin-1, synaptophysin-1, synaptotagmin-1, and SV2A. Results Eighty-four studies were included in the final analyses. Seventy-one studies examined synaptic markers following ketamine treatment, nine examined psychedelics, and four examined both. Psychedelics included psilocybin/psilocin, lysergic acid diethylamide, N,N-dimethyltryptamine, 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine, and ibogaine/noribogaine. Mixed findings regarding synaptic changes in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) have been reported when ketamine was administered in a single dose under basal conditions. Similar mixed findings were seen under basal conditions in studies that used repeated administration of ketamine. However, studies that examined animals during stressful conditions found that a single dose of ketamine counteracted stress-related reductions in synaptic markers in the hippocampus and PFC. Repeated administration of ketamine also counteracted stress effects in the hippocampus. Psychedelics generally increased synaptic markers, but results were more consistently positive for certain agents. Conclusion Ketamine and psychedelics can increase synaptic markers under certain conditions. Heterogeneous findings may relate to methodological differences, agents administered (or different formulations of the same agent), sex, and type of markers. Future studies could address seemingly mixed results by using meta-analytical approaches or study designs that more fully consider individual differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Zhornitsky
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Henrique N. P. Oliva
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Laura A. Jayne
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Aza S. A. Allsop
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Alfred P. Kaye
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, United States
- Clinical Neurosciences Division, VA National Center for PTSD, West Haven, CT, United States
| | - Marc N. Potenza
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, United States
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
- Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Hartford, CT, United States
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Gustavo A. Angarita
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, United States
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The times they are a-changin': a proposal on how brain flexibility goes beyond the obvious to include the concepts of "upward" and "downward" to neuroplasticity. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:977-992. [PMID: 36575306 PMCID: PMC10005965 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01931-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Since the brain was found to be somehow flexible, plastic, researchers worldwide have been trying to comprehend its fundamentals to better understand the brain itself, make predictions, disentangle the neurobiology of brain diseases, and finally propose up-to-date treatments. Neuroplasticity is simple as a concept, but extremely complex when it comes to its mechanisms. This review aims to bring to light an aspect about neuroplasticity that is often not given enough attention as it should, the fact that the brain's ability to change would include its ability to disconnect synapses. So, neuronal shrinkage, decrease in spine density or dendritic complexity should be included within the concept of neuroplasticity as part of its mechanisms, not as an impairment of it. To that end, we extensively describe a variety of studies involving topics such as neurodevelopment, aging, stress, memory and homeostatic plasticity to highlight how the weakening and disconnection of synapses organically permeate the brain in so many ways as a good practice of its intrinsic physiology. Therefore, we propose to break down neuroplasticity into two sub-concepts, "upward neuroplasticity" for changes related to synaptic construction and "downward neuroplasticity" for changes related to synaptic deconstruction. With these sub-concepts, neuroplasticity could be better understood from a bigger landscape as a vector in which both directions could be taken for the brain to flexibly adapt to certain demands. Such a paradigm shift would allow a better understanding of the concept of neuroplasticity to avoid any data interpretation bias, once it makes clear that there is no morality with regard to the organic and physiological changes that involve dynamic biological systems as seen in the brain.
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10
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Zhu Q, Huang Y, Zhu X, Peng L, Wang H, Gao S, Yang Z, Zhang J, Liu X. Mannose-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanozyme for preventing postoperative cognitive dysfunction. Mater Today Bio 2023; 19:100568. [PMID: 36846307 PMCID: PMC9945786 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2023.100568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is associated with increased postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients. Excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the consequent inflammatory response in the postoperative brain play crucial roles in the development of POCD. However, effective ways to prevent POCD have yet to be developed. Moreover, effective penetration of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and maintaining viability in vivo are major challenges for preventing POCD using traditional ROS scavengers. Herein, mannose-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (mSPIONs) were synthesized by co-precipitation method. The BBB penetration of mSPIONs was verified through fluorescent imaging and ICP-MS quantification. The ROS scavenging and anti-inflammatory of mSPIONs were evaluated in H2O2-treated J774A.1 cells and in tibial fracture mice model. The novel object recognition (NOR) and trace-fear conditioning (TFC) were used to test the cognitive function of postoperative mice. The average diameter of mSPIONs was approximately 11 nm. mSPIONs significantly reduced ROS levels in H2O2-treated cells and in hippocampus of surgical mice. mSPIONs administration reduced the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in the hippocampus and inhibited surgery-upregulated HIF1-α/NF-κB signaling pathway. Moreover, mSPIONs significantly improved the cognitive function of postoperative mice. This study provides a new approach for preventing POCD using a nanozyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianyun Zhu
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Yuting Huang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Xiaoling Zhu
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Lijun Peng
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Huan Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Shan Gao
- Department of Pharmacology, Basic Medical College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Zhilai Yang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China,Corresponding author. Department of Anesthesiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui Medical University, No. 218 Jixi Road, Hefei, 230022, Anhui Province, PR China.
| | - Jiqian Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China,Corresponding author. Department of Anesthesiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui Medical University, No. 218 Jixi Road, Hefei, 230022, Anhui Province, PR China.
| | - Xuesheng Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China,Corresponding author. Department of Anesthesiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui Medical University, No. 218 Jixi Road, Hefei, 230022, Anhui Province, PR China.
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11
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Lee C, Lee BH, Jung H, Lee C, Sung Y, Kim H, Kim J, Shim JY, Kim JI, Choi DI, Park HY, Kaang BK. Hippocampal engram networks for fear memory recruit new synapses and modify pre-existing synapses in vivo. Curr Biol 2023; 33:507-516.e3. [PMID: 36638799 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
As basic units of neural networks, ensembles of synapses underlie cognitive functions such as learning and memory. These synaptic engrams show elevated synaptic density among engram cells following contextual fear memory formation. Subsequent analysis of the CA3-CA1 engram synapse revealed larger spine sizes, as the synaptic connectivity correlated with the memory strength. Here, we elucidate the synapse dynamics between CA3 and CA1 by tracking identical synapses at multiple time points by adapting two-photon microscopy and dual-eGRASP technique in vivo. After memory formation, synaptic connections between engram populations are enhanced in conjunction with synaptogenesis within the hippocampal network. However, extinction learning specifically correlated with the disappearance of CA3 engram to CA1 engram (E-E) synapses. We observed "newly formed" synapses near pre-existing synapses, which clustered CA3-CA1 engram synapses after fear memory formation. Overall, we conclude that dynamics at CA3 to CA1 E-E synapses are key sites for modification during fear memory states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaery Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Byung Hun Lee
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Hyunsu Jung
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea; Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Chiwoo Lee
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Yongmin Sung
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Hyopil Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Jooyoung Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Jae Youn Shim
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Ji-Il Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Dong Il Choi
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Hye Yoon Park
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Bong-Kiun Kaang
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea; Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea.
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12
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Xu Z, Geron E, Pérez-Cuesta LM, Bai Y, Gan WB. Generalized extinction of fear memory depends on co-allocation of synaptic plasticity in dendrites. Nat Commun 2023; 14:503. [PMID: 36720872 PMCID: PMC9889816 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35805-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Memories can be modified by new experience in a specific or generalized manner. Changes in synaptic connections are crucial for memory storage, but it remains unknown how synaptic changes associated with different memories are distributed within neuronal circuits and how such distributions affect specific or generalized modification by novel experience. Here we show that fear conditioning with two different auditory stimuli (CS) and footshocks (US) induces dendritic spine elimination mainly on different dendritic branches of layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the mouse motor cortex. Subsequent fear extinction causes CS-specific spine formation and extinction of freezing behavior. In contrast, spine elimination induced by fear conditioning with >2 different CS-USs often co-exists on the same dendritic branches. Fear extinction induces CS-nonspecific spine formation and generalized fear extinction. Moreover, activation of somatostatin-expressing interneurons increases the occurrence of spine elimination induced by different CS-USs on the same dendritic branches and facilitates the generalization of fear extinction. These findings suggest that specific or generalized modification of existing memories by new experience depends on whether synaptic changes induced by previous experiences are segregated or co-exist at the level of individual dendritic branches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiwei Xu
- Institute of Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China
- Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Erez Geron
- Skirball Institute, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Luis M Pérez-Cuesta
- Skirball Institute, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Yang Bai
- Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Wen-Biao Gan
- Institute of Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China.
- Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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13
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Quantitative Fluorescence Analysis Reveals Dendrite-Specific Thalamocortical Plasticity in L5 Pyramidal Neurons during Learning. J Neurosci 2023; 43:584-600. [PMID: 36639912 PMCID: PMC9888508 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1372-22.2022] [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: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
High-throughput anatomic data can stimulate and constrain new hypotheses about how neural circuits change in response to experience. Here, we use fluorescence-based reagents for presynaptic and postsynaptic labeling to monitor changes in thalamocortical synapses onto different compartments of layer 5 (L5) pyramidal (Pyr) neurons in somatosensory (barrel) cortex from mixed-sex mice during whisker-dependent learning (Audette et al., 2019). Using axonal fills and molecular-genetic tags for synapse identification in fixed tissue from Rbp4-Cre transgenic mice, we found that thalamocortical synapses from the higher-order posterior medial thalamic nucleus showed rapid morphologic changes in both presynaptic and postsynaptic structures at the earliest stages of sensory association training. Detected increases in thalamocortical synaptic size were compartment specific, occurring selectively in the proximal dendrites onto L5 Pyr and not at inputs onto their apical tufts in L1. Both axonal and dendritic changes were transient, normalizing back to baseline as animals became expert in the task. Anatomical measurements were corroborated by electrophysiological recordings at different stages of training. Thus, fluorescence-based analysis of input- and target-specific synapses can reveal compartment-specific changes in synapse properties during learning.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Synaptic changes underlie the cellular basis of learning, experience, and neurologic diseases. Neuroanatomical methods to assess synaptic plasticity can provide critical spatial information necessary for building models of neuronal computations during learning and experience but are technically and fiscally intensive. Here, we describe a confocal fluorescence microscopy-based analytical method to assess input, cell type, and dendritic location-specific synaptic plasticity in a sensory learning assay. Our method not only confirms prior electrophysiological measurements but allows us to predict functional strength of synapses in a pathway-specific manner. Our findings also indicate that changes in primary sensory cortices are transient, occurring during early learning. Fluorescence-based synapse identification can be an efficient and easily adopted approach to study synaptic changes in a variety of experimental paradigms.
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14
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Heck N, Santos MD. Dendritic Spines in Learning and Memory: From First Discoveries to Current Insights. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2023; 34:311-348. [PMID: 37962799 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-36159-3_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The central nervous system is composed of neural ensembles, and their activity patterns are neural correlates of cognitive functions. Those ensembles are networks of neurons connected to each other by synapses. Most neurons integrate synaptic signal through a remarkable subcellular structure called spine. Dendritic spines are protrusions whose diverse shapes make them appear as a specific neuronal compartment, and they have been the focus of studies for more than a century. Soon after their first description by Ramón y Cajal, it has been hypothesized that spine morphological changes could modify neuronal connectivity and sustain cognitive abilities. Later studies demonstrated that changes in spine density and morphology occurred in experience-dependent plasticity during development, and in clinical cases of mental retardation. This gave ground for the assumption that dendritic spines are the particular locus of cerebral plasticity. With the discovery of synaptic long-term potentiation, a research program emerged with the aim to establish whether dendritic spine plasticity could explain learning and memory. The development of live imaging methods revealed on the one hand that dendritic spine remodeling is compatible with learning process and, on the other hand, that their long-term stability is compatible with lifelong memories. Furthermore, the study of the mechanisms of spine growth and maintenance shed new light on the rules of plasticity. In behavioral paradigms of memory, spine formation or elimination and morphological changes were found to correlate with learning. In a last critical step, recent experiments have provided evidence that dendritic spines play a causal role in learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Heck
- Laboratory Neurosciences Paris Seine, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
| | - Marc Dos Santos
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
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15
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Stacho M, Manahan-Vaughan D. The Intriguing Contribution of Hippocampal Long-Term Depression to Spatial Learning and Long-Term Memory. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:806356. [PMID: 35548697 PMCID: PMC9084281 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.806356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) comprise the principal cellular mechanisms that fulfill established criteria for the physiological correlates of learning and memory. Traditionally LTP, that increases synaptic weights, has been ascribed a prominent role in learning and memory whereas LTD, that decreases them, has often been relegated to the category of “counterpart to LTP” that serves to prevent saturation of synapses. In contradiction of these assumptions, studies over the last several years have provided functional evidence for distinct roles of LTD in specific aspects of hippocampus-dependent associative learning and information encoding. Furthermore, evidence of the experience-dependent “pruning” of excitatory synapses, the majority of which are located on dendritic spines, by means of LTD has been provided. In addition, reports exist of the temporal and physical restriction of LTP in dendritic compartments by means of LTD. Here, we discuss the role of LTD and LTP in experience-dependent information encoding based on empirical evidence derived from conjoint behavioral and electrophysiological studies conducted in behaving rodents. We pinpoint the close interrelation between structural modifications of dendritic spines and the occurrence of LTP and LTD. We report on findings that support that whereas LTP serves to acquire the general scheme of a spatial representation, LTD enables retention of content details. We argue that LTD contributes to learning by engaging in a functional interplay with LTP, rather than serving as its simple counterpart, or negator. We propose that similar spatial experiences that share elements of neuronal representations can be modified by means of LTD to enable pattern separation. Therewith, LTD plays a crucial role in the disambiguation of similar spatial representations and the prevention of generalization.
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16
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Learning-induced biases in the ongoing dynamics of sensory representations predict stimulus generalization. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110340. [PMID: 35139386 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory stimuli have long been thought to be represented in the brain as activity patterns of specific neuronal assemblies. However, we still know relatively little about the long-term dynamics of sensory representations. Using chronic in vivo calcium imaging in the mouse auditory cortex, we find that sensory representations undergo continuous recombination, even under behaviorally stable conditions. Auditory cued fear conditioning introduces a bias into these ongoing dynamics, resulting in a long-lasting increase in the number of stimuli activating the same subset of neurons. This plasticity is specific for stimuli sharing representational similarity to the conditioned sound prior to conditioning and predicts behaviorally observed stimulus generalization. Our findings demonstrate that learning-induced plasticity leading to a representational linkage between the conditioned stimulus and non-conditioned stimuli weaves into ongoing dynamics of the brain rather than acting on an otherwise static substrate.
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17
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Dempsey WP, Du Z, Nadtochiy A, Smith CD, Czajkowski K, Andreev A, Robson DN, Li JM, Applebaum S, Truong TV, Kesselman C, Fraser SE, Arnold DB. Regional synapse gain and loss accompany memory formation in larval zebrafish. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2107661119. [PMID: 35031564 PMCID: PMC8784156 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2107661119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Defining the structural and functional changes in the nervous system underlying learning and memory represents a major challenge for modern neuroscience. Although changes in neuronal activity following memory formation have been studied [B. F. Grewe et al., Nature 543, 670-675 (2017); M. T. Rogan, U. V. Stäubli, J. E. LeDoux, Nature 390, 604-607 (1997)], the underlying structural changes at the synapse level remain poorly understood. Here, we capture synaptic changes in the midlarval zebrafish brain that occur during associative memory formation by imaging excitatory synapses labeled with recombinant probes using selective plane illumination microscopy. Imaging the same subjects before and after classical conditioning at single-synapse resolution provides an unbiased mapping of synaptic changes accompanying memory formation. In control animals and animals that failed to learn the task, there were no significant changes in the spatial patterns of synapses in the pallium, which contains the equivalent of the mammalian amygdala and is essential for associative learning in teleost fish [M. Portavella, J. P. Vargas, B. Torres, C. Salas, Brain Res. Bull 57, 397-399 (2002)]. In zebrafish that formed memories, we saw a dramatic increase in the number of synapses in the ventrolateral pallium, which contains neurons active during memory formation and retrieval. Concurrently, synapse loss predominated in the dorsomedial pallium. Surprisingly, we did not observe significant changes in the intensity of synaptic labeling, a proxy for synaptic strength, with memory formation in any region of the pallium. Our results suggest that memory formation due to classical conditioning is associated with reciprocal changes in synapse numbers in the pallium.
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Affiliation(s)
- William P Dempsey
- Department of Biological Sciences, Division of Molecular and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
| | - Zhuowei Du
- Department of Biological Sciences, Division of Molecular and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
| | - Anna Nadtochiy
- Translational Imaging Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
| | - Colton D Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Division of Molecular and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
| | - Karl Czajkowski
- Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90292
| | - Andrey Andreev
- Translational Imaging Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
| | - Drew N Robson
- Systems Neuroscience & Neuroengineering, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jennifer M Li
- Systems Neuroscience & Neuroengineering, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Serina Applebaum
- Department of Biological Sciences, Division of Molecular and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
| | - Thai V Truong
- Translational Imaging Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
| | - Carl Kesselman
- Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90292
- Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
| | - Scott E Fraser
- Department of Biological Sciences, Division of Molecular and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
- Translational Imaging Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
| | - Don B Arnold
- Department of Biological Sciences, Division of Molecular and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089;
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18
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Sleep promotes the formation of dendritic filopodia and spines near learning-inactive existing spines. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2114856118. [PMID: 34873044 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2114856118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Changes in synaptic connections are believed to underlie long-term memory storage. Previous studies have suggested that sleep is important for synapse formation after learning, but how sleep is involved in the process of synapse formation remains unclear. To address this question, we used transcranial two-photon microscopy to investigate the effect of postlearning sleep on the location of newly formed dendritic filopodia and spines of layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the primary motor cortex of adolescent mice. We found that newly formed filopodia and spines were partially clustered with existing spines along individual dendritic segments 24 h after motor training. Notably, posttraining sleep was critical for promoting the formation of dendritic filopodia and spines clustered with existing spines within 8 h. A fraction of these filopodia was converted into new spines and contributed to clustered spine formation 24 h after motor training. This sleep-dependent spine formation via filopodia was different from retraining-induced new spine formation, which emerged from dendritic shafts without prior presence of filopodia. Furthermore, sleep-dependent new filopodia and spines tended to be formed away from existing spines that were active at the time of motor training. Taken together, these findings reveal a role of postlearning sleep in regulating the number and location of new synapses via promoting filopodial formation.
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19
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Joseph NF, Zucca A, Wingfield JL, Espadas I, Page D, Puthanveettil SV. Molecular motor KIF3B in the prelimbic cortex constrains the consolidation of contextual fear memory. Mol Brain 2021; 14:162. [PMID: 34749771 PMCID: PMC8573985 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-021-00873-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the role of the prelimbic cortex in contextual fear memory remain elusive. Here we examined the kinesin family of molecular motor proteins (KIFs) in the prelimbic cortex for their role in mediating contextual fear, a form of associative memory. KIFs function as critical mediators of synaptic transmission and plasticity by their ability to modulate microtubule function and transport of gene products. However, the regulation and function of KIFs in the prelimbic cortex insofar as mediating memory consolidation is not known. We find that within one hour of contextual fear conditioning, the expression of KIF3B is upregulated in the prelimbic but not the infralimbic cortex. Importantly, lentiviral-mediated knockdown of KIF3B in the prelimbic cortex produces deficits in consolidation while reducing freezing behavior during extinction of contextual fear. We also find that the depletion of KIF3B increases spine density within prelimbic neurons. Taken together, these results illuminate a key role for KIF3B in the prelimbic cortex as far as mediating contextual fear memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine F Joseph
- The Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA
| | - Aya Zucca
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA
| | - Jenna L Wingfield
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA
| | - Isabel Espadas
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA
| | - Damon Page
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA
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20
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Choi DI, Kim J, Lee H, Kim JI, Sung Y, Choi JE, Venkat SJ, Park P, Jung H, Kaang BK. Synaptic correlates of associative fear memory in the lateral amygdala. Neuron 2021; 109:2717-2726.e3. [PMID: 34363751 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Successful adaptation to the environment requires an accurate response to external threats by recalling specific memories. Memory formation and recall require engram cell activity and synaptic strengthening among activated neuronal ensembles. However, elucidation of the underlying neural substrates of associative fear memory has remained limited without a direct interrogation of extinction-induced changes of specific synapses that encode a specific auditory fear memory. Using dual-eGRASP (enhanced green fluorescent protein reconstitution across synaptic partners), we found that synapses among activated neuronal ensembles or activated synaptic ensembles showed a significantly larger spine morphology at auditory cortex (AC)-to-lateral amygdala (LA) projections after auditory fear conditioning in mice. Fear extinction reversed these enhanced synaptic ensemble spines, whereas re-conditioning with the same tone and shock restored the spine size of the synaptic ensemble. We suggest that synaptic ensembles encode and represent different fear memory states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Il Choi
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanangno, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Jooyoung Kim
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanangno, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Hoonwon Lee
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanangno, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Ji-Il Kim
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanangno, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Yongmin Sung
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanangno, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Ja Eun Choi
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanangno, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - S Jayakumar Venkat
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanangno, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Pojeong Park
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanangno, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Hyunsu Jung
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanangno, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Bong-Kiun Kaang
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanangno, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea.
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21
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Yuan Q, Xu J, Chen H. Dynamics Analysis of Firing Patterns in Pre-Bötzinger Complex Neurons Model. Front Comput Neurosci 2021; 15:591037. [PMID: 34211383 PMCID: PMC8239244 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2021.591037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Pre-Bötzinger complex (PBC) neurons located in mammalian brain are the necessary conditions to produce respiratory rhythm, which has been widely verified experimentally and numerically. At present, one of the two different types of bursting mechanisms found in PBC mainly depends on the calcium-activated of non-specific cation current (ICaN). In order to study the influence of ICaN and stimulus current Iexc in PBC inspiratory neurons, a single compartment model was simplified, and firing patterns of the model was discussed by using stability theory, bifurcation analysis, fast, and slow decomposition technology combined with numerical simulation. Under the stimulation of different somatic applied currents, the firing behavior of neurons are studied and exhibit multiple mix bursting patterns, which is helpful to further understand the mechanism of respiratory rhythms of PBC neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Yuan
- School of Mathematics and Information Science, Guangxi University, Guangxi, China
| | - Jieqiong Xu
- School of Mathematics and Information Science, Guangxi University, Guangxi, China
| | - Huiying Chen
- School of Mathematics and Information Science, Guangxi University, Guangxi, China
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22
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Fear extinction learning modulates large-scale brain connectivity. Neuroimage 2021; 238:118261. [PMID: 34126211 PMCID: PMC8436785 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Exploring the neural circuits of the extinction of conditioned fear is critical to advance our understanding of fear- and anxiety-related disorders. The field has focused on examining the role of various regions of the medial prefrontal cortex, insular cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala in conditioned fear and its extinction. The contribution of this 'fear network' to the conscious awareness of fear has recently been questioned. And as such, there is a need to examine higher/multiple cortical systems that might contribute to the conscious feeling of fear and anxiety. Herein, we studied functional connectivity patterns across the entire brain to examine the contribution of multiple networks to the acquisition of fear extinction learning and its retrieval. We conducted trial-by-trial analyses on data from 137 healthy participants who underwent a two-day fear conditioning and extinction paradigm in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner. We found that functional connectivity across a broad range of brain regions, many of which are part of the default mode, frontoparietal, and ventral attention networks, increased from early to late extinction learning only to a conditioned cue. The increased connectivity during extinction learning predicted the magnitude of extinction memory tested 24 h later. Together, these findings provide evidence supporting recent studies implicating distributed brain regions in learning, consolidation and expression of fear extinction memory in the human brain.
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23
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Huang Y, Jiang H, Zheng Q, Fok AHK, Li X, Lau CG, Lai CSW. Environmental enrichment or selective activation of parvalbumin-expressing interneurons ameliorates synaptic and behavioral deficits in animal models with schizophrenia-like behaviors during adolescence. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:2533-2552. [PMID: 33473150 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-01005-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Synaptic deficit-induced excitation and inhibition (E/I) imbalance have been implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Using in vivo two-photon microscopy, we examined the dynamic plasticity of dendritic spines of pyramidal neurons (PNs) and "en passant" axonal bouton of parvalbumin-expressing interneurons (PVINs) in the frontal association (FrA) cortex in two adolescent mouse models with schizophrenia-like behaviors. Simultaneous imaging of PN dendritic spines and PV axonal boutons showed that repeated exposure to N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist MK801 during adolescence disrupted the normal developmental balance of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic structures. This MK801-induced structural E/I imbalance significantly correlated with animal recognition memory deficits and could be ameliorated by environmental enrichment (EE). In addition, selective chemogenetic activation of PVINs in the FrA mimicked the effects of EE on both synaptic plasticity and animal behavior, while selective inhibition of PVIN abolished EE's beneficial effects. Electrophysiological recordings showed that chronic MK801 treatment significantly suppressed the frequency of mEPSC/mIPSC ratio of layer (L) 2/3 PNs and significantly reduced the resting membrane potential of PVINs, the latter was rescued by selective activation of PVINs. Such manipulations of PVINs also showed similar effects in PV-Cre; ErbB4fl/fl animal model with schizophrenia-like behaviors. EE or selective activation of PVINs in the FrA restored behavioral deficits and structural E/I imbalance in adolescent PV-Cre; ErbB4fl/fl mice, while selective inhibition of PVINs abolished EE's beneficial effects. Our findings suggest that the PVIN activity in the FrA plays a crucial role in regulating excitatory and inhibitory synaptic structural dynamics and animal behaviors, which may provide a potential therapeutic target for schizophrenia treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhua Huang
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Hehai Jiang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong.,Department of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
| | - Qiyu Zheng
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Albert Hiu Ka Fok
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Xiaoyang Li
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - C Geoffrey Lau
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong.,Department of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
| | - Cora Sau Wan Lai
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong. .,State Key Laboratory of Cognitive and Brain Research, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
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24
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Ressler KJ. Translating Across Circuits and Genetics Toward Progress in Fear- and Anxiety-Related Disorders. FOCUS (AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC PUBLISHING) 2021; 19:247-255. [PMID: 34690590 PMCID: PMC8475910 DOI: 10.1176/appi.focus.19205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
(Reprinted with permission from Am J Psychiatry 2020; 177:214-222).
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25
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Ma S, Zuo Y. Synaptic modifications in learning and memory - A dendritic spine story. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2021; 125:84-90. [PMID: 34020876 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Synapses are specialized sites where neurons connect and communicate with each other. Activity-dependent modification of synaptic structure and function provides a mechanism for learning and memory. The advent of high-resolution time-lapse imaging in conjunction with fluorescent biosensors and actuators enables researchers to monitor and manipulate the structure and function of synapses both in vitro and in vivo. This review focuses on recent imaging studies on the synaptic modification underlying learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaorong Ma
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Yi Zuo
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
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Rotondo EK, Bieszczad KM. Sensory cortical and subcortical auditory neurophysiological changes predict cue-specific extinction behavior enabled by the pharmacological inhibition of an epigenetic regulator during memory formation. Brain Res Bull 2021; 169:167-183. [PMID: 33515653 PMCID: PMC8591994 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2021.01.016] [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: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Extinction learning and memory have been broadly investigated at both behavioral and neural levels, but sensory system contributions to extinction processes have been less explored. Using a sound-reward extinction paradigm in male rats, we reveal both cortical and subcortical forms of plasticity associated with the cue-specificity of behavioral extinction memory. In the auditory cortex, frequency tuning narrowed by up to two-thirds of an octave around the remembered extinguished sound cue. Subcortical signals revealed in the auditory brainstem response (ABR) in the same animals developed smaller amplitudes of some (but not all) ABR peaks evoked by the extinguished sound frequency. Interestingly, treatment with an inhibitor of histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3-i) facilitated both auditory cortical tuning bandwidth changes and changes in subcortical peak amplitude evoked only by the extinguished sound frequency. These neurophysiological changes were correlated to each other, and to the highly precise extinction behavior enabled by HDAC3-i (compared to vehicle controls). Thus, we show for the first time that HDAC3 regulates the specificity of sensory features consolidated in extinction memory. Further, the sensory cortical changes in tuning bandwidth recapitulate known effects of blocking HDAC3 to enhance cue specificity in other behavioral tasks. Therefore, the findings demonstrate how some forms of sensory neuroplasticity may encode specific sensory features of learning experiences in order to enable cue-specific behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena K Rotondo
- Dept. of Psychology, Rutgers- The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, United States
| | - Kasia M Bieszczad
- Dept. of Psychology, Rutgers- The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, United States.
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27
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Hamel R, Dallaire-Jean L, De La Fontaine É, Lepage JF, Bernier PM. Learning the same motor task twice impairs its retention in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202556. [PMID: 33434470 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Anterograde interference emerges when two differing tasks are learned in close temporal proximity, an effect repeatedly attributed to a competition between differing task memories. However, recent development alternatively suggests that initial learning may trigger a refractory period that occludes neuroplasticity and impairs subsequent learning, consequently mediating interference independently of memory competition. Accordingly, this study tested the hypothesis that interference can emerge when the same motor task is being learned twice, that is when competition between memories is prevented. In a first experiment, the inter-session interval (ISI) between two identical motor learning sessions was manipulated to be 2 min, 1 h or 24 h. Results revealed that retention of the second session was impaired as compared to the first one when the ISI was 2 min but not when it was 1 h or 24 h, indicating a time-dependent process. Results from a second experiment replicated those of the first one and revealed that adding a third motor learning session with a 2 min ISI further impaired retention, indicating a dose-dependent process. Results from a third experiment revealed that the retention impairments did not take place when a learning session was preceded by simple rehearsal of the motor task without concurrent learning, thus ruling out fatigue and confirming that retention is impaired specifically when preceded by a learning session. Altogether, the present results suggest that competing memories is not the sole mechanism mediating anterograde interference and introduce the possibility that a time- and dose-dependent refractory period-independent of fatigue-also contributes to its emergence. One possibility is that learning transiently perturbs the homeostasis of learning-related neuronal substrates. Introducing additional learning when homeostasis is still perturbed may not only impair performance improvements, but also memory formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Hamel
- Département de pédiatrie, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke; Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada.,Département de kinanthropologie, Faculté des sciences de l'activité physique, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1K 2R1
| | - L Dallaire-Jean
- Département de kinanthropologie, Faculté des sciences de l'activité physique, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1K 2R1
| | - É De La Fontaine
- Département de kinanthropologie, Faculté des sciences de l'activité physique, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1K 2R1
| | - J F Lepage
- Département de pédiatrie, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke; Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
| | - P M Bernier
- Département de kinanthropologie, Faculté des sciences de l'activité physique, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1K 2R1
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28
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Stein IS, Park DK, Claiborne N, Zito K. Non-ionotropic NMDA receptor signaling gates bidirectional structural plasticity of dendritic spines. Cell Rep 2021; 34:108664. [PMID: 33503425 PMCID: PMC7952241 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Experience-dependent refinement of neuronal connections is critically important for brain development and learning. Here, we show that ion-flow-independent NMDA receptor (NMDAR) signaling is required for the long-term dendritic spine growth that is a vital component of brain circuit plasticity. We find that inhibition of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK), which is downstream of non-ionotropic NMDAR signaling in long-term depression (LTD) and spine shrinkage, blocks long-term potentiation (LTP)-induced spine growth but not LTP. We hypothesize that non-ionotropic NMDAR signaling drives the cytoskeletal changes that support bidirectional spine structural plasticity. Indeed, we find that key signaling components downstream of non-ionotropic NMDAR function in LTD-induced spine shrinkage are also necessary for LTP-induced spine growth. Furthermore, NMDAR conformational signaling with coincident Ca2+ influx is sufficient to drive CaMKII-dependent long-term spine growth, even when Ca2+ is artificially driven through voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. Our results support a model in which non-ionotropic NMDAR signaling gates the bidirectional spine structural changes vital for brain plasticity. Structural plasticity of dendritic spines is a critical step in the remodeling of brain circuits during learning. Stein et al. demonstrate a vital role for ion-flux-independent NMDAR signaling in plasticity-associated dendritic spine growth, supporting a model in which non-ionotropic NMDAR signaling primes the spine actin cytoskeleton for bidirectional structural plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivar S Stein
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA
| | - Deborah K Park
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA
| | - Nicole Claiborne
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA
| | - Karen Zito
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA.
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29
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Zhang KX, Zhao JJ, Chai W, Chen JY. Synaptic remodeling in mouse motor cortex after spinal cord injury. Neural Regen Res 2021; 16:744-749. [PMID: 33063737 PMCID: PMC8067930 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.295346] [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] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord injury dramatically blocks information exchange between the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The resulting fate of synapses in the motor cortex has not been well studied. To explore synaptic reorganization in the motor cortex after spinal cord injury, we established mouse models of T12 spinal cord hemi-section and then monitored the postsynaptic dendritic spines and presynaptic axonal boutons of pyramidal neurons in the hindlimb area of the motor cortex in vivo. Our results showed that spinal cord hemi-section led to the remodeling of dendritic spines bilaterally in the motor cortex and the main remodeling regions changed over time. It made previously stable spines unstable and eliminated spines more unlikely to be re-emerged. There was a significant increase in new spines in the contralateral motor cortex. However, the low survival rate of the new spines demonstrated that new spines were still fragile. Observation of presynaptic axonal boutons found no significant change. These results suggest the existence of synapse remodeling in motor cortex after spinal cord hemi-section and that spinal cord hemi-section affected postsynaptic dendritic spines rather than presynaptic axonal boutons. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Chinese PLA General Hospital, China (approval No. 201504168S) on April 16, 2015.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke-Xue Zhang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jia-Jia Zhao
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shunyi District Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Chai
- Department of Orthopedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Ji-Ying Chen
- Department of Orthopedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
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30
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Lu J, Zuo Y. Shedding light on learning and memory: optical interrogation of the synaptic circuitry. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2020; 67:138-144. [PMID: 33279804 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2020.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
In the quest for the physical substrate of learning and memory, a consensus gradually emerges that memory traces are stored in specific neuronal populations and the synaptic circuits that connect them. In this review, we discuss recent progresses in understanding the reorganization of synaptic circuits and neuronal assemblies associated with learning and memory, with an emphasis on optical techniques for in vivo interrogations. We also highlight some open questions on the missing link between synaptic modifications and neuronal coding, and how stable memory persists despite synaptic and neuronal fluctuations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ju Lu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Yi Zuo
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
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31
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Runge K, Cardoso C, de Chevigny A. Dendritic Spine Plasticity: Function and Mechanisms. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2020.00036
expr 823669561 + 872784217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
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Runge K, Cardoso C, de Chevigny A. Dendritic Spine Plasticity: Function and Mechanisms. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2020; 12:36. [PMID: 32982715 PMCID: PMC7484486 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2020.00036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Dendritic spines are small protrusions studding neuronal dendrites, first described in 1888 by Ramón y Cajal using his famous Golgi stainings. Around 50 years later the advance of electron microscopy (EM) confirmed Cajal's intuition that spines constitute the postsynaptic site of most excitatory synapses in the mammalian brain. The finding that spine density decreases between young and adult ages in fixed tissues suggested that spines are dynamic. It is only a decade ago that two-photon microscopy (TPM) has unambiguously proven the dynamic nature of spines, through the repeated imaging of single spines in live animals. Spine dynamics comprise formation, disappearance, and stabilization of spines and are modulated by neuronal activity and developmental age. Here, we review several emerging concepts in the field that start to answer the following key questions: What are the external signals triggering spine dynamics and the molecular mechanisms involved? What is, in return, the role of spine dynamics in circuit-rewiring, learning, and neuropsychiatric disorders?
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Runge
- Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée (INMED) INSERM U1249, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | - Carlos Cardoso
- Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée (INMED) INSERM U1249, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | - Antoine de Chevigny
- Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée (INMED) INSERM U1249, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
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33
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Zhan Z, Wu Y, Liu Z, Quan Y, Li D, Huang Y, Yang S, Wu K, Huang L, Yu M. Reduced Dendritic Spines in the Visual Cortex Contralateral to the Optic Nerve Crush Eye in Adult Mice. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2020; 61:55. [PMID: 32866269 PMCID: PMC7463183 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.61.10.55] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose To determine alteration of dendritic spines and associated changes in the primary visual cortex (V1 region) related to unilateral optic nerve crush (ONC) in adult mice. Methods Adult unilateral ONC mice were established. Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness was measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Visual function was estimated by flash visual evoked potentials (FVEPs). Dendritic spines were observed in the V1 region contralateral to the ONC eye by two-photon imaging in vivo. The neurons, reactive astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and activated microglia were assessed by NeuN, glial fibrillary acidic protein, CNPase, and CD68 in immunohistochemistry, respectively. Tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) and the markers in TrkB trafficking were estimated using western blotting and co-immunoprecipitation. Transmission electron microscopy and western blotting were used to evaluate autophagy. Results The amplitude and latency of FVEPs were decreased and delayed at 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks after ONC, and RNFL thickness was decreased at 2 and 4 weeks after ONC. Dendritic spines were reduced in the V1 region contralateral to the ONC eye at 2, 3, and 4 weeks after ONC, with an unchanged number of neurons. Reactive astrocyte staining was increased at 2 and 4 weeks after ONC, but oligodendrocyte and activated microglia staining remained unchanged. TrkB was reduced with changes in the major trafficking proteins, and enhanced autophagy was observed in the V1 region contralateral to the ONC eye. Conclusions Dendritic spines were reduced in the V1 region contralateral to the ONC eye in adult mice. Reactive astrocytes and decreased TrkB may be associated with the reduced dendritic spines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zongyi Zhan
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yali Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zitian Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yadan Quan
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Deling Li
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yiru Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Shana Yang
- Department of Physiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Kaili Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Lianyan Huang
- Department of Pathophysiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Minbin Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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34
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Traumatic Stress Induces Prolonged Aggression Increase through Synaptic Potentiation in the Medial Amygdala Circuits. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0147-20.2020. [PMID: 32651265 PMCID: PMC7385664 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0147-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Traumatic stress can lead to heightened aggression which may be a symptom of psychiatric diseases such as PTSD and intermittent explosive disorder. The medial amygdala (MeA) is an evolutionarily conserved subnucleus of the amygdala that regulates attack behavior and behavioral responses to stressors. The precise contribution of the MeA in traumatic stress-induced aggression, however, requires further elucidation. In this study, we used foot shock to induce traumatic stress in mice and examine the mechanisms of prolonged aggression increase associated with it. Foot shock causes a prolonged increase in aggression that lasts at least one week. In vivo electrophysiological recordings revealed that foot shock induces potentiation of synapses formed between the MeA and the ventromedial hypothalamus (VmH) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). This synaptic potentiation lasts at least one week. Induction of synaptic depotentiation with low-frequency photostimulation (LFPS) immediately after foot shock suppresses the prolonged aggression increase without affecting non-aggressive social behavior, anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors, or fear learning. These results show that potentiation of the MeA-VmH and MeA-BNST circuits is essential for traumatic stress to cause a prolonged increase in aggression. These circuits may be potential targets for the development of therapeutic strategies to treat the aggression symptom associated with psychiatric diseases.
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35
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Nguyen AQ, Koeppen J, Woodruff S, Mina K, Figueroa Z, Ethell IM. Astrocytic Ephrin-B1 Controls Synapse Formation in the Hippocampus During Learning and Memory. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2020; 12:10. [PMID: 32256333 PMCID: PMC7092624 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2020.00010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes play a fundamental role in synapse formation, pruning, and plasticity, which are associated with learning and memory. However, the role of astrocytes in learning and memory is still largely unknown. Our previous study showed that astrocyte-specific ephrin-B1 knock-out (KO) enhanced but ephrin-B1 overexpression (OE) in hippocampal astrocytes impaired contextual memory recall following fear conditioning. The goal of this study was to understand the mechanism by which astrocytic ephrin-B1 influences learning; specifically, learning-induced remodeling of synapses and dendritic spines in CA1 hippocampus using fear-conditioning paradigm. While we found a higher dendritic spine density and clustering on c-Fos-positive (+) neurons activated during contextual memory recall in both wild-type (WT) and KO mice, overall spine density and mEPSC amplitude were increased in CA1 neurons of KO compared to WT. In contrast, ephrin-B1 OE in hippocampal astrocytes impaired dendritic spine formation and clustering, specifically on c-Fos(+) neurons, coinciding with an overall decrease in vGlut1/PSD95 co-localization. Although astrocytic ephrin-B1 influenced learning-induced spine formation, the changes in astrocytic ephrin-B1 levels did not affect spine enlargement as no genotype differences in spine volume were observed between trained WT, KO, and OE groups. Our results suggest that a reduced formation of new spines rather than spine maturation in activated CA1 hippocampal neurons is most likely responsible for impaired contextual learning in OE mice due to abundantly high ephrin-B1 levels in astrocytes. The ability of astrocytic ephrin-B1 to negatively influence new spine formation during learning can potentially regulate new synapse formation at specific dendritic domains and underlie memory encoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Q. Nguyen
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, CA, United States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Jordan Koeppen
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, CA, United States
- Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Simone Woodruff
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Karen Mina
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Zoe Figueroa
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Iryna M. Ethell
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, CA, United States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
- Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
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36
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Antov MI, Plog E, Bierwirth P, Keil A, Stockhorst U. Visuocortical tuning to a threat-related feature persists after extinction and consolidation of conditioned fear. Sci Rep 2020; 10:3926. [PMID: 32127551 PMCID: PMC7054355 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60597-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurons in the visual cortex sharpen their orientation tuning as humans learn aversive contingencies. A stimulus orientation (CS+) that reliably predicts an aversive noise (unconditioned stimulus: US) is selectively enhanced in lower-tier visual cortex, while similar unpaired orientations (CS-) are inhibited. Here, we examine in male volunteers how sharpened visual processing is affected by fear extinction learning (where no US is presented), and how fear and extinction memory undergo consolidation one day after the original learning episode. Using steady-state visually evoked potentials from electroencephalography in a fear generalization task, we found that extinction learning prompted rapid changes in orientation tuning: Both conditioned visuocortical and skin conductance responses to the CS+ were strongly reduced. Next-day re-testing (delayed recall) revealed a brief but precise return-of-tuning to the CS+ in visual cortex accompanied by a brief, more generalized return-of-fear in skin conductance. Explorative analyses also showed persistent tuning to the threat cue in higher visual areas, 24 h after successful extinction, outlasting peripheral responding. Together, experience-based changes in the sensitivity of visual neurons show response patterns consistent with memory consolidation and spontaneous recovery, the hallmarks of long-term neural plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin I Antov
- Institute of Psychology, Experimental Psychology II and Biological Psychology, University of Osnabrück, D-49074, Osnabrück, Germany.
| | - Elena Plog
- Institute of Psychology, Experimental Psychology II and Biological Psychology, University of Osnabrück, D-49074, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Philipp Bierwirth
- Institute of Psychology, Experimental Psychology II and Biological Psychology, University of Osnabrück, D-49074, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Andreas Keil
- Department of Psychology and Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
| | - Ursula Stockhorst
- Institute of Psychology, Experimental Psychology II and Biological Psychology, University of Osnabrück, D-49074, Osnabrück, Germany
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37
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Abstract
Anxiety and fear-related disorders are common and disabling, and they significantly increase risk for suicide and other causes of morbidity and mortality. However, there is tremendous potential for translational neuroscience to advance our understanding of these disorders, leading to novel and powerful interventions and even to preventing their initial development. This overview examines the general circuits and processes thought to underlie fear and anxiety, along with the promise of translational research. It then examines some of the data-driven "next-generation" approaches that are needed for discovery and understanding but that do not always fit neatly into established models. From one perspective, these disorders offer among the most tractable problems in psychiatry, with a great deal of accumulated understanding, across species, of neurocircuit, behavioral, and, increasingly, genetic mechanisms, of how dysregulation of fear and threat processes contributes to anxiety-related disorders. One example is the progressively sophisticated understanding of how extinction underlies the exposure therapy component of cognitive-behavioral therapy approaches, which are ubiquitously used across anxiety and fear-related disorders. However, it is also critical to examine gaps in our understanding between reasonably well-replicated examples of successful translation, areas of significant deficits in knowledge, and the role of large-scale data-driven approaches in future progress and discovery. Although a tremendous amount of progress is still needed, translational approaches to understanding, treating, and even preventing anxiety and fear-related disorders offer great opportunities for successfully bridging neuroscience discovery to clinical practice.
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38
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Lee CR, Najafizadeh L, Margolis DJ. Investigating learning-related neural circuitry with chronic in vivo optical imaging. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:467-480. [PMID: 32006147 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-019-02001-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Fundamental aspects of brain function, including development, plasticity, learning, and memory, can take place over time scales of days to years. Chronic in vivo imaging of neural activity with cellular resolution is a powerful method for tracking the long-term activity of neural circuits. We review recent advances in our understanding of neural circuit function from diverse brain regions that have been enabled by chronic in vivo cellular imaging. Insight into the neural basis of learning and decision-making, in particular, benefit from the ability to acquire longitudinal data from genetically identified neuronal populations, deep brain areas, and subcellular structures. We propose that combining chronic imaging with further experimental and computational innovations will advance our understanding of the neural circuit mechanisms of brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian R Lee
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Laleh Najafizadeh
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - David J Margolis
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
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39
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Kastellakis G, Poirazi P. Synaptic Clustering and Memory Formation. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:300. [PMID: 31866824 PMCID: PMC6908852 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In the study of memory engrams, synaptic memory allocation is a newly emerged theme that focuses on how specific synapses are engaged in the storage of a given memory. Cumulating evidence from imaging and molecular experiments indicates that the recruitment of synapses that participate in the encoding and expression of memory is neither random nor uniform. A hallmark observation is the emergence of groups of synapses that share similar response properties and/or similar input properties and are located within a stretch of a dendritic branch. This grouping of synapses has been termed "synapse clustering" and has been shown to emerge in many different memory-related paradigms, as well as in in vitro studies. The clustering of synapses may emerge from synapses receiving similar input, or via many processes which allow for cross-talk between nearby synapses within a dendritic branch, leading to cooperative plasticity. Clustered synapses can act in concert to maximally exploit the nonlinear integration potential of the dendritic branches in which they reside. Their main contribution is to facilitate the induction of dendritic spikes and dendritic plateau potentials, which provide advanced computational and memory-related capabilities to dendrites and single neurons. This review focuses on recent evidence which investigates the role of synapse clustering in dendritic integration, sensory perception, learning, and memory as well as brain dysfunction. We also discuss recent theoretical work which explores the computational advantages provided by synapse clustering, leading to novel and revised theories of memory. As an eminent phenomenon during memory allocation, synapse clustering both shapes memory engrams and is also shaped by the parallel plasticity mechanisms upon which it relies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Panayiota Poirazi
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH), Heraklion, Greece
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Milton AL. Fear not: recent advances in understanding the neural basis of fear memories and implications for treatment development. F1000Res 2019; 8:F1000 Faculty Rev-1948. [PMID: 31824654 PMCID: PMC6880271 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.20053.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear is a highly adaptive emotion that has evolved to promote survival and reproductive fitness. However, maladaptive expression of fear can lead to debilitating stressor-related and anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Although the neural basis of fear has been extensively researched for several decades, recent technological advances in pharmacogenetics and optogenetics have allowed greater resolution in understanding the neural circuits that underlie fear. Alongside conceptual advances in the understanding of fear memory, this increased knowledge has clarified mechanisms for some currently available therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder and has identified new potential treatment targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L. Milton
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
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Kasugai Y, Vogel E, Hörtnagl H, Schönherr S, Paradiso E, Hauschild M, Göbel G, Milenkovic I, Peterschmitt Y, Tasan R, Sperk G, Shigemoto R, Sieghart W, Singewald N, Lüthi A, Ferraguti F. Structural and Functional Remodeling of Amygdala GABAergic Synapses in Associative Fear Learning. Neuron 2019; 104:781-794.e4. [PMID: 31543297 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Associative learning is thought to involve different forms of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity. Although previous studies have mostly focused on learning-related changes occurring at excitatory glutamatergic synapses, we found that associative learning, such as fear conditioning, also entails long-lasting functional and structural plasticity of GABAergic synapses onto pyramidal neurons of the murine basal amygdala. Fear conditioning-mediated structural remodeling of GABAergic synapses was associated with a change in mIPSC kinetics and an increase in the fraction of synaptic benzodiazepine-sensitive (BZD) GABAA receptors containing the α2 subunit without altering the intrasynaptic distribution and overall amount of BZD-GABAA receptors. These structural and functional synaptic changes were partly reversed by extinction training. These findings provide evidence that associative learning, such as Pavlovian fear conditioning and extinction, sculpts inhibitory synapses to regulate inhibition of active neuronal networks, a process that may tune amygdala circuit responses to threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Kasugai
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Vogel
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel 4058, Switzerland
| | - Heide Hörtnagl
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Sabine Schönherr
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Enrica Paradiso
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Markus Hauschild
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Georg Göbel
- Department of Medical Statistics, Informatics and Health Economics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Ivan Milenkovic
- Center for Brain Research, Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Yvan Peterschmitt
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria; Center for Brain Research, Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Ramon Tasan
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Günther Sperk
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Ryuichi Shigemoto
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
| | - Werner Sieghart
- Center for Brain Research, Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Nicolas Singewald
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Andreas Lüthi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel 4058, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Ferraguti
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria.
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Wang H, Chen J, Xu X, Sun WJ, Chen X, Zhao F, Luo MH, Liu C, Guo Y, Xie W, Zhong H, Bai T, Tian Y, Mao Y, Ye C, Tao W, Li J, Farzinpour Z, Li J, Zhou JN, Wang K, He J, Chen L, Zhang Z. Direct auditory cortical input to the lateral periaqueductal gray controls sound-driven defensive behavior. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000417. [PMID: 31469831 PMCID: PMC6742420 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Threatening sounds can elicit a series of defensive behavioral reactions in animals for survival, but the underlying neural substrates are not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate a previously unexplored neural pathway in mice that projects directly from the auditory cortex (ACx) to the lateral periaqueductal gray (lPAG) and controls noise-evoked defensive behaviors. Electrophysiological recordings showed that the lPAG could be excited by a loud noise that induced an escape-like behavior. Trans-synaptic viral tracing showed that a great number of glutamatergic neurons, rather than GABAergic neurons, in the lPAG were directly innervated by those in layer V of the ACx. Activation of this pathway by optogenetic manipulations produced a behavior in mice that mimicked the noise-evoked escape, whereas inhibition of the pathway reduced this behavior. Therefore, our newly identified descending pathway is a novel neural substrate for noise-evoked escape and is involved in controlling the threat-related behavior. Threatening sounds can evoke a defensive behavior in animals to avoid potential harm. This study identifies a novel neural pathway in mice that projects directly from the auditory cortex to the lateral periaqueductal gray and controls defense-like behaviors evoked by a loud noise, supporting the notion that such behaviors are controlled by multiple neural circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haitao Wang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Jiahui Chen
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Xiaotong Xu
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Wen-Jian Sun
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xi Chen
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Fei Zhao
- Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Min-Hua Luo
- Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Chunhua Liu
- Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yiping Guo
- Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wen Xie
- Department of Psychology, Anhui Mental Health Center, Hefei, China
| | - Hui Zhong
- Department of Psychology, Anhui Mental Health Center, Hefei, China
| | - Tongjian Bai
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yanghua Tian
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yu Mao
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- Department of Anesthesiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Chonghuan Ye
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Wenjuan Tao
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Jie Li
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Zahra Farzinpour
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Juan Li
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Jiang-Ning Zhou
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Kai Wang
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Jufang He
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Lin Chen
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- * E-mail: (ZZ); (LC)
| | - Zhi Zhang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- * E-mail: (ZZ); (LC)
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TURNER ROBERT. Finding likeness: Neural plasticity and ritual experience. ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1467-8322.12503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- ROBERT TURNER
- Emeritus Director at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, and is an internationally recognized expert in brain physics and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). He plays a role in the development of neuroanthropology, which brings together insights from the study of culture and the study of the brain. He is the son of social anthropologists Victor Turner and Edith Turner
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Scarlata MJ, Lee SH, Lee D, Kandigian SE, Hiller AJ, Dishart JG, Mintz GE, Wang Z, Coste GI, Mousley AL, Soler I, Lawson K, Ng AJ, Bezek JL, Bergstrom HC. Chemogenetic stimulation of the infralimbic cortex reverses alcohol-induced fear memory overgeneralization. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6730. [PMID: 31040357 PMCID: PMC6491487 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43159-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [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: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are often comorbid. Drinking tends to increase following trauma, which may exacerbate PTSD-related symptoms. Despite a clear relationship between excessive alcohol use and PTSD, how alcohol impacts the expression of traumatic fear remains unclear. This study aims to determine the neurobehavioral impact of chronic alcohol (ethanol; EtOH) on the expression of established fear memories in C57BL/6 N mice. We show that chronic EtOH selectively augments cued fear memory generalization and impairs fear extinction retrieval, leaving the expression of the original cued response intact. Immunohistochemistry for Arc/arg3.1 (Arc) revealed EtOH-induced decreases in Arc expression in the infralimbic cortex (IL) and basolateral amygdala complex (BLA) that were associated with cued fear memory overgeneralization. Chemogenetic stimulation of IL pyramidal neurons reversed EtOH-driven fear memory overgeneralization, identifying a role for the IL in cued fear memory precision. Considering the modulatory influence of the IL over conditioned fear expression, these data suggest a model whereby chronic EtOH-driven neuroadaptations in the IL promote fear memory overgeneralization. These findings provide new mechanistic insight into how excessive alcohol use, following exposure to a traumatic event, can exacerbate symptoms of traumatic fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Scarlata
- Vassar College, Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604, USA
| | - S H Lee
- Vassar College, Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604, USA
| | - D Lee
- Vassar College, Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604, USA
| | - S E Kandigian
- Vassar College, Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604, USA
| | - A J Hiller
- Vassar College, Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604, USA
| | - J G Dishart
- Vassar College, Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604, USA
| | - G E Mintz
- Vassar College, Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604, USA
| | - Z Wang
- Vassar College, Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604, USA
| | - G I Coste
- Vassar College, Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604, USA
| | - A L Mousley
- Vassar College, Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604, USA
| | - I Soler
- Vassar College, Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604, USA
| | - K Lawson
- Vassar College, Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604, USA
| | - A J Ng
- Vassar College, Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604, USA
| | - J L Bezek
- Vassar College, Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604, USA
| | - H C Bergstrom
- Vassar College, Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604, USA.
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Yang Y, Lu J, Zuo Y. Changes of Synaptic Structures Associated with Learning, Memory and Diseases. BRAIN SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019. [DOI: 10.26599/bsa.2018.2018.9050012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Synaptic plasticity is widely believed to be the cellular basis of learning and memory. It is influenced by various factors including development, sensory experiences, and brain disorders. Long-term synaptic plasticity is accompanied by protein synthesis and trafficking, leading to structural changes of the synapse. In this review, we focus on the synaptic structural plasticity, which has mainly been studied with in vivo two-photon laser scanning microscopy. We also discuss how a special type of synapses, the multi-contact synapses (including those formed by multi-synaptic boutons and multi-synaptic spines), are associated with experience and learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Yang
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Ju Lu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
| | - Yi Zuo
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
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46
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Fear conditioning and extinction induce opposing changes in dendritic spine remodeling and somatic activity of layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the mouse motor cortex. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4619. [PMID: 30874589 PMCID: PMC6420657 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40549-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple brain regions including the amygdala and prefrontal cortex are crucial for modulating fear conditioning and extinction. The primary motor cortex is known to participate in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary movements. Whether and how the primary motor cortex is involved in modulating freezing responses related to fear conditioning and extinction remains unclear. Here we show that inactivation of the mouse primary motor cortex impairs both the acquisition and extinction of freezing responses induced by auditory-cued fear conditioning. Fear conditioning significantly increases the elimination of dendritic spines on apical dendrites of layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the motor cortex. These eliminated spines are further apart from each other than expected from random distribution along dendrites. On the other hand, fear extinction causes the formation of new spines that are located near the site of spines eliminated previously after fear conditioning. We further show that fear conditioning decreases and fear extinction increases somatic activities of layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the motor cortex respectively. Taken together, these findings indicate fear conditioning and extinction induce opposing changes in synaptic connections and somatic activities of layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the primary motor cortex, a cortical region important for the acquisition and extinction of auditory-cued conditioned freezing responses.
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47
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Marshall PR, Bredy TW. Neuroepigenetic mechanisms underlying fear extinction: emerging concepts. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:133-142. [PMID: 30506235 PMCID: PMC7293886 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5084-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
An understanding of how memory is acquired and how it can be modified in fear-related anxiety disorders, with the enhancement of failing memories on one side and a reduction or elimination of traumatic memories on the other, is a key unmet challenge in the fields of neuroscience and neuropsychiatry. The latter process depends on an important form of learning called fear extinction, where a previously acquired fear-related memory is decoupled from its ability to control behaviour through repeated non-reinforced exposure to the original fear-inducing cue. Although simple in description, fear extinction relies on a complex pattern of brain region and cell-type specific processes, some of which are unique to this form of learning and, for better or worse, contribute to the inherent instability of fear extinction memory. Here, we explore an emerging layer of biology that may compliment and enrich the synapse-centric perspective of fear extinction. As opposed to the more classically defined role of protein synthesis in the formation of fear extinction memory, a neuroepigenetic view of the experience-dependent gene expression involves an appreciation of dynamic changes in the state of the entire cell: from a transient change in plasticity at the level of the synapse, to potentially more persistent long-term effects within the nucleus. A deeper understanding of neuroepigenetic mechanisms and how they influence the formation and maintenance of fear extinction memory has the potential to enable the development of more effective treatment approaches for fear-related neuropsychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul R Marshall
- Cognitive Neuroepigenetics Laboratory, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
| | - Timothy W Bredy
- Cognitive Neuroepigenetics Laboratory, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
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