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Soares LA, Nascimento LMM, Guimarães FS, Gazarini L, Bertoglio LJ. Dual-step pharmacological intervention for traumatic-like memories: implications from D-cycloserine and cannabidiol or clonidine in male and female rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024:10.1007/s00213-024-06596-8. [PMID: 38691149 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-024-06596-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
RATIONALE Therapeutic approaches to mitigating traumatic memories have often faced resistance. Exploring safe reconsolidation blockers, drugs capable of reducing the emotional valence of the memory upon brief retrieval and reactivation, emerges as a promising pharmacological strategy. Towards this objective, preclinical investigations should focus on aversive memories resulting in maladaptive outcomes and consider sex-related differences to enhance their translatability. OBJECTIVES After selecting a relatively high training magnitude leading to the formation of a more intense and generalized fear memory in adult female and male rats, we investigated whether two clinically approved drugs disrupting its reconsolidation remain effective. RESULTS We found resistant reconsolidation impairment by the α2-adrenergic receptor agonist clonidine or cannabidiol, a major non-psychotomimetic Cannabis sativa component. However, pre-retrieval administration of D-cycloserine, a partial agonist at the glycine-binding site of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor complex, facilitated their impairing effects on reconsolidation. A similar reconsolidation blockade by clonidine or cannabidiol was achieved following exposure to a non-conditioned but generalized context after D-cycloserine administration. This suggests that sufficient memory destabilization can accompany generalized fear expression. Combining clonidine with cannabidiol without potentiating memory destabilization by D-cycloserine was ineffective. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight the importance of NMDA receptor signaling in memory destabilization and underscore the efficacy of a dual-step pharmacological intervention in attenuating traumatic-like memories, even in a context different from the original learning environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciane A Soares
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Laura M M Nascimento
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | | | - Lucas Gazarini
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso Do Sul, Três Lagoas, MS, Brazil
| | - Leandro J Bertoglio
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso Do Sul, Três Lagoas, MS, Brazil.
- Depto. de Farmacologia, CCB, UFSC, Campus Universitário S/N, Florianópolis, SC, 88049-900, Brazil.
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2
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Duken SB, Neumayer F, Dzinalija N, Kindt M, van Ast VA, Visser RM. Can neutral episodic memories become emotional? Evidence from facial expressions and subjective feelings. Behav Res Ther 2024; 177:104528. [PMID: 38593572 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2024.104528] [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: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Maladaptive emotional memories are a transdiagnostic feature of mental health problems. Therefore, understanding whether and how emotional memories can change might help to prevent and treat mental disorders. We tested whether neutral memories of naturalistic events can retroactively acquire positive or negative affect, in a preregistered three-day Modification of Valence in Episodes (MOVIE) paradigm. On Day 1, participants (N = 41) encoded memories of neutral movie scenes, representing lifelike naturalistic experiences. On Day 2, they retrieved each episode before viewing a happy, sad, or neutral scene from the same movie (yielding a within-subjects design with a neutral-negative, neutral-positive, and neutral-neutral condition). On Day 3, participants again retrieved each memory from Day 1. We assessed the affective tone of episodes through facial expressions of positive and negative affect (using facial electromyography, fEMG) and through self-reported feelings. Positive updating of neutral episodes led to increased expressions of positive affect, whereas negative updating led to increased self-reported negative feelings. These results suggest that complex neutral episodic memories can retroactively acquire an affective tone, but the effects were modest and inconsistent across affect readouts. Future research should investigate alternative approaches to updating emotional memories that produce more profound changes in the valence of memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sascha B Duken
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Franziska Neumayer
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nadza Dzinalija
- Department of Medical Humanities, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Merel Kindt
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Vanessa A van Ast
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Renée M Visser
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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3
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Wideman CE, Huff AE, Messer WS, Winters BD. Muscarinic receptor activation overrides boundary conditions on memory updating in a calcium/calmodulin-dependent manner. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:1358-1366. [PMID: 36928353 PMCID: PMC10354085 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01564-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
Long-term memory storage is a dynamic process requiring flexibility to ensure adaptive behavioural responding in changing environments. Indeed, it is well established that memory reactivation can "destabilize" consolidated traces, leading to various forms of updating. However, the neurobiological mechanisms rendering long-term memories labile and modifiable remain poorly described. Moreover, boundary conditions, such as the age or strength of the memory, can reduce the likelihood of this destabilization; yet, intuitively, these most behaviourally influential of memories should also be modifiable under appropriate conditions. Here, we provide evidence that salient novelty at the time of memory reactivation promotes integrative updating of resistant object memories in rats. Furthermore, blockade of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs; with pirenzepine) or disruption of calcium/calmodulin (Ca2+/CaM) with KN-93, a Ca2+/CaM-binding molecule that inhibits calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) activation, in perirhinal cortex (PRh) prevented novelty-induced destabilization and updating of resistant object memories. Finally, PRh M1 mAChR activation (with CDD-0102A) was sufficient to destabilize resistant object memories for updating, and this effect was blocked by KN-93, possibly via inhibition of CaMKII activity. Thus, mAChRs and activation of CaMKII appear to interact as part of a mechanism to override boundary conditions on resistant object memories to ensure integrative modification with novel information. These findings therefore have important implications for understanding the dynamic nature of long-term memory storage and potential treatments for conditions characterized by maladaptive and inflexible memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassidy E Wideman
- Department of Psychology and Collaborative Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
| | - Andrew E Huff
- Department of Psychology and Collaborative Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - William S Messer
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Toledo, Toldeo, OH, USA
| | - Boyer D Winters
- Department of Psychology and Collaborative Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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4
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Milton AL, Das RK, Merlo E. The challenge of memory destabilisation: From prediction error to prior expectations and biomarkers. Brain Res Bull 2023; 194:100-104. [PMID: 36708846 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2023.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The re-ignition of memory reconsolidation research sparked by Karim Nader in the early 2000s led to great excitement that 'reconsolidation-based' interventions might be developed for mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder. Two decades on, it is clear that reconsolidation-based interventions have been more challenging to translate to the clinic than initially thought. We argue that this challenge could be addressed with a better understanding of how prior expectations interact with information presented in a putative memory reactivation / cue reminder session, and through the identification of non-invasive biomarkers for memory destabilisation that would allow reminder sessions to be 'tuned' to enhance memory lability in an ad hoc manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Milton
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Ravi K Das
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Emiliano Merlo
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
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5
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Wang SH. Lose the fear and boost the everyday memory through memory destabilisation and reconsolidation. Brain Res Bull 2022; 190:134-139. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2022.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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6
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Grigoryan GA. Neuroinflammation and Reconsolidation of Memory. NEUROCHEM J+ 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s1819712422020076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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7
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Jardine KH, Huff AE, Wideman CE, McGraw SD, Winters BD. The evidence for and against reactivation-induced memory updating in humans and nonhuman animals. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 136:104598. [PMID: 35247380 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Systematic investigation of reactivation-induced memory updating began in the 1960s, and a wave of research in this area followed the seminal articulation of "reconsolidation" theory in the early 2000s. Myriad studies indicate that memory reactivation can cause previously consolidated memories to become labile and sensitive to weakening, strengthening, or other forms of modification. However, from its nascent period to the present, the field has been beset by inconsistencies in researchers' abilities to replicate seemingly established effects. Here we review these many studies, synthesizing the human and nonhuman animal literature, and suggest that these failures-to-replicate reflect a highly complex and delicately balanced memory modification system, the substrates of which must be finely tuned to enable adaptive memory updating while limiting maladaptive, inaccurate modifications. A systematic approach to the entire body of evidence, integrating positive and null findings, will yield a comprehensive understanding of the complex and dynamic nature of long-term memory storage and the potential for harnessing modification processes to treat mental disorders driven by pervasive maladaptive memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen H Jardine
- Department of Psychology and Collaborative Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - A Ethan Huff
- Department of Psychology and Collaborative Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Cassidy E Wideman
- Department of Psychology and Collaborative Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Shelby D McGraw
- Department of Psychology and Collaborative Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Boyer D Winters
- Department of Psychology and Collaborative Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
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8
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Mugnaini M, Alfei JM, Bueno AM, Ferrer Monti RI, Urcelay GP. Fear memory modulation by incentive down and up-shifts. Behav Brain Res 2022; 422:113766. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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9
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Jiang C, Wu X, Wang J, Li C, Luo G. Activation of CB1 pathway in the perirhinal cortex is necessary but not sufficient for destabilization of contextual fear memory in rats. Behav Brain Res 2022; 416:113573. [PMID: 34499934 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113573] [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: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
According to the reconsolidation theory, memories can be modified through the destabilization-reconsolidation process. The rodent perirhinal cortex (PER; Brodmann areas 35 and 36) critically participates in the process of fear conditioning. Previous studies showed that some of the parahippocampal regions are critical for contextual fear memory reconsolidation. In our research, through a three-day paradigm of CFC, we showed that protein synthesis in PER of rats is required for memory reconsolidation, and activation of CB1 pathway is necessary but not sufficient in inducing memory destabilization. This result underlines parahippocampal regions in destabilization and reconsolidation process of fear memory besides amygdala and hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Che Jiang
- Department of Neurosurgery, General Hospital of Southern Theatre Command, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Xiaona Wu
- Department of Neurosurgery, General Hospital of Southern Theatre Command, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiajia Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, General Hospital of Southern Theatre Command, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chunyong Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, General Hospital of Southern Theatre Command, Guangzhou, China
| | - Gaoquan Luo
- Department of Neurosurgery, General Hospital of Southern Theatre Command, Guangzhou, China
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10
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Alfei JM, De Gruy H, De Bundel D, Luyten L, Beckers T. Apparent reconsolidation interference without generalized amnesia. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 108:110161. [PMID: 33186637 PMCID: PMC7610545 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Memories remain dynamic after consolidation, and when reactivated, they can be rendered vulnerable to various pharmacological agents that disrupt the later expression of memory (i.e., amnesia). Such drug-induced post-reactivation amnesia has traditionally been studied in AAA experimental designs, where a memory is initially created for a stimulus A (be it a singular cue or a context) and later reactivated and tested through exposure to the exact same stimulus. Using a contextual fear conditioning procedure in rats and midazolam as amnestic agent, we recently demonstrated that drug-induced amnesia can also be obtained when memories are reactivated through exposure to a generalization stimulus (GS, context B) and later tested for that same generalization stimulus (ABB design). However, this amnestic intervention leaves fear expression intact when at test animals are instead presented with the original training stimulus (ABA design) or a novel generalization stimulus (ABC design). The underlying mechanisms of post-reactivation memory malleability and of MDZ-induced amnesia for a generalization context remain largely unknown. Here, we evaluated whether, like typical CS-mediated (or AAA) post-reactivation amnesia, GS-mediated (ABB) post-reactivation amnesia displays key features of a destabilization-based phenomenon. We first show that ABB post-reactivation amnesia is critically dependent on prediction error at the time of memory reactivation and provide evidence for its temporally graded nature. In line with the known role of GluN2B-NMDA receptor activation in memory destabilization, we further demonstrate that pre-reactivation administration of ifenprodil, a selective antagonist of GluN2B-NMDA receptors, prevents MDZ-induced ABB amnesia. In sum, our data reveal that ABB MDZ-induced post-reactivation amnesia exhibits the hallmark features of a destabilization-dependent phenomenon. Implication of our findings for a reconsolidation-based account of post-reactivation amnesia are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joaquín M. Alfei
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium,Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Hérnan De Gruy
- Department of Biology, University of Rome, 185 Rome, Italy
| | - Dimitri De Bundel
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Research Group Experimental Pharmacology, Center for Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Laura Luyten
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium.
| | - Tom Beckers
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium.
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11
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Reactivation-Dependent Amnesia for Contextual Fear Memories: Evidence for Publication Bias. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0108-20.2020. [PMID: 33355289 PMCID: PMC7877470 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0108-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on memory reconsolidation has been booming in the last two decades, with numerous high-impact publications reporting promising amnestic interventions in rodents and humans. However, our own recently-published failed replication attempts of reactivation-dependent amnesia for fear memories in rats suggest that such amnestic effects are not always readily found and that they depend on subtle and possibly uncontrollable parameters. The discrepancy between our observations and published studies in rodents suggests that the literature in this field might be biased. The aim of the current study was to gauge the presence of publication bias in a well-delineated part of the reconsolidation literature. To this end, we performed a systematic review of the literature on reactivation-dependent amnesia for contextual fear memories in rodents, followed by a statistical assessment of publication bias in this sample. In addition, relevant researchers were contacted for unpublished results, which were included in the current analyses. The obtained results support the presence of publication bias, suggesting that the literature provides an overly optimistic overall estimate of the size and reproducibility of amnestic effects. Reactivation-dependent amnesia for contextual fear memories in rodents is thus less robust than what is projected by the literature. The moderate success of clinical studies may be in line with this conclusion, rather than reflecting translational issues. For the field to evolve, replication and non-biased publication of obtained results are essential. A set of tools that can create opportunities to increase transparency, reproducibility and credibility of research findings is provided.
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12
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Alfei JM, Ferrer Monti RI, Molina VA, De Bundel D, Luyten L, Beckers T. Generalization and recovery of post-retrieval amnesia. J Exp Psychol Gen 2020; 149:2063-2083. [PMID: 32297779 PMCID: PMC7116269 DOI: 10.1037/xge0000765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Selective amnesia for previously established memories can be induced by administering drugs that impair protein synthesis shortly after memory reactivation. Competing theoretical accounts attribute this selective post-retrieval amnesia to drug-induced engram degradation (reconsolidation blockade) or to incorporation of sensory features of the reactivation experience into the memory representation, hampering later retrieval in a drug-free state (memory integration). Here we present evidence that critically challenges both accounts. In contextual fear conditioning in rats, we find that amnesia induced by administration of midazolam (MDZ) after reexposure to the training context A generalizes readily to a similar context B. Amnesia is also observed when animals are exposed to the similar context B prior to MDZ administration and later tested for fear to context B but recovers when instead testing for fear to the original training context A or an equally similar but novel context C. Next to their theoretical implications for the nature of forgetting, our findings raise important questions about the viability of reconsolidation-based interventions for the treatment of emotional disorders. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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13
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Thalamic nucleus reuniens regulates fear memory destabilization upon retrieval. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 175:107313. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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14
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Vaverková Z, Milton AL, Merlo E. Retrieval-Dependent Mechanisms Affecting Emotional Memory Persistence: Reconsolidation, Extinction, and the Space in Between. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:574358. [PMID: 33132861 PMCID: PMC7550798 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.574358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Maladaptive emotional memories contribute to the persistence of many mental health disorders, and therefore the prospect of disrupting these memories to produce long-term reductions in relapse is of great clinical appeal. Reducing the impact of maladaptive emotional memories on behaviour could be achieved by two retrieval-dependent manipulations that engage separate mnemonic processes: "reconsolidation disruption" and "extinction enhancement." Extinction occurs during a prolonged re-exposure session in the absence of the expected emotional outcome and is widely accepted as reflecting the formation of a new, inhibitory memory that prevents behavioural expression of the original trace. Reconsolidation, by contrast, involves the destabilisation of the original memory, allowing for subsequent updating and restabilisation in specific brain regions, unless the re-stabilization process is prevented through specific pharmacological or behavioural interventions. Both destabilisation of the original memory and memory extinction require that re-exposure induces prediction error-a mismatch between what is expected and what actually occurs-but the parameters that allow reconsolidation and extinction to occur, and control the transition between them, have not been well-characterised. Here, we review what is known about the induction of memory destabilisation and extinction, and the transition period that separates these mnemonic processes, drawing on preclinical and clinical examples. A deeper understanding of the processes that determine the alternative routes to memory persistence or inhibition is critical for designing new and more reliable clinical treatments targeting maladaptive emotional memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Vaverková
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Amy L Milton
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Emiliano Merlo
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
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15
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Marin FN, Franzen JM, Troyner F, Molina VA, Giachero M, Bertoglio LJ. Taking advantage of fear generalization-associated destabilization to attenuate the underlying memory via reconsolidation intervention. Neuropharmacology 2020; 181:108338. [PMID: 33002500 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Upon retrieval, an aversive memory can undergo destabilization and reconsolidation. A traumatic-like memory, however, may be resistant to this process. The present study sought to contribute with a strategy to overcome this potential issue by investigating whether generalized fear retrieval is susceptible to destabilization-reconsolidation that can be pharmacologically modified. We hypothesized that exposure to a context that elicits moderate generalization levels would allow a malleable memory state. We developed a fear conditioning protocol in context A (cxt-A) paired with yohimbine administration to promote significant fear to a non-conditioned context B (cxt-B) in rats, mimicking the enhanced noradrenergic activity reported after traumatic events in humans. Next, we attempted to impair the reconsolidation phase by administering clonidine (CLO) immediately after exposure to cxt-A, cxt-B, or a third context C (cxt-C) neither conditioned nor generalized. CLO administered post-cxt-B exposure for two consecutive days subsequently resulted in decreased freezing levels in cxt-A. CLO after cxt-B only once, after cxt-A or cxt-C in two consecutive days, or independently of cxt-B exposures did not affect fear in a later test. A 6-h-delay in CLO treatment post-cxt-B exposures produced no effects, and nimodipine administered pre-cxt-B exposures precluded the CLO action. We then quantified the Egr1/Zif268 protein expression following cxt-B exposures and CLO treatments. We found that these factors interact to modulate this memory destabilization-reconsolidation mechanism in the basolateral amygdala but not the dorsal CA1 hippocampus. Altogether, memory destabilization can accompany generalized fear expression; thus, we may exploit it to potentiate reconsolidation blockers' action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Navarro Marin
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Jaqueline Maisa Franzen
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Troyner
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Victor Alejandro Molina
- Departamento de Farmacología, IFEC-CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Marcelo Giachero
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Traslacional (INCYT), CONICET, Fundación INECO, Universidad Favaloro, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Leandro Jose Bertoglio
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
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16
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Schroyens N, Alfei JM, Schnell AE, Luyten L, Beckers T. Limited replicability of drug-induced amnesia after contextual fear memory retrieval in rats. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2019; 166:107105. [PMID: 31705982 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2019.107105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
With the ultimate goal of investigating boundary conditions for post-reactivation amnesia, we set out to replicate studies in which systemic, post-reactivation administration of midazolam, propranolol, or cycloheximide resulted in amnesia for contextual fear memories. Our experiments involved conceptual as well as exact replications of previously published studies. In most of our experiments, we adopted a procedure that conformed to the standard 3-day protocol typically used in the literature, with contextual fear conditioning on day 1, unreinforced re-exposure to the conditioning context followed by systemic injection of the amnestic drug on day 2, and a memory retention test on day 3. Given the plethora of successful studies with large effects sizes and the absence of any failed replications in the literature, we were surprised to find that we were generally unable to replicate those findings. Our results suggest that post-reactivation amnesia by systemic drug administration in rats is more difficult to obtain than what would be expected based on published empirical reports. At present, it remains unclear which conditions determine the success of this procedure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Schroyens
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 bus 3712, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Joaquín Matias Alfei
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 bus 3712, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Anna Elisabeth Schnell
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 bus 3712, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory of Biological Psychology, Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 bus 3712, 3000 Leuven, Belgium(2).
| | - Laura Luyten
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 bus 3712, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Tom Beckers
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 bus 3712, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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17
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Cahill EN, Milton AL. Neurochemical and molecular mechanisms underlying the retrieval-extinction effect. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:111-132. [PMID: 30656364 PMCID: PMC6373198 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5121-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Extinction within the reconsolidation window, or 'retrieval-extinction', has received much research interest as a possible technique for targeting the reconsolidation of maladaptive memories with a behavioural intervention. However, it remains to be determined whether the retrieval-extinction effect-a long-term reduction in fear behaviour, which appears resistant to spontaneous recovery, renewal and reinstatement-depends specifically on destabilisation of the original memory (the 'reconsolidation-update' account) or represents facilitation of an extinction memory (the 'extinction-facilitation' account). We propose that comparing the neurotransmitter systems, receptors and intracellular signalling pathways recruited by reconsolidation, extinction and retrieval-extinction will provide a way of distinguishing between these accounts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma N Cahill
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EG, UK
| | - Amy L Milton
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
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18
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Wideman CE, Jardine KH, Winters BD. Involvement of classical neurotransmitter systems in memory reconsolidation: Focus on destabilization. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2018; 156:68-79. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Revised: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Schroyens N, Bender CL, Alfei JM, Molina VA, Luyten L, Beckers T. Post-weaning housing conditions influence freezing during contextual fear conditioning in adult rats. Behav Brain Res 2018; 359:172-180. [PMID: 30391556 PMCID: PMC6314464 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.10.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Revised: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the influence of housing conditions on contextual fear memory malleability. Male Wistar rats were housed in enriched, standard, or impoverished conditions after weaning and remained in these conditions throughout the entire experiment. After six weeks into those housing conditions, all animals underwent a 3-day protocol including contextual fear conditioning (day 1), memory reactivation followed by systemic administration of midazolam or vehicle (day 2), and a retention test (day 3). Percentage freezing was used as a behavioral measure of contextual fear. There was no evidence for an effect of housing conditions on the sensitivity of contextual fear memory to amnestic effects of post-reactivation midazolam administration, and no indication for amnestic effects of post-reactivation midazolam overall (including in the standard group). The inability to replicate previous demonstrations of post-reactivation amnesia using the same protocol underscores the subtle nature of post-reactivation pharmacological memory interference. Notably, impoverished housing resulted in a decrease in contextual freezing during contextual fear conditioning, reactivation and retention testing, compared to enriched and standard housing conditions. This observation warrants caution when interpreting the results from experiments regarding effects of housing on fear memory processes, particularly when freezing is used as a measure of fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Schroyens
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 bus 3712, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Crhistian Luis Bender
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba-CONICET, Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.
| | - Joaquín Matias Alfei
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 bus 3712, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Victor Alejandro Molina
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba-CONICET, Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.
| | - Laura Luyten
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 bus 3712, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Tom Beckers
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 bus 3712, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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20
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Vigil FA, Giese KP. Calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II and memory destabilization: a new role in memory maintenance. J Neurochem 2018; 147:12-23. [PMID: 29704430 PMCID: PMC6221169 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.14454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Revised: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
In this review, we discuss the poorly explored role of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in memory maintenance, and its influence on memory destabilization. After a brief review on CaMKII and memory destabilization, we present critical pieces of evidence suggesting that CaMKII activity increases retrieval-induced memory destabilization. We then proceed to propose two potential molecular pathways to explain the association between CaMKII activation and increased memory destabilization. This review will pinpoint gaps in our knowledge and discuss some 'controversial' observations, establishing the basis for new experiments on the role of CaMKII in memory reconsolidation. The role of CaMKII in memory destabilization is of great clinical relevance. Still, because of the lack of scientific literature on the subject, more basic science research is necessary to pursue this pathway as a clinical tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Antonio Vigil
- Department of Cell and Integrative PhysiologyThe University of Texas Health San Antonio8403, Floyd Curl DriveSan AntonioTX 78229USA
| | - Karl Peter Giese
- Department of Basic and Clinical NeuroscienceKing's College London125 Coldharbour LaneLondonSE5 9NUUK
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21
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Positive emotional induction interferes with the reconsolidation of negative autobiographical memories, in women only. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2018; 155:508-518. [PMID: 30081154 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2017] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
After reactivation, a previously consolidated memory can enter into a labile state followed by a re-stabilization process defined as reconsolidation. The aim of this study was to explore whether an existing negative autobiographical memory can be modified by using a non-invasive interference (audiovisual positive preparation) after reactivation and to determine if this effect could be dependent on the reconsolidation process. We found that the presentation of a positive inductor after a negative autobiographical memory reactivation may lead to a change in the emotional information of the original trace and that such effect can be mediated by the reconsolidation process. The modification of the memory has been shown in women only. These results suggest that a positive audiovisual induction may play a potential role in psychotherapeutic techniques for the modification of dysfunctional autobiographical memories.
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22
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Ferrer Monti RI, Alfei JM, Mugnaini M, Bueno AM, Beckers T, Urcelay GP, Molina VA. A comparison of behavioral and pharmacological interventions to attenuate reactivated fear memories. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 24:369-374. [PMID: 28716956 PMCID: PMC5516684 DOI: 10.1101/lm.045385.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2017] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Two experiments using rats in a contextual fear memory preparation compared two approaches to reduce conditioned fear: (1) pharmacological reconsolidation blockade and (2) reactivation-plus-extinction training. In Experiment 1, we explored different combinations of reactivation-plus-extinction parameters to reduce conditioned fear and attenuate reacquisition. In Experiment 2, memory reactivation was followed by extinction training or administration of midazolam (MDZ) (vs. vehicle) to reduce conditioned fear and attenuate spontaneous recovery. We found both treatments to be equally effective in both experiments. This study suggests that parameters leading to memory destabilization during reactivation are critical to observe long-lasting effects of MDZ or reactivation plus extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roque I Ferrer Monti
- Laboratorio de Psicología Experimental, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Enfermera Gordillo y Enrique Barros, Ciudad Universitaria, (5000) Córdoba, Argentina.,Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Neuroscience, Psychology & Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7HA, United Kingdom.,IFEC-CONICET, Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Haya de la Torre y Medina Allende, Ciudad Universitaria, (5000) Córdoba, Argentina.,Instituto Hebb de Salud Mental, Martín Coronado 3282 (5009), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Joaquín M Alfei
- Laboratorio de Psicología Experimental, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Enfermera Gordillo y Enrique Barros, Ciudad Universitaria, (5000) Córdoba, Argentina.,Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Matías Mugnaini
- Laboratorio de Psicología Experimental, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Enfermera Gordillo y Enrique Barros, Ciudad Universitaria, (5000) Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Adrián M Bueno
- Laboratorio de Psicología Experimental, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Enfermera Gordillo y Enrique Barros, Ciudad Universitaria, (5000) Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Tom Beckers
- Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gonzalo P Urcelay
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology & Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7HA, United Kingdom
| | - Victor A Molina
- IFEC-CONICET, Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Haya de la Torre y Medina Allende, Ciudad Universitaria, (5000) Córdoba, Argentina
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23
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Lee JLC, Nader K, Schiller D. An Update on Memory Reconsolidation Updating. Trends Cogn Sci 2017; 21:531-545. [PMID: 28495311 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2017.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 291] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Revised: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The reactivation of a stored memory in the brain can make the memory transiently labile. During the time it takes for the memory to restabilize (reconsolidate) the memory can either be reduced by an amnesic agent or enhanced by memory enhancers. The change in memory expression is related to changes in the brain correlates of long-term memory. Many have suggested that such retrieval-induced plasticity is ideally placed to enable memories to be updated with new information. This hypothesis has been tested experimentally, with a translational perspective, by attempts to update maladaptive memories to reduce their problematic impact. We review here progress on reconsolidation updating studies, highlighting their translational exploitation and addressing recent challenges to the reconsolidation field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan L C Lee
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Karim Nader
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Department of Psychology,1205 Dr Penfield Avenue, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada.
| | - Daniela Schiller
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Friedman Brain Institute, New York, NY 10029, USA.
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