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Budniok S, Odent P, Callaerts-Vegh Z, Bosmans G, D'Hooge R. Neurobeachin haploinsufficient mice display sex-independent alterations in cued and contextual fear conditioning. Neuroreport 2023; 34:664-669. [PMID: 37506311 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000001938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Neurobeachin ( NBEA ) is a cytoplasmic protein that regulates receptor trafficking, neurotransmitter and hormone secretion, as well as synaptic connectivity. Recently, hippocampus-dependent contextual extinction, the gradual decrease of a conditioned fear response to a context, was suggested to be specifically impaired in male mice with Nbea deficiency ( Nbea+/- ). The current study examines the role of sex in this effect and whether Nbea also influences cued fear conditioning. We included both female and male mice and used a phased contextual and cued fear acquisition protocol that consists of different phases allowing us to assess fear acquisition, cued and contextual fear memory and within-phase extinction. Performance of Nbea+/- mice during assessment of both contextual and cued fear memory was significantly altered compared to controls, independent of sex. Follow-up analyses revealed that this altered performance could be indicative of impaired within-phase extinction. Altered within-phase extinction was not exclusively attributable to hippocampus, and independent of sex. Our results rather suggest that Nbea influences complex learning more broadly across different brain structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Budniok
- Laboratory of Biological Psychology, University of Leuven
- Learn2Trust Research Group, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Paulien Odent
- Laboratory of Biological Psychology, University of Leuven
- Learn2Trust Research Group, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Guy Bosmans
- Learn2Trust Research Group, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rudi D'Hooge
- Laboratory of Biological Psychology, University of Leuven
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2
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Gryksa K, Schmidtner AK, Masís-Calvo M, Rodríguez-Villagra OA, Havasi A, Wirobski G, Maloumby R, Jägle H, Bosch OJ, Slattery DA, Neumann ID. Selective breeding of rats for high (HAB) and low (LAB) anxiety-related behaviour: A unique model for comorbid depression and social dysfunctions. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105292. [PMID: 37353047 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
Animal models of selective breeding for extremes in emotionality are a strong experimental approach to model psychopathologies. They became indispensable in order to increase our understanding of neurobiological, genetic, epigenetic, hormonal, and environmental mechanisms contributing to anxiety disorders and their association with depressive symptoms or social deficits. In the present review, we extensively discuss Wistar rats selectively bred for high (HAB) and low (LAB) anxiety-related behaviour on the elevated plus-maze. After 30 years of breeding, we can confirm the prominent differences between HAB and LAB rats in trait anxiety, which are accompanied by consistent differences in depressive-like, social and cognitive behaviours. We can further confirm a single nucleotide polymorphism in the vasopressin promotor of HAB rats causative for neuropeptide overexpression, and show that low (or high) anxiety and fear levels are unlikely due to visual dysfunctions. Thus, HAB and LAB rats continue to exist as a reliable tool to study the multiple facets underlying the pathology of high trait anxiety and its comorbidity with depression-like behaviour and social dysfunctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Gryksa
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Anna K Schmidtner
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Marianella Masís-Calvo
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Odir A Rodríguez-Villagra
- Centro de Investigación en Neurosciencias, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, San José, Costa Rica.
| | - Andrea Havasi
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Gwendolyn Wirobski
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Rodrigue Maloumby
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Herbert Jägle
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Oliver J Bosch
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - David A Slattery
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Heinrich-Hoffmann-Straße 10, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Inga D Neumann
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
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3
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Lages YV, Balthazar L, Krahe TE, Landeira-Fernandez J. Pharmacological and Physiological Correlates of the Bidirectional Fear Phenotype of the Carioca Rats and Other Bidirectionally Selected Lines. Curr Neuropharmacol 2023; 21:1864-1883. [PMID: 36237160 PMCID: PMC10514533 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x20666221012121534] [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: 05/21/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The Carioca rat lines originated from the selective bidirectional breeding of mates displaying extreme defense responses to contextual conditioned fear. After three generations, two distinct populations could be distinguished: the Carioca High- and Low-conditioned Freezing rats, CHF, and CLF, respectively. Later studies identified strong anxiety-like behaviors in the CHF line, while indications of impulsivity and hyperactivity were prominent in the CLF animals. The present review details the physiological and pharmacological-related findings obtained from these lines. The results discussed here point towards a dysfunctional fear circuitry in CHF rats, including alterations in key brain structures and the serotoninergic system. Moreover, data from these animals highlight important alterations in the stress-processing machinery and its associated systems, such as energy metabolism and antioxidative defense. Finally, evidence of an alteration in the dopaminergic pathway in CLF rats is also debated. Thus, accumulating data gathered over the years, place the Carioca lines as significant animal models for the study of psychiatric disorders, especially fear-related ones like anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yury V. Lages
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Laura Balthazar
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Biology Institute, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Thomas. E. Krahe
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - J. Landeira-Fernandez
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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4
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The infralimbic mineralocorticoid blockage prevents the stress-induced impairment of aversive memory extinction in rats. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:343. [PMID: 35999226 PMCID: PMC9399104 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02118-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals deal with adversity and return to a normal lifestyle when adversity ends. Nevertheless, in specific cases, traumas may be preceded by memory distortions in stress-related malaises, and memory extinction impairment is strictly associated with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Glucocorticoids (GCs), the central stress mediator, target mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors and coordinate stress responses. Despite MRs being present in brain regions essential to cognition, emotions, and initial stress processing, such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), most studies attempt to elucidate the stress-induced deleterious actions of GCs via GR. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the relationship between stress, infralimbic mPFC (IL), and memory and how MR-mediated intracellular signaling influences this relationship and modulates memory extinction. We observed that acutely restraint-stressed male Wistar rats showed high corticosterone (CORT) levels, and previous intra-IL-spironolactone administration (a selective MR antagonist) decreased it 60 min after the stress started. Intra-IL-CORT118335, a novel mixed MR/GR selective modulator, increased CORT throughout stress exposure. Ten days after stress, all rats increased freezing in the memory retrieval test and acquired the aversive contextual memory. During the extinction test, intra-IL injection of spironolactone, but not CORT118335, prevented the stress-impaired memory extinction, suggesting that the IL-MR activity controls CORT concentration, and it is crucial to the establishment of late extinction impairment. Also, the concomitant GR full activation overrode MR blockage. It increased CORT levels leading to the stress-induced extinction memory impairment, reinforcing that the MR/GR balance is crucial to predicting stress-induced behavioral outcomes.
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5
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Namkung H, Thomas KL, Hall J, Sawa A. Parsing neural circuits of fear learning and extinction across basic and clinical neuroscience: Towards better translation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 134:104502. [PMID: 34921863 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Over the past decades, studies of fear learning and extinction have advanced our understanding of the neurobiology of threat and safety learning. Animal studies can provide mechanistic/causal insights into human brain regions and their functional connectivity involved in fear learning and extinction. Findings in humans, conversely, may further enrich our understanding of neural circuits in animals by providing macroscopic insights at the level of brain-wide networks. Nevertheless, there is still much room for improvement in translation between basic and clinical research on fear learning and extinction. Through the lens of neural circuits, in this article, we aim to review the current knowledge of fear learning and extinction in both animals and humans, and to propose strategies to fill in the current knowledge gap for the purpose of enhancing clinical benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ho Namkung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Kerrie L Thomas
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Jeremy Hall
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Akira Sawa
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
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6
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High trait anxiety in mice is associated with impaired extinction in the contextual fear conditioning paradigm. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 190:107602. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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7
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Meyer HC, Sangha S, Radley JJ, LaLumiere RT, Baratta MV. Environmental certainty influences the neural systems regulating responses to threat and stress. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 131:1037-1055. [PMID: 34673111 PMCID: PMC8642312 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Flexible calibration of threat responding in accordance with the environment is an adaptive process that allows an animal to avoid harm while also maintaining engagement of other goal-directed actions. This calibration process, referred to as threat response regulation, requires an animal to calculate the probability that a given encounter will result in a threat so they can respond accordingly. Here we review the neural correlates of two highly studied forms of threat response suppression: extinction and safety conditioning. We focus on how relative levels of certainty or uncertainty in the surrounding environment alter the acquisition and application of these processes. We also discuss evidence indicating altered threat response regulation following stress exposure, including enhanced fear conditioning, and disrupted extinction and safety conditioning. To conclude, we discuss research using an animal model of coping that examines the impact of stressor controllability on threat responding, highlighting the potential for previous experiences with control, or other forms of coping, to protect against the effects of future adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi C Meyer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
| | - Susan Sangha
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.
| | - Jason J Radley
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.
| | - Ryan T LaLumiere
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.
| | - Michael V Baratta
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA.
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8
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Baldi E, Costa A, Rani B, Passani MB, Blandina P, Romano A, Provensi G. Oxytocin and Fear Memory Extinction: Possible Implications for the Therapy of Fear Disorders? Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:10000. [PMID: 34576161 PMCID: PMC8467761 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221810000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Several psychiatric conditions such as phobias, generalized anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are characterized by pathological fear and anxiety. The main therapeutic approach used in the management of these disorders is exposure-based therapy, which is conceptually based upon fear extinction with the formation of a new safe memory association, allowing the reduction in behavioral conditioned fear responses. Nevertheless, this approach is only partially resolutive, since many patients have difficulty following the demanding and long process, and relapses are frequently observed over time. One strategy to improve the efficacy of the cognitive therapy is the combination with pharmacological agents. Therefore, the identification of compounds able to strengthen the formation and persistence of the inhibitory associations is a key goal. Recently, growing interest has been aroused by the neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT), which has been shown to have anxiolytic effects. Furthermore, OXT receptors and binding sites have been found in the critical brain structures involved in fear extinction. In this review, the recent literature addressing the complex effects of OXT on fear extinction at preclinical and clinical levels is discussed. These studies suggest that the OXT roles in fear behavior are due to its local effects in several brain regions, most notably, distinct amygdaloid regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Baldi
- Section of Physiological Sciences, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy;
| | - Alessia Costa
- Section of Clinical Pharmacology and Oncology, Department of Health Sciences (DSS), University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy; (A.C.); (B.R.); (M.B.P.)
| | - Barbara Rani
- Section of Clinical Pharmacology and Oncology, Department of Health Sciences (DSS), University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy; (A.C.); (B.R.); (M.B.P.)
| | - Maria Beatrice Passani
- Section of Clinical Pharmacology and Oncology, Department of Health Sciences (DSS), University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy; (A.C.); (B.R.); (M.B.P.)
| | - Patrizio Blandina
- Section of Pharmacology of Toxicology, Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy;
| | - Adele Romano
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology ‘V. Erspamer’, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Gustavo Provensi
- Section of Pharmacology of Toxicology, Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy;
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9
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Willadsen M, Uengoer M, Sługocka A, Schwarting RK, Homberg JR, Wöhr M. Fear Extinction and Predictive Trait-Like Inter-Individual Differences in Rats Lacking the Serotonin Transporter. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22137088. [PMID: 34209318 PMCID: PMC8268876 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22137088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are associated with a failure to sufficiently extinguish fear memories. The serotonergic system (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) with the 5-HT transporter (5-HTT, SERT) is strongly implicated in the regulation of anxiety and fear. In the present study, we examined the effects of SERT deficiency on fear extinction in a differential fear conditioning paradigm in male and female rats. Fear-related behavior displayed during acquisition, extinction, and recovery, was measured through quantification of immobility and alarm 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USV). Trait-like inter-individual differences in novelty-seeking, anxiety-related behavior, habituation learning, cognitive performance, and pain sensitivity were examined for their predictive value in forecasting fear extinction. Our results show that SERT deficiency strongly affected the emission of 22-kHz USV during differential fear conditioning. During acquisition, extinction, and recovery, SERT deficiency consistently led to a reduction in 22-kHz USV emission. While SERT deficiency did not affect immobility during acquisition, genotype differences started to emerge during extinction, and during recovery rats lacking SERT showed higher levels of immobility than wildtype littermate controls. Recovery was reflected in increased levels of immobility but not 22-kHz USV emission. Prominent sex differences were evident. Among several measures for trait-like inter-individual differences, anxiety-related behavior had the best predictive quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Willadsen
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Gutenberg-Str. 18, D-35032 Marburg, Germany; (M.W.); (R.K.W.S.)
| | - Metin Uengoer
- Associative Learning, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Gutenberg-Str. 18, D-35032 Marburg, Germany;
| | - Anna Sługocka
- Department for Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Medyków 4, 40-752 Katowice, Poland;
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Medyków 18, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
| | - Rainer K.W. Schwarting
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Gutenberg-Str. 18, D-35032 Marburg, Germany; (M.W.); (R.K.W.S.)
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-University of Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Judith R. Homberg
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands;
| | - Markus Wöhr
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Gutenberg-Str. 18, D-35032 Marburg, Germany; (M.W.); (R.K.W.S.)
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-University of Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
- KU Leuven, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Research Unit Brain and Cognition, Laboratory of Biological Psychology, Social and Affective Neuroscience Research Group, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
- KU Leuven, Leuven Brain Institute, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +32–16–19–45–57
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10
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Festucci F, Buccheri C, Parvopassu A, Oggiano M, Bortolato M, Laviola G, Curcio G, Adriani W. "Himalayan Bridge": A New Unstable Suspended Bridge to Investigate Rodents' Venturesome Behavior. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:637074. [PMID: 33994967 PMCID: PMC8113634 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.637074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
While both risk-taking and avoidant behaviors are necessary for survival, their imbalanced expression can lead to impulse-control and anxiety disorders, respectively. In laboratory rodents, the conflict between risk proneness and anxiety can be studied by using their innate fear of heights. To explore this aspect in detail and investigate venturesome behavior, here we used a "Himalayan Bridge," a rat-adapted version of the suspended wire bridge protocol originally developed for mice. The apparatus is composed of two elevated scaffolds connected by bridges of different lengths and stability at 1 m above a foam rubber-covered floor. Rats were allowed to cross the bridge to reach food, and crossings, pawslips, turnabouts, and latencies to cross were measured. Given the link between risky behavior and adolescence, we used this apparatus to investigate the different responses elicited by a homecage mate on the adolescent development of risk-taking behavior. Thus, 24 wild-type (WT) subjects were divided into three different housing groups: WT rats grown up with WT adult rats; control WT adolescent rats (grown up with WT adolescents), which showed a proclivity to risk; and WT rats grown up with an adult rat harboring a truncated mutation for their dopamine transporter (DAT). This latter group exhibited risk-averse responses reminiscent of lower venturesomeness. Our results suggest that the Himalayan Bridge may be useful to investigate risk perception and seeking; thus, it should be included in the behavioral phenotyping of rat models of psychiatric disorders and cognitive dysfunctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabiana Festucci
- Center for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Clelia Buccheri
- Center for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Parvopassu
- Center for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Marco Bortolato
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Giovanni Laviola
- Center for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Curcio
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Walter Adriani
- Center for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
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Fendt M, Gonzalez-Guerrero CP, Kahl E. Observational Fear Learning in Rats: Role of Trait Anxiety and Ultrasonic Vocalization. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11040423. [PMID: 33810488 PMCID: PMC8066558 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11040423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Rats can acquire fear by observing conspecifics that express fear in the presence of conditioned fear stimuli. This process is called observational fear learning and is based on the social transmission of the demonstrator rat’s emotion and the induction of an empathy-like or anxiety state in the observer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of trait anxiety and ultrasonic vocalization in observational fear learning. Two experiments with male Wistar rats were performed. In the first experiment, trait anxiety was assessed in a light–dark box test before the rats were submitted to the observational fear learning procedure. In the second experiment, ultrasonic vocalization was recorded throughout the whole observational fear learning procedure, and 22 kHz and 50 kHz calls were analyzed. The results of our study show that trait anxiety differently affects direct fear learning and observational fear learning. Direct fear learning was more pronounced with higher trait anxiety, while observational fear learning was the best with a medium-level of trait anxiety. There were no indications in the present study that ultrasonic vocalization, especially emission of 22 kHz calls, but also 50 kHz calls, are critical for observational fear learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Fendt
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; (C.P.G.-G.); (E.K.)
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
- Correspondence:
| | - Claudia Paulina Gonzalez-Guerrero
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; (C.P.G.-G.); (E.K.)
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Evelyn Kahl
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; (C.P.G.-G.); (E.K.)
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12
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Environmental enrichment prevents the late effect of acute stress-induced fear extinction deficit: the role of hippocampal AMPA-GluA1 phosphorylation. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:18. [PMID: 33414437 PMCID: PMC7791025 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-01140-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The persistence of anxiety and the deficit of fear memory extinction are both phenomena related to the symptoms of a trauma-related disorder, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recently we have shown that single acute restraint stress (2 h) in rats induces a late anxiety-related behavior (observed ten days after stress), whereas, in the present work, we found that the same stress impaired fear extinction in animals conditioned ten days after stress. Fourteen days of environmental enrichment (EE) prevented the deleterious effect of stress on fear memory extinction. Additionally, we observed that EE prevented the stress-induced increase in AMPA receptor GluA1 subunit phosphorylation in the hippocampus, but not in the basolateral amygdala complex and the frontal cortex, indicating a potential mechanism by which it exerts its protective effect against the stress-induced behavioral outcome.
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Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychiatric condition with a wide range of behavioral disturbances and serious consequences for both patient and society. One of the main reasons for unsuccessful therapies is insufficient knowledge about its underlying pathomechanism. In the search for centrally signaling molecules that might be relevant to the development of PTSD we focus here on arginine vasopressin (AVP). So far AVP has not been strongly implicated in PTSD, but different lines of evidence suggest a possible impact of its signaling in all clusters of PTSD symptomatology. More specifically, in laboratory rodents, AVP agonists affect behavior in a PTSD-like manner, while significant reduction of AVP signaling in the brain e.g. in AVP-deficient Brattleboro rats, ameliorated defined behavioral parameters that can be linked to PTSD symptoms. Different animal models of PTSD also show alterations in the AVP signaling in distinct brain areas. However, pharmacological treatment targeting central AVP receptors via systemic routes is hampered by possible side effects that are linked to the peripheral action of AVP as a hormone. Indeed, the V1a receptor, the most common receptor subtype in the brain, is implicated in vasoconstriction. Thus, systemic treatment with V1a receptor antagonists would be implicated in hypotonia. This implies that novel treatment concepts are needed to target AVP receptors not only at brain level but also in distinct brain areas, to offer alternative treatments for PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eszter Sipos
- Behavioral Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Bibiána Török
- Behavioral Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- Janos Szentagothai School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - István Barna
- Behavioral Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Mario Engelmann
- Institut für Biochemie und Zellbiologie, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioural Brain Sciences (CBBS), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Dóra Zelena
- Behavioral Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- Centre for Neuroscience, Szentágothai Research Centre, Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
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14
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Oliveros-Matus P, Perez-Urrutia N, Alvarez-Ricartes N, Echeverria F, Barreto GE, Elliott J, Iarkov A, Echeverria V. Cotinine Enhances Fear Extinction and Astrocyte Survival by Mechanisms Involving the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Signaling. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:303. [PMID: 32300297 PMCID: PMC7142247 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.00303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear memory extinction (FE) is an important therapeutic goal for Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cotinine facilitates FE in rodents, in part due to its inhibitory effect on the amygdala by the glutamatergic projections from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). The cellular and behavioral effects of infusing cotinine into the mPFC on FE, astroglia survival, and the expression of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) 2 and 8, were assessed in C57BL/6 conditioned male mice. The role of the α4β2- and α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) on cotinine’s actions were also investigated. Cotinine infused into the mPFC enhanced contextual FE and decreased BMP8 expression by a mechanism dependent on the α7nAChRs. In addition, cotinine increased BMP2 expression and prevented the loss of GFAP + astrocytes in a form independent on the α7nAChRs but dependent on the α4β2 nAChRs. This evidence suggests that cotinine exerts its effect on FE by modulating nAChRs signaling in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Oliveros-Matus
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad San Sebastián, Concepción, Chile
| | - Nelson Perez-Urrutia
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad San Sebastián, Concepción, Chile
| | - Nathalie Alvarez-Ricartes
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad San Sebastián, Concepción, Chile
| | - Florencia Echeverria
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad San Sebastián, Concepción, Chile
| | - George E Barreto
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.,Health Research Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| | - James Elliott
- Northern Sydney Local Health District, The Kolling Research Institute and Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, St. Leonards, NSW, Australia.,Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Alexandre Iarkov
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad San Sebastián, Concepción, Chile
| | - Valentina Echeverria
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad San Sebastián, Concepción, Chile.,Research and Development Department, Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, Bay Pines, FL, United States
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15
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Macêdo-Souza C, Maisonnette SS, Filgueiras CC, Landeira-Fernandez J, Krahe TE. Cued Fear Conditioning in Carioca High- and Low-Conditioned Freezing Rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 13:285. [PMID: 32038188 PMCID: PMC6992609 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Anxiety disorders (AD) comprise a broad range of psychiatric conditions, including general anxiety (GAD) and specific phobias. For the last decades, the use of animal models of anxiety has offered important insights into the understanding of the association between these psychopathologies. Here, we investigate whether Carioca high- and low-conditioned freezing rats (CHF and CLF, respectively), a GAD animal model of anxiety, show similar high- and low-freezing behavioral phenotypes for cued auditory fear conditioning. Adult CHF (n = 16), CLF (n = 16) and normal age-matched Wistar rats (control, CTL, n = 16) were tested in a classical auditory-cued fear conditioning paradigm over 3 days (Tone + Shock and Tone only groups, n = 8 per treatment). Freezing responses were measured and used as evidence of fear conditioning. Overall, both CHF and CLF rats, as well as CTL animals displayed fear conditioning to the auditory CS. However, CLF animals showed a rapid extinction to the auditory conditioned stimulus compared to CHF and CTL rats. We discuss these findings in the context of the behavioral and neuronal differences observed in rodent lines of high and low anxiety traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Macêdo-Souza
- Laboratório de Neurociência do Comportamento, Departamento de Psicologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Silvia S Maisonnette
- Laboratório de Neurociência do Comportamento, Departamento de Psicologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Claudio C Filgueiras
- Laboratório de Neurofisiologia, Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Centro Biomédico, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - J Landeira-Fernandez
- Laboratório de Neurociência do Comportamento, Departamento de Psicologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Thomas E Krahe
- Laboratório de Neurociência do Comportamento, Departamento de Psicologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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16
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Plaza W, Gaschino F, Gutierrez C, Santibañez N, Estay-Olmos C, Sotomayor-Zárate R, De la Fuente-Ortega E, Pautassi RM, Haeger PA. Pre- and postnatal alcohol exposure delays, in female but not in male rats, the extinction of an auditory fear conditioned memory and increases alcohol consumption. Dev Psychobiol 2019; 62:519-531. [PMID: 31564064 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Repeated exposure to alcohol increases retrieval of fear-conditioned memories, which facilitates, among other factors, the emergence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Individuals with PTSD are more likely to develop alcohol and substance abuse related disorders. We assessed if prenatal and early postnatal alcohol exposure (PAE) increased the susceptibility to retain aversive memories and if this was associated with subsequent heightened alcohol consumption. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed for 22 hr/day, throughout pregnancy and until postnatal Day 7 to a single bottle of sucralose - sweetened 10% alcohol solution (PAE Group), or to a single bottle of tap water and sucralose (Control Group). Auditory fear conditioning (AFC) was performed in the adolescent offspring at postnatal Day 40. Freezing was measured during acquisition, retention and extinction phases, followed by 3 weeks of free choice alcohol intake. Female, but not male, PAE rats exhibited impaired extinction of the aversive memory, a finding associated with higher levels of 3-4 Dihidroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in the nucleus accumbens and heightened alcohol intake, respect to controls. These findings suggest that PAE makes females more vulnerable to long-term retention of aversive memories, which coexist with heightened alcohol intake. These findings are reminiscent of those of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wladimir Plaza
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile
| | - Felice Gaschino
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile
| | - Camilo Gutierrez
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile
| | - Nicolás Santibañez
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile.,Programa de Magíster en Ciencias Biológicas mención Neurociencia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Camila Estay-Olmos
- Centro de Neurobiología y Fisiopatología Integrativa, Instituto de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Ramón Sotomayor-Zárate
- Centro de Neurobiología y Fisiopatología Integrativa, Instituto de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Erwin De la Fuente-Ortega
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile
| | - Ricardo M Pautassi
- Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra, INIMEC-CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Paola A Haeger
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile
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17
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Loupy KM, Arnold MR, Hassell JE, Lieb MW, Milton LN, Cler KE, Fox JH, Siebler PH, Schmidt D, Noronha SISR, Day HEW, Lowry CA. Evidence that preimmunization with a heat-killed preparation of Mycobacterium vaccae reduces corticotropin-releasing hormone mRNA expression in the extended amygdala in a fear-potentiated startle paradigm. Brain Behav Immun 2019; 77:127-140. [PMID: 30597198 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2018.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 12/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a trauma and stressor-related disorder that is characterized by dysregulation of glucocorticoid signaling, chronic low-grade inflammation, and impairment in the ability to extinguish learned fear. Corticotropin-releasing hormone (Crh) is a stress- and immune-responsive neuropeptide secreted from the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) to stimulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis; however, extra-hypothalamic sources of Crh from the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) govern specific fear- and anxiety-related defensive behavioral responses. We previously reported that preimmunization with a heat-killed preparation of the immunoregulatory environmental bacterium Mycobacterium vaccae NCTC 11659 enhances fear extinction in a fear-potentiated startle (FPS) paradigm. In this follow-up study, we utilized an in situ hybridization histochemistry technique to investigate Crh, Crhr1, and Crhr2 mRNA expression in the CeA, BNST, and PVN of the same rats from the original study [Fox et al., 2017, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 66: 70-84]. Here, we demonstrate that preimmunization with M. vaccae NCTC 11659 decreases Crh mRNA expression in the CeA and BNST of rats exposed to the FPS paradigm, and, further, that Crh mRNA expression in these regions is correlated with fear behavior during extinction training. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that M. vaccae promotes stress-resilience by attenuating Crh production in fear- and anxiety-related circuits. These data suggest that immunization with M. vaccae may be an effective strategy for prevention of fear- and anxiety-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey M Loupy
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
| | - Mathew R Arnold
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
| | - James E Hassell
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
| | - Margaret W Lieb
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
| | - Lauren N Milton
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
| | - Kristin E Cler
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
| | - James H Fox
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
| | - Philip H Siebler
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
| | - Dominic Schmidt
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
| | - Sylvana I S R Noronha
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Heidi E W Day
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
| | - Christopher A Lowry
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Veterans Health Administration, Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), Denver, CO 80045, USA; Military and Veteran Microbiome Consortium for Research and Education (MVM-CoRE), Denver, CO 80045, USA.
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18
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Jang M, Jung T, Kim SH, Noh J. Sex differential effect of dexmedetomidine on fear memory extinction and anxiety behavior in adolescent rats. Neurosci Res 2019; 149:29-37. [PMID: 30685494 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2019.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Revised: 01/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to stressful stimuli, including fear and anxiety, modulates the central noradrenergic system. Dexmedetomidine is a commonly used α2-adrenoreceptor agonist. Because the effect of fear acquisition varies between sexes, the present study was designed to investigate sex-related differences in the effects of dexmedetomidine on fear memory and anxiety-like behavior. We conducted a fear test and an elevated plus maze test in 6-8-week-old male and female rats. Two doses of dexmedetomidine (20 and 40 μg/kg) were injected intraperitoneally three times at 24 h intervals after the tests: after fear expression, extinction 1, and extinction 2. The repeated administration of dexmedetomidine showed significant acceleration of fear memory extinction in female rats but not in male rats; the effect increased proportionally to concentrations of dexmedetomidine. Compared to male rats, female rats treated with both concentrations of dexmedetomidine showed significant anxiolytic behavior after 1 week. Dexmedetomidine accelerated the fear memory extinction and reduced anxiety; it was more effective in female rats than in male rats. Our results suggest that dexmedetomidine may exert protective effects against fear-related and anxiety-like behaviors in rats with fear memory after repeated administration, and the sex-specific effects of dexmedetomidine should be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minji Jang
- Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 16890, Republic of Korea
| | - Taesub Jung
- Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 16890, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung-Hoon Kim
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Biosignal Analysis and Perioperative Outcome Research Laboratory, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 88, Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 05505, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jihyun Noh
- Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 16890, Republic of Korea.
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19
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Ilse A, Prameswari V, Kahl E, Fendt M. The role of trait anxiety in associative learning during and after an aversive event. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 26:56-59. [PMID: 30651378 PMCID: PMC6340115 DOI: 10.1101/lm.048595.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Trait anxiety is considered to be a risk factor for anxiety disorders. The aim of the present study was to investigate how trait anxiety affects associative learning during and after an aversive event in laboratory rats. For this, rats were first submitted to a light–dark box test, followed by relief, safety, and fear learning. Our data demonstrate that all types of learning were affected by trait anxiety, both on a group and on an individual level. Whereas high levels of anxiety impaired relief and safety learning, fear learning was more pronounced. These findings help to show how trait anxiety might be involved in the etiology of anxiety disorders and pathological sensation- and risk-seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Ilse
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Virginia Prameswari
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Evelyn Kahl
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Markus Fendt
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.,Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
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20
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Abstract
The measurement of Pavlovian forms of fear extinction offers a relatively simple behavioral preparation that is nonetheless tractable, from a translational perspective, as an approach to study mechanisms of exposure therapy and biological underpinnings of anxiety and trauma-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Deficient fear extinction is considered a robust clinical endophenotype for these disorders and, as such, has particular significance in the current "age of RDoC (research domain criteria)." Various rodent models of impaired extinction have thus been generated with the objective of approximating this clinical, relapse prone aberrant extinction learning. These models have helped to reveal neurobiological correlates of extinction circuitry failure, gene variants, and other mechanisms underlying deficient fear extinction. In addition, they are increasingly serving as tools to investigate ways to therapeutically overcome poor extinction to support long-term retention of extinction memory and thus protection against various forms of fear relapse; modeled in the laboratory by measuring spontaneous recovery, reinstatement and renewal of fear. In the current article, we review models of impaired extinction built around (1) experimentally induced brain region and neural circuit disruptions (2) spontaneously-arising and laboratory-induced genetic modifications, or (3) exposure to environmental insults, including stress, drugs of abuse, and unhealthy diet. Collectively, these models have been instrumental in advancing in our understanding of extinction failure and underlying susceptibilities at the neural, genetic, molecular, and neurochemical levels; generating renewed interest in developing novel, targeted and effective therapeutic treatments for anxiety and trauma-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Singewald
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy, Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD USA
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21
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Bayerl DS, Bosch OJ. Brain vasopressin signaling modulates aspects of maternal behavior in lactating rats. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2018; 18:e12517. [DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Revised: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Doris S. Bayerl
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology; Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg; Regensburg Germany
| | - Oliver J. Bosch
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology; Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg; Regensburg Germany
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22
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Fang Q, Li Z, Huang GD, Zhang HH, Chen YY, Zhang LB, Ding ZB, Shi J, Lu L, Yang JL. Traumatic Stress Produces Distinct Activations of GABAergic and Glutamatergic Neurons in Amygdala. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:387. [PMID: 30186100 PMCID: PMC6110940 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive recollections of a severe traumatic event and hyperarousal following exposure to the event. Human and animal studies have shown that the change of amygdala activity after traumatic stress may contribute to occurrences of some symptoms or behaviors of the patients or animals with PTSD. However, it is still unknown how the neuronal activation of different sub-regions in amygdala changes during the development of PTSD. In the present study, we used single prolonged stress (SPS) procedure to obtain the animal model of PTSD, and found that 1 day after SPS, there were normal anxiety behavior and extinction of fear memory in rats which were accompanied by a reduced proportion of activated glutamatergic neurons and increased proportion of activated GABAergic neurons in basolateral amygdala (BLA). About 10 days after SPS, we observed enhanced anxiety and impaired extinction of fear memory with increased activated both glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in BLA and increased activated GABAergic neurons in central amygdala (CeA). These results indicate that during early and late phase after traumatic stress, distinct patterns of activation of glutamatergic neurons and GABAergic neurons are displayed in amygdala, which may be implicated in the development of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Fang
- Department of Psychiatry, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.,National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Psychiatric Department, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhe Li
- National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Cangzhou Medical College, Cangzhou, China
| | - Geng-Di Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.,National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Huan-Huan Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.,National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ya-Yun Chen
- National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Li-Bo Zhang
- National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Zeng-Bo Ding
- National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Shi
- National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Lu
- National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Peking University Sixth Hospital/Peking University Institute of Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jian-Li Yang
- Department of Psychiatry, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
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23
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Decreased level of histone acetylation in the infralimbic prefrontal cortex following immediate extinction may result in deficit of extinction memory. Brain Res Bull 2018; 140:355-364. [PMID: 29908895 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2018.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2018] [Revised: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 06/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In the last few decades, there has been exponential increase in studies aiming to trace the molecular mechanism of fear extinction with a hope to minimize the return of fear after exposure therapy required for operational treatment of anxiety disorders. The present study explored how the timing of extinction training after developing a specific fear, affects the consequent return of the extinguished fear and the role of histone acetylation in controlling the circuitry, thereof. It was found that rats undergone extinction training 10 min. after fear memory acquisition (Immediate Extinction) had deficits in retention of extinction memory as compared to one which underwent extinction 24 h after fear acquisition (Delayed Extinction). When the differences were sorted at the circuitry level the relative activity of the infralimbic prefrontal cortex (IL) to prelimbic cortex (PL) was found to be lower in the immediate extinction group as compared to the delayed extinction group as evidenced by the c-fos expression in the mPFC of these groups. Further investigation showed that acetylation of histone H3/H4 along with the levels of CREB binding protein (CBP) which is a histone acetyltransferase (HAT), was associated with neuronal activation and was significantly lower in the IL of the immediate extinction group than the delayed extinction group. In conclusion, the observed deficits in the immediate extinction group may be the result of compromised activation of IL, which in turn may be associated with changes in histone acetylation.
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24
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Biedermann SV, Biedermann DG, Wenzlaff F, Kurjak T, Nouri S, Auer MK, Wiedemann K, Briken P, Haaker J, Lonsdorf TB, Fuss J. An elevated plus-maze in mixed reality for studying human anxiety-related behavior. BMC Biol 2017; 15:125. [PMID: 29268740 PMCID: PMC5740602 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-017-0463-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background A dearth of laboratory tests to study actual human approach-avoidance behavior has complicated translational research on anxiety. The elevated plus-maze (EPM) is the gold standard to assess approach-avoidance behavior in rodents. Methods Here, we translated the EPM to humans using mixed reality through a combination of virtual and real-world elements. In two validation studies, we observed participants’ anxiety on a behavioral, physiological, and subjective level. Results Participants reported higher anxiety on open arms, avoided open arms, and showed an activation of endogenous stress systems. Participants’ with high anxiety exhibited higher avoidance. Moreover, open arm avoidance was moderately predicted by participants’ acrophobia and sensation seeking, with opposing influences. In a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled experiment, GABAergic stimulation decreased avoidance of open arms while alpha-2-adrenergic antagonism increased avoidance. Conclusion These findings demonstrate cross-species validity of open arm avoidance as a translational measure of anxiety. We thus introduce the first ecologically valid assay to track actual human approach-avoidance behavior under laboratory conditions. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12915-017-0463-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah V Biedermann
- Human Behavior Laboratory, Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, Center of Psychosocial Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.,Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Center of Experimental Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center of Psychosocial Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Daniel G Biedermann
- Human Behavior Laboratory, Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, Center of Psychosocial Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Frederike Wenzlaff
- Human Behavior Laboratory, Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, Center of Psychosocial Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tim Kurjak
- Human Behavior Laboratory, Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, Center of Psychosocial Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sawis Nouri
- Human Behavior Laboratory, Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, Center of Psychosocial Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Matthias K Auer
- Human Behavior Laboratory, Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, Center of Psychosocial Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.,Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Klaus Wiedemann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center of Psychosocial Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Peer Briken
- Human Behavior Laboratory, Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, Center of Psychosocial Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Haaker
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Center of Experimental Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tina B Lonsdorf
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Center of Experimental Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Fuss
- Human Behavior Laboratory, Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, Center of Psychosocial Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany. .,Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Center of Experimental Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
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Palombo P, Leao RM, Bianchi PC, de Oliveira PEC, Planeta CDS, Cruz FC. Inactivation of the Prelimbic Cortex Impairs the Context-Induced Reinstatement of Ethanol Seeking. Front Pharmacol 2017; 8:725. [PMID: 29089891 PMCID: PMC5651025 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence indicates that drug relapse in humans is often provoked by exposure to the self-administered drug-associated context. An animal model called "ABA renewal procedure" has been used to study the context-induced relapse to drug seeking. Here, we reported a new and feasible training procedure for the ABA renewal method to explore the role of the prelimbic cortex in context-induced relapse to ethanol seeking. By using a saccharin fading technique, we trained rats to self-administer ethanol (10%). The drug delivery was paired with a discrete tone-light cue. Lever pressing was subsequently extinguished in a non-drug-associated context in the presence of the discrete cue. Rats were subsequently tested for reinstatement in contexts A or B, under extinction conditions. Ethanol-associated context induced the reinstatement of ethanol seeking and increased the expression of Fos in the prelimbic cortex. The rate of neural activation in the prelimbic cortex was 3.4% in the extinction context B and 7.7% in the drug-associated context A, as evidenced by double-labeling of Fos and the neuron-specific protein NeuN. The reversible inactivation of the neural activity in the prelimbic cortex with gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor agonists (muscimol + baclofen) attenuated the context-induced reinstatement of ethanol self-administration. These results demonstrated that the neuronal activation of the prelimbic cortex is involved in the context-induced reinstatement of ethanol seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Palombo
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
- Joint Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences UFSCar/UNESP, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo M. Leao
- Departamento de Biorregulação, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Paula C. Bianchi
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
- Joint Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences UFSCar/UNESP, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Paulo E. C. de Oliveira
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Cleopatra da Silva Planeta
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
- Joint Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences UFSCar/UNESP, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Fábio C. Cruz
- Department of Pharmacology, São Paulo Federal University, São Paulo, Brazil
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26
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Domingos LB, Hott SC, Terzian ALB, Resstel LBM. P2X7 purinergic receptors participate in the expression and extinction processes of contextual fear conditioning memory in mice. Neuropharmacology 2017; 128:474-481. [PMID: 28802645 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Revised: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 08/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The purinergic system consists of two large receptor families - P2X and P2Y. Both are activated by adenosine triphosphate (ATP), although presenting different functions. These receptors are present in several brain regions, including those involved in emotion and stress-related behaviors. Hence, they seem to participate in fear- and anxiety-related responses. However, few studies have investigated the purinergic system in threatening situations, as observed in contextual fear conditioning (CFC). Therefore, this study investigated the involvement of purinergic receptors in the expression and extinction of aversive memories. C57Bl/6 background mice were submitted to the CFC protocol. Wildtype (WT) mice received i.p. injection of either a nonselective P2 receptor (P2R) antagonist, P178 (10 or 30 mg/kg); a selective P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) antagonist, A438079 (10 mg/kg); a selective P2Y1 receptor (P2Y1R) antagonist, MRS2179 (10 mg/kg); or vehicle 10 min prior to or immediately after the extinction session. Additionally, P2X7R KO mice were tested in the CFC protocol. After P2R antagonist treatment, contextual fear recall increased, while acquisition of extinction was impaired. Similar results were observed with the selective P2X7R antagonist, but not with the selective P2Y1R antagonist. Interestingly, P2X7R KO mice showed increased contextual fear recall, associated with impaired acquisition of extinction, in accordance with pharmacologic P2X7R antagonism. Our results suggest that specific pharmacological or genetic blockade of P2X7R promotes anxiogenic-like effects, along with deficits in extinction learning. Thus, these receptors could present an alternative treatment of stress-related psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- L B Domingos
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - S C Hott
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - A L B Terzian
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - L B M Resstel
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
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Abstract
Background Stress and stressful life events have repeatedly been shown as causally related to depression. The Chronic Mild Stress rat model is a valid model of stress-induced depression. Like humans, rats display great heterogeneity in their response to stress and adversity. Hence some individuals are stress-sensitive and prone to develop depression-like behaviour in response to modest stressors, while others are stress-resilient and remain essentially symptom free. Objectives Compared to the large body of research, which describes stress-induced maladaptive neurobiological changes, relatively little attention has been devoted to understand resiliency to stress. The aim of the present study was to identify changes in neuronal activity, associated with stress-resilient and stress-susceptible chronic mild stress endophenotypes, by examining c-Fos expression in 13 different brain areas. Changes in c-Fos expression have been reported as associated to stressful conditions. Methods Stress-induced modulation of neuronal activation patterns in response to the chronic mild stress paradigm was mapped using the immediate early gene expression c-Fos as a marker. Quantification of the c-Fos-like immunoreactivity responses was done by semi-automated profile counting procedures and design-based stereology. Results Exposure to chronic mild stress significantly altered c-Fos expression in a total of 6 out of 13 investigated areas. Chronic mild stress was found to suppress the c-Fos response within the magnocellular ventral lateral geniculate nucleus of both stress subgroups. In the the lateral and ventral orbital cortices of stress-resilient rats, the c-Fos like immunoreactivity response was also repressed by stress exposure. On the contrary the c-Fos response within the amygdala, medial habenula, and infralimbic cortex was increased selectively for the stress-susceptible rats. Conclusions The study was initiated to characterize neuronal substrates associated with stress-coping mechanisms. Six areas, all of which represents limbic structures, were found to be sensitive to stress exposure. The effects within these areas associate to the hedonic status of the rats. Hence, these areas might be associated to stress-coping mechanisms underlying the chronic mild stress induced segregation into stress-susceptible and stress-resilient endophenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabia Febbraro
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience (DANDRITE) Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- * E-mail: (FF); (OW)
| | - Katrine Svenningsen
- Focused Research Unit for Molecular Diagnostic and Clinical Research IRS-Center Sonderjylland, Laboratory Center, Hospital of Southern Jutland, Åbenrå, Denmark
| | - Thao Phuong Tran
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Risskov, Denmark
| | - Ove Wiborg
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- * E-mail: (FF); (OW)
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28
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Maeng LY, Milad MR. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: The Relationship Between the Fear Response and Chronic Stress. CHRONIC STRESS (THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF.) 2017; 1:2470547017713297. [PMID: 32440579 PMCID: PMC7219872 DOI: 10.1177/2470547017713297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Revised: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 05/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disabling psychiatric condition that can develop following a physical, psychological, or sexual trauma. Despite the growing body of literature examining the psychological and biological factors involved in PTSD psychopathology, specific biomarkers that may improve diagnosis and treatment of PTSD have yet to be identified and validated. This challenge may be attributed to the diverse array of symptoms that individuals with the disorder manifest. Examining the interrelated stress and fear systems allows for a more comprehensive study of these symptoms, and through this approach, which aligns with the research domain criteria (RDoC) framework, neural and psychophysiological measures of PTSD have emerged. In this review, we discuss PTSD neurobiology and treatment within the context of fear and stress network interactions and elucidate the advantages of using an RDoC approach to better understand PTSD with fear conditioning and extinction paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Y Maeng
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts
General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard
Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mohammed R Milad
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts
General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard
Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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29
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Anxiety response and restraint-induced stress differentially affect ethanol intake in female adolescent rats. Neuroscience 2016; 334:259-274. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2016] [Revised: 08/04/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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30
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Social buffering enhances extinction of conditioned fear responses in male rats. Physiol Behav 2016; 163:123-128. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Revised: 05/03/2016] [Accepted: 05/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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31
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Baker KD, Bisby MA, Richardson R. Impaired fear extinction in adolescent rodents: Behavioural and neural analyses. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 70:59-73. [PMID: 27235077 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Revised: 05/06/2016] [Accepted: 05/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Despite adolescence being a developmental window of vulnerability, up until very recently there were surprisingly few studies on fear extinction during this period. Here we summarise the recent work in this area, focusing on the unique behavioural and neural characteristics of fear extinction in adolescent rodents, and humans where relevant. A prominent hypothesis posits that anxiety disorders peak during late childhood/adolescence due to the non-linear maturation of the fear inhibition neural circuitry. We discuss evidence that impaired extinction retention in adolescence is due to subregions of the medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala mediating fear inhibition being underactive while other subregions that mediate fear expression are overactive. We also review work on various interventions and surprising circumstances which enhance fear extinction in adolescence. This latter work revealed that the neural correlates of extinction in adolescence are different to that in younger and older animals even when extinction retention is not impaired. This growing body of work highlights that adolescence is a unique period of development for fear inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn D Baker
- School of Psychology, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Madelyne A Bisby
- School of Psychology, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Rick Richardson
- School of Psychology, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
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32
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Furlong TM, Richardson R, McNally GP. Habituation and extinction of fear recruit overlapping forebrain structures. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2016; 128:7-16. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2015.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2015] [Revised: 11/11/2015] [Accepted: 11/18/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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33
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Maren S, Holmes A. Stress and Fear Extinction. Neuropsychopharmacology 2016; 41:58-79. [PMID: 26105142 PMCID: PMC4677122 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 237] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2015] [Revised: 06/03/2015] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Stress has a critical role in the development and expression of many psychiatric disorders, and is a defining feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Stress also limits the efficacy of behavioral therapies aimed at limiting pathological fear, such as exposure therapy. Here we examine emerging evidence that stress impairs recovery from trauma by impairing fear extinction, a form of learning thought to underlie the suppression of trauma-related fear memories. We describe the major structural and functional abnormalities in brain regions that are particularly vulnerable to stress, including the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus, which may underlie stress-induced impairments in extinction. We also discuss some of the stress-induced neurochemical and molecular alterations in these brain regions that are associated with extinction deficits, and the potential for targeting these changes to prevent or reverse impaired extinction. A better understanding of the neurobiological basis of stress effects on extinction promises to yield novel approaches to improving therapeutic outcomes for PTSD and other anxiety and trauma-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Andrew Holmes
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
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34
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Maternal separation facilitates extinction of social fear in adult male mice. Behav Brain Res 2016; 297:323-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.10.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Revised: 09/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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35
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Sartori SB, Maurer V, Murphy C, Schmuckermair C, Muigg P, Neumann ID, Whittle N, Singewald N. Combined Neuropeptide S and D-Cycloserine Augmentation Prevents the Return of Fear in Extinction-Impaired Rodents: Advantage of Dual versus Single Drug Approaches. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2015; 19:pyv128. [PMID: 26625894 PMCID: PMC4926792 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyv128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite its success in treating specific anxiety disorders, the effect of exposure therapy is limited by problems with tolerability, treatment resistance, and fear relapse after initial response. The identification of novel drug targets facilitating fear extinction in clinically relevant animal models may guide improved treatment strategies for these disorders in terms of efficacy, acceleration of fear extinction, and return of fear. METHODS The extinction-facilitating potential of neuropeptide S, D-cycloserine, and a benzodiazepine was investigated in extinction-impaired high anxiety HAB rats and 129S1/SvImJ mice using a classical cued fear conditioning paradigm followed by extinction training and several extinction test sessions to study fear relapse. RESULTS Administration of D-cycloserine improved fear extinction in extinction-limited, but not in extinction-deficient, rodents compared with controls. Preextinction neuropeptide S caused attenuated fear responses in extinction-deficient 129S1/SvImJ mice at extinction training onset and further reduced freezing during this session. While the positive effects of either D-cycloserine or neuropeptide S were not persistent in 129S1/SvImJ mice after 10 days, the combination of preextinction neuropeptide S with postextinction D-cycloserine rendered the extinction memory persistent and context independent up to 5 weeks after extinction training. This dual pharmacological adjunct to extinction learning also protected against fear reinstatement in 129S1/SvImJ mice. CONCLUSIONS By using the potentially nonsedative anxiolytic neuropeptide S and the cognitive enhancer D-cycloserine to facilitate deficient fear extinction, we provide here the first evidence of a purported efficacy of a dual over a single drug approach. This approach may render exposure sessions less aversive and more efficacious for patients, leading to enhanced protection from fear relapse in the long term.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Nicolas Singewald
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), Leopold-Franzens-University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria (Dr Sartori, Ms Maurer, Mr Murphy, and Drs Schmuckermair, Muigg, Whittle, and Singewald); Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany (Dr Neumann).
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36
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van der Weiden A, Aarts H, Prikken M, van Haren NEM. Individual differences in action co-representation: not personal distress or subclinical psychotic experiences but sex composition modulates joint action performance. Exp Brain Res 2015; 234:499-510. [PMID: 26525711 PMCID: PMC4731433 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-015-4475-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Accepted: 10/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Successful social interaction requires the ability to integrate as well as distinguish own and others’ actions. Normally, the integration and distinction of self and other are a well-balanced process, occurring without much effort or conscious attention. However, not everyone is blessed with the ability to balance self–other distinction and integration, resulting in personal distress in reaction to other people’s emotions or even a loss of self [e.g., in (subclinical) psychosis]. Previous research has demonstrated that the integration and distinction of others’ actions cause interference with one’s own action performance (commonly assessed with a social Simon task). The present study had two goals. First, as previous studies on the social Simon effect employed relatively small samples (N < 50 per test), we aimed for a sample size that allowed us to test the robustness of the action interference effect. Second, we tested to what extent action interference reflects individual differences in traits related to self–other distinction (i.e., personal distress in reaction to other people’s emotions and subclinical psychotic symptoms). Based on a questionnaire study among a large sample (N = 745), we selected a subsample (N = 130) of participants scoring low, average, or high on subclinical psychotic symptoms, or on personal distress. The selected participants performed a social Simon task. Results showed a robust social Simon effect, regardless of individual differences in personal distress or subclinical psychotic symptoms. However, exploratory analyses revealed that the sex composition of interaction pairs modulated social Simon effects. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anouk van der Weiden
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Huispostnummer A.01.126, PO Box 85500, 3508 GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Henk Aarts
- Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Merel Prikken
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Huispostnummer A.01.126, PO Box 85500, 3508 GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Neeltje E M van Haren
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Huispostnummer A.01.126, PO Box 85500, 3508 GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Acute tianeptine treatment selectively modulates neuronal activation in the central nucleus of the amygdala and attenuates fear extinction. Mol Psychiatry 2015; 20:1420-7. [PMID: 25560759 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2014.169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2014] [Accepted: 11/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Antidepressant drugs are commonly prescribed treatments for anxiety disorders, and there is growing interest in understanding how these drugs impact fear extinction because extinction learning is pivotal to successful exposure-based therapy (EBT). A key objective within this domain is understanding how antidepressants alter the activation of specific elements of the limbic-based network that governs such fear processing. Chronic treatment with the antidepressant tianeptine has been shown to reduce the acquisition of extinction learning in rats, yet the drug's acute influence on activation in prefrontal and amygdalar regions, and on extinction learning are not well understood. To assess its influence on cellular activation, rats were injected with tianeptine and Fos immunoreactivity was measured in these regions. Acute tianeptine treatment selectively altered Fos expression within subdivisions of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CEA) in a bidirectional manner that varied in relation to ongoing activation within the capsular subdivision and its prefrontal and intra-amygdalar inputs. This pattern of results suggests that the drug can conditionally modulate the activation of CEA subdivisions, which contain microcircuits strongly implicated in fear processing. The effect of acute tianeptine was also examined with respect to the acquisition, consolidation and expression of fear extinction in rats. Acute tianeptine attenuated extinction learning as well as the recall of extinction memory, which underscores that acute dosing with the drug could alter learning during EBT. Together these findings provide a new perspective for understanding the mechanism supporting tianeptine's clinical efficacy, as well as its potential influence on CEA-based learning mechanisms.
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38
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Baker KD, Richardson R. Forming competing fear learning and extinction memories in adolescence makes fear difficult to inhibit. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 22:537-43. [PMID: 26472643 PMCID: PMC4749725 DOI: 10.1101/lm.039487.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2015] [Accepted: 08/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Fear inhibition is markedly impaired in adolescent rodents and humans. The present experiments investigated whether this impairment is critically determined by the animal's age at the time of fear learning or their age at fear extinction. Male rats (n = 170) were tested for extinction retention after conditioning and extinction at different ages. We examined neural correlates of impaired extinction retention by detection of phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase immunoreactivity (pMAPK-IR) in several brain regions. Unexpectedly, adolescent rats exhibited good extinction retention if fear was acquired before adolescence. Further, fear acquired in adolescence could be successfully extinguished in adulthood but not within adolescence. Adolescent rats did not show extinction-induced increases in pMAPK-IR in the medial prefrontal cortex or the basolateral amygdala, or a pattern of reduced caudal central amygdala pMAPK-IR, as was observed in juveniles. This dampened prefrontal and basolateral amygdala MAPK activation following extinction in adolescence occurred even when there was no impairment in extinction retention. In contrast, only adolescent animals that exhibited impaired extinction retention showed elevated pMAPK-IR in the posterior paraventricular thalamus. These data suggest that neither the animal's age at the time of fear acquisition or extinction determines whether impaired extinction retention is exhibited. Rather, it appears that forming competing fear conditioning and extinction memories in adolescence renders this a vulnerable developmental period in which fear is difficult to inhibit. Furthermore, even under conditions that promote good extinction, the neural correlates of extinction in adolescence are different than those recruited in animals of other ages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn D Baker
- School of Psychology, UNSW Australia, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Rick Richardson
- School of Psychology, UNSW Australia, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
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39
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Selective breeding for high anxiety introduces a synonymous SNP that increases neuropeptide S receptor activity. J Neurosci 2015; 35:4599-613. [PMID: 25788677 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4764-13.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptide S (NPS) has generated substantial interest due to its anxiolytic and fear-attenuating effects in rodents, while a corresponding receptor polymorphism associated with increased NPS receptor (NPSR1) surface expression and efficacy has been implicated in an increased risk of panic disorder in humans. To gain insight into this paradox, we examined the NPS system in rats and mice bred for high anxiety-related behavior (HAB) versus low anxiety-related behavior, and, thereafter, determined the effect of central NPS administration on anxiety- and fear-related behavior. The HAB phenotype was accompanied by lower basal NPS receptor (Npsr1) expression, which we could confirm via in vitro dual luciferase promoter assays. Assessment of shorter Npsr1 promoter constructs containing a sequence mutation that introduces a glucocorticoid receptor transcription factor binding site, confirmed via oligonucleotide pull-down assays, revealed increased HAB promoter activity-an effect that was prevented by dexamethasone. Analogous to the human NPSR1 risk isoform, functional analysis of a synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism in the coding region of HAB rodents revealed that it caused a higher cAMP response to NPS stimulation. Assessment of the behavioral consequence of these differences revealed that intracerebroventricular NPS reversed the hyperanxiety of HAB rodents as well as the impaired cued-fear extinction in HAB rats and the enhanced fear expression in HAB mice, respectively. These results suggest that alterations in the NPS system, conserved across rodents and humans, contribute to innate anxiety and fear, and that HAB rodents are particularly suited to resolve the apparent discrepancy between the preclinical and clinical findings to date.
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Baldi E, Bucherelli C. Brain sites involved in fear memory reconsolidation and extinction of rodents. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 53:160-90. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2014] [Revised: 03/30/2015] [Accepted: 04/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Le Sueur-Maluf L, Viana MB, Nagaoka MR, Amorim ALB, Cardoso AN, Rodrigues BC, Mendes NF, Bittencourt JC, Céspedes IC. Behavioral alterations and Fos protein immunoreactivity in brain regions of bile duct-ligated cirrhotic rats. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2015; 87:331-493. [PMID: 25714078 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765201420130262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2013] [Accepted: 08/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) encompasses a variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms, including anxiety and psychomotor dysfunction. Although HE is a frequent complication of liver cirrhosis, the neurobiological substrates responsible for its clinical manifestations are largely unclear. In the present study, male Wistar rats were bile duct-ligated (BDL), a procedure which induces liver cirrhosis, and on the 21st day after surgery tested in the elevated plus-maze (EPM) and in an open field for anxiety and locomotor activity measurements. Analysis of Fos protein immunoreactivity (Fos-ir) was used to better understand the neurobiological alterations present in BDL animals. Plasma levels of ammonia were quantified and histopathological analysis of the livers was performed. BDL rats showed a significant decrease in the percentage of entries and time spent in the open arms of the EPM, an anxiogenic effect. These animals also presented significant decreases in Fos-ir in the lateral septal nucleus and medial amygdalar nucleus. Their ammonia plasma levels were significantly higher when compared to the sham group and the diagnosis of cirrhosis was confirmed by histopathological analysis. These results indicate that the BDL model induces anxiogenic results, possibly related to changes in the activation of anxiety-mediating circuitries and to increases in ammonia plasma levels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Milena B Viana
- Departamento de Biociências, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Santos, SP, Brasil
| | - Márcia R Nagaoka
- Departamento de Biociências, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Santos, SP, Brasil
| | - Ana Laura B Amorim
- Departamento de Biociências, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Santos, SP, Brasil
| | - Amanda N Cardoso
- Departamento de Biociências, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Santos, SP, Brasil
| | - Bruna C Rodrigues
- Departamento de Biociências, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Santos, SP, Brasil
| | - Natália F Mendes
- Departamento de Biociências, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Santos, SP, Brasil
| | - Jackson C Bittencourt
- Departamento de Anatomia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
| | - Isabel C Céspedes
- Departamento de Biociências, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Santos, SP, Brasil
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Ishikawa J, Nishimura R, Ishikawa A. Early-life stress induces anxiety-like behaviors and activity imbalances in the medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala in adult rats. Eur J Neurosci 2015; 41:442-53. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2014] [Revised: 12/02/2014] [Accepted: 12/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Junko Ishikawa
- Systems Neuroscience; Department of Neuroscience; Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine; 1-1-1 Minamikogushi Ube Yamaguchi 755-8505 Japan
| | - Ryoichi Nishimura
- Systems Neuroscience; Department of Neuroscience; Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine; 1-1-1 Minamikogushi Ube Yamaguchi 755-8505 Japan
| | - Akinori Ishikawa
- Systems Neuroscience; Department of Neuroscience; Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine; 1-1-1 Minamikogushi Ube Yamaguchi 755-8505 Japan
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Singewald N, Schmuckermair C, Whittle N, Holmes A, Ressler KJ. Pharmacology of cognitive enhancers for exposure-based therapy of fear, anxiety and trauma-related disorders. Pharmacol Ther 2014; 149:150-90. [PMID: 25550231 PMCID: PMC4380664 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2014.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 272] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2014] [Accepted: 12/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Pathological fear and anxiety are highly debilitating and, despite considerable advances in psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy they remain insufficiently treated in many patients with PTSD, phobias, panic and other anxiety disorders. Increasing preclinical and clinical evidence indicates that pharmacological treatments including cognitive enhancers, when given as adjuncts to psychotherapeutic approaches [cognitive behavioral therapy including extinction-based exposure therapy] enhance treatment efficacy, while using anxiolytics such as benzodiazepines as adjuncts can undermine long-term treatment success. The purpose of this review is to outline the literature showing how pharmacological interventions targeting neurotransmitter systems including serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, histamine, glutamate, GABA, cannabinoids, neuropeptides (oxytocin, neuropeptides Y and S, opioids) and other targets (neurotrophins BDNF and FGF2, glucocorticoids, L-type-calcium channels, epigenetic modifications) as well as their downstream signaling pathways, can augment fear extinction and strengthen extinction memory persistently in preclinical models. Particularly promising approaches are discussed in regard to their effects on specific aspects of fear extinction namely, acquisition, consolidation and retrieval, including long-term protection from return of fear (relapse) phenomena like spontaneous recovery, reinstatement and renewal of fear. We also highlight the promising translational value of the preclinial research and the clinical potential of targeting certain neurochemical systems with, for example d-cycloserine, yohimbine, cortisol, and L-DOPA. The current body of research reveals important new insights into the neurobiology and neurochemistry of fear extinction and holds significant promise for pharmacologically-augmented psychotherapy as an improved approach to treat trauma and anxiety-related disorders in a more efficient and persistent way promoting enhanced symptom remission and recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Singewald
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, Leopold-Franzens University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - C Schmuckermair
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, Leopold-Franzens University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - N Whittle
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, Leopold-Franzens University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - A Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - K J Ressler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Raio CM, Phelps EA. The influence of acute stress on the regulation of conditioned fear. Neurobiol Stress 2014; 1:134-46. [PMID: 25530986 PMCID: PMC4268774 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2014.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2014] [Revised: 10/30/2014] [Accepted: 11/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Fear learning and regulation is a prominent model for describing the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders and stress-related psychopathology. Fear expression can be modulated using a number of regulatory strategies, including extinction, cognitive emotion regulation, avoidance strategies and reconsolidation. In this review, we examine research investigating the effects of acute stress and stress hormones on these regulatory techniques. We focus on what is known about the impact of stress on the ability to flexibly regulate fear responses that are acquired through Pavlovian fear conditioning. Our primary aim is to explore the impact of stress on fear regulation in humans. Given this, we focus on techniques where stress has been linked to alterations of fear regulation in humans (extinction and emotion regulation), and briefly discuss other techniques (avoidance and reconsolidation) where the impact of stress or stress hormones have been mainly explored in animal models. These investigations reveal that acute stress may impair the persistent inhibition of fear, presumably by altering prefrontal cortex function. Characterizing the effects of stress on fear regulation is critical for understanding the boundaries within which existing regulation strategies are viable in everyday life and can better inform treatment options for those who suffer from anxiety and stress-related psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candace M Raio
- Department of Psychology, New York University, 6 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Phelps
- Department of Psychology, New York University, 6 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003, USA; Center for Neural Science, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003, USA; Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA
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Bukalo O, Pinard CR, Holmes A. Mechanisms to medicines: elucidating neural and molecular substrates of fear extinction to identify novel treatments for anxiety disorders. Br J Pharmacol 2014; 171:4690-718. [PMID: 24835117 DOI: 10.1111/bph.12779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2014] [Revised: 04/28/2014] [Accepted: 05/04/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The burden of anxiety disorders is growing, but the efficacy of available anxiolytic treatments remains inadequate. Cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders focuses on identifying and modifying maladaptive patterns of thinking and behaving, and has a testable analogue in rodents in the form of fear extinction. A large preclinical literature has amassed in recent years describing the neural and molecular basis of fear extinction in rodents. In this review, we discuss how this work is being harnessed to foster translational research on anxiety disorders and facilitate the search for new anxiolytic treatments. We begin by summarizing the anatomical and functional connectivity of a medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)-amygdala circuit that subserves fear extinction, including new insights from optogenetics. We then cover some of the approaches that have been taken to model impaired fear extinction and associated impairments with mPFC-amygdala dysfunction. The principal goal of the review is to evaluate evidence that various neurotransmitter and neuromodulator systems mediate fear extinction by modulating the mPFC-amygdala circuitry. To that end, we describe studies that have tested how fear extinction is impaired or facilitated by pharmacological manipulations of dopamine, noradrenaline, 5-HT, GABA, glutamate, neuropeptides, endocannabinoids and various other systems, which either directly target the mPFC-amygdala circuit, or produce behavioural effects that are coincident with functional changes in the circuit. We conclude that there are good grounds to be optimistic that the progress in defining the molecular substrates of mPFC-amygdala circuit function can be effectively leveraged to identify plausible candidates for extinction-promoting therapies for anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olena Bukalo
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Shumake J, Furgeson-Moreira S, Monfils MH. Predictability and heritability of individual differences in fear learning. Anim Cogn 2014; 17:1207-21. [PMID: 24791664 PMCID: PMC4138434 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-014-0752-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2013] [Revised: 04/05/2014] [Accepted: 04/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Our objective was to characterize individual differences in fear conditioning and extinction in an outbred rat strain, to test behavioral predictors of these individual differences, and to assess their heritability. We fear-conditioned 100 Long-Evans rats, attempted to extinguish fear the next day, and tested extinction recall on the third day. The distribution of freezing scores after fear conditioning was skewed, with most rats showing substantial freezing; after fear extinction, the distribution was bimodal with most rats showing minimal freezing, but a substantial portion showing maximal freezing. Longer rearing episodes measured prior to conditioning predicted less freezing at the beginning of extinction, but differences in extinction learning were not predicted by any baseline exploratory behaviors. We tested the heritability of extinction differences by breeding rats from the top and bottom 20 % of freezing scores during extinction recall. We then ran the offspring through the same conditioning/extinction procedure, with the addition of recording ultrasonic vocalizations throughout training and testing. Only a minority of rats emitted distress vocalizations during fear acquisition, but the incidence was less frequent in the offspring of good extinguishers than in poor extinguishers or randomly bred controls. The occurrence of distress vocalizations during acquisition predicted higher levels of freezing during fear recall regardless of breeding line, but the relationship between vocalization and freezing was no longer evident following extinction training, at which point freezing levels were influenced only by breeding and not by vocalization. The heritability (h2) of extinction recall was estimated at 0.36, consistent with human estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Shumake
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keeton Stop A8000, Austin, TX, 78712-1043, USA,
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47
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Behavioral evaluation of eight rat lines selected for high and low anxiety-related responses. Behav Brain Res 2013; 257:39-48. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.09.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2012] [Revised: 09/12/2013] [Accepted: 09/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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48
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Sripada RK, Garfinkel SN, Liberzon I. Avoidant symptoms in PTSD predict fear circuit activation during multimodal fear extinction. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:672. [PMID: 24146643 PMCID: PMC3797966 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2013] [Accepted: 09/26/2013] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Convergent evidence suggests that individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit exaggerated avoidance behaviors as well as abnormalities in Pavlonian fear conditioning. However, the link between the two features of this disorder is not well understood. In order to probe the brain basis of aberrant extinction learning in PTSD, we administered a multimodal classical fear conditioning/extinction paradigm that incorporated affectively relevant information from two sensory channels (visual and tactile) while participants underwent fMRI scanning. The sample consisted of fifteen OEF/OIF veterans with PTSD. In response to conditioned cues and contextual information, greater avoidance symptomatology was associated with greater activation in amygdala, hippocampus, vmPFC, dmPFC, and insula, during both fear acquisition and fear extinction. Heightened responses to previously conditioned stimuli in individuals with more severe PTSD could indicate a deficiency in safety learning, consistent with PTSD symptomatology. The close link between avoidance symptoms and fear circuit activation suggests that this symptom cluster may be a key component of fear extinction deficits in PTSD and/or may be particularly amenable to change through extinction-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca K Sripada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI, USA ; Veterans Affairs Center for Clinical Management Research, Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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MacPherson K, Whittle N, Camp M, Gunduz-Cinar O, Singewald N, Holmes A. Temporal factors in the extinction of fear in inbred mouse strains differing in extinction efficacy. BIOLOGY OF MOOD & ANXIETY DISORDERS 2013; 3:13. [PMID: 23830244 PMCID: PMC3726460 DOI: 10.1186/2045-5380-3-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2013] [Accepted: 05/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Various neuropsychiatric conditions, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are characterized by deficient fear extinction, but individuals differ greatly in risk for these. While there is growing evidence that fear extinction is influenced by certain procedural variables, it is unclear how these influences might vary across individuals and subpopulations. To model individual differences in fear extinction, prior studies identified a strain of inbred mouse, 129S1/SvImJ (S1), which exhibits a profound deficit in fear extinction, as compared to other inbred strains, such as C57BL/6J (B6). METHODS Here, we assessed the effects of procedural variables on the impaired extinction phenotype of the S1 strain and, by comparison, the extinction-intact B6 strain. The variables studied were 1) the interval between conditioning and extinction, 2) the interval between cues during extinction training, 3) single-cue exposure before extinction training, and 4) extinction of a second-order conditioned cue. RESULTS Conducting extinction training soon after ('immediately') conditioning attenuated fear retrieval in S1 mice and impaired extinction in B6 mice. Spacing cue presentations with long inter-trial intervals during extinction training augmented fear in S1 and B6 mice. The effect of spacing was lost with one-trial fear conditioning in B6, but not S1 mice. A single exposure to a conditioned cue before extinction training did not alter extinction retrieval, either in B6 or S1 mice. Both the S1 and B6 strains exhibited robust second-order fear conditioning, in which a cue associated with footshock was sufficient to serve as a conditioned exciter to condition a fear association to a second cue. B6 mice extinguished the fear response to the second-order conditioned cue, but S1 mice failed to do so. CONCLUSIONS These data provide further evidence that fear extinction is strongly influenced by multiple procedural variables and is so in a highly strain-dependent manner. This suggests that the efficacy of extinction-based behavioral interventions, such as exposure therapy, for trauma-related anxiety disorders will be determined by the procedural parameters employed and the degree to which the patient can extinguish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn MacPherson
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nigel Whittle
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Marguerite Camp
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ozge Gunduz-Cinar
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nicolas Singewald
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Courtin J, Bienvenu T, Einarsson E, Herry C. Medial prefrontal cortex neuronal circuits in fear behavior. Neuroscience 2013; 240:219-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2012] [Revised: 02/28/2013] [Accepted: 03/01/2013] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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