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Higa GSV, Viana FJC, Francis-Oliveira J, Cruvinel E, Franchin TS, Marcourakis T, Ulrich H, De Pasquale R. Serotonergic neuromodulation of synaptic plasticity. Neuropharmacology 2024; 257:110036. [PMID: 38876308 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.110036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
Synaptic plasticity constitutes a fundamental process in the reorganization of neural networks that underlie memory, cognition, emotional responses, and behavioral planning. At the core of this phenomenon lie Hebbian mechanisms, wherein frequent synaptic stimulation induces long-term potentiation (LTP), while less activation leads to long-term depression (LTD). The synaptic reorganization of neuronal networks is regulated by serotonin (5-HT), a neuromodulator capable of modify synaptic plasticity to appropriately respond to mental and behavioral states, such as alertness, attention, concentration, motivation, and mood. Lately, understanding the serotonergic Neuromodulation of synaptic plasticity has become imperative for unraveling its impact on cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functions. Through a comparative analysis across three main forebrain structures-the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex, this review discusses the actions of 5-HT on synaptic plasticity, offering insights into its role as a neuromodulator involved in emotional and cognitive functions. By distinguishing between plastic and metaplastic effects, we provide a comprehensive overview about the mechanisms of 5-HT neuromodulation of synaptic plasticity and associated functions across different brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme Shigueto Vilar Higa
- Laboratório de Neurofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Universidade de São Paulo, Butantã, São Paulo, SP, 05508-000, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química (USP), Butantã, São Paulo, SP, 05508-900, Brazil
| | - Felipe José Costa Viana
- Laboratório de Neurofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Universidade de São Paulo, Butantã, São Paulo, SP, 05508-000, Brazil
| | - José Francis-Oliveira
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA
| | - Emily Cruvinel
- Laboratório de Neurofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Universidade de São Paulo, Butantã, São Paulo, SP, 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Thainá Soares Franchin
- Laboratório de Neurofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Universidade de São Paulo, Butantã, São Paulo, SP, 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Tania Marcourakis
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, Butantã, São Paulo, SP, 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Henning Ulrich
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química (USP), Butantã, São Paulo, SP, 05508-900, Brazil
| | - Roberto De Pasquale
- Laboratório de Neurofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Universidade de São Paulo, Butantã, São Paulo, SP, 05508-000, Brazil.
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Faress I, Khalil V, Hou WH, Moreno A, Andersen N, Fonseca R, Piriz J, Capogna M, Nabavi S. Non-Hebbian plasticity transforms transient experiences into lasting memories. eLife 2024; 12:RP91421. [PMID: 39023519 PMCID: PMC11257676 DOI: 10.7554/elife.91421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The dominant models of learning and memory, such as Hebbian plasticity, propose that experiences are transformed into memories through input-specific synaptic plasticity at the time of learning. However, synaptic plasticity is neither strictly input-specific nor restricted to the time of its induction. The impact of such forms of non-Hebbian plasticity on memory has been difficult to test, and hence poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that synaptic manipulations can deviate from the Hebbian model of learning, yet produce a lasting memory. First, we established a weak associative conditioning protocol in mice, where optogenetic stimulation of sensory thalamic input to the amygdala was paired with a footshock, but no detectable memory was formed. However, when the same input was potentiated minutes before or after, or even 24 hr later, the associative experience was converted into a lasting memory. Importantly, potentiating an independent input to the amygdala minutes but not 24 hr after the pairing produced a lasting memory. Thus, our findings suggest that the process of transformation of a transient experience into a memory is neither restricted to the time of the experience nor to the synapses triggered by it; instead, it can be influenced by past and future events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Islam Faress
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAahrusDenmark
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAahrusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAahrusDenmark
| | - Valentina Khalil
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAahrusDenmark
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAahrusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAahrusDenmark
| | - Wen-Hsien Hou
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Andrea Moreno
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAahrusDenmark
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAahrusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAahrusDenmark
| | - Niels Andersen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAahrusDenmark
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAahrusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAahrusDenmark
| | - Rosalina Fonseca
- Cellular and Systems Neurobiology, Universidade Nova de LisboaLisbonPortugal
| | - Joaquin Piriz
- Instituto de Fisiología Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), Universidad de Buenos AiresBuenos AiresArgentina
| | - Marco Capogna
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAahrusDenmark
| | - Sadegh Nabavi
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAahrusDenmark
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAahrusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAahrusDenmark
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3
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Sgobbi RF, Incrocci RM, Paliarin F, Nobre MJ. The modulatory role of serotonin-1A receptors of the basolateral amygdala and dorsal periaqueductal gray on the impact of hormonal variation on the conditioned fear response. Neuroscience 2024:S0306-4522(24)00324-5. [PMID: 39019393 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
Despite significant advances in the study of fear and fear memory formation, little is known about fear learning and expression in females. This omission has been proven surprising, as normal and pathological behaviors are highly influenced by ovarian hormones, particularly estradiol and progesterone. In the current study, we investigated the joint influence of serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission and estrous cycle phases (low or high levels of estradiol and progesterone) on the expression of conditioned fear in a group of female rats that were previously divided according to their response to stressful stimuli into low or high anxiety-like subjects. The baseline amplitude of the unconditioned acoustic startle responses was high in high-anxiety female rats, with no effect on the estrous cycle observed. Data collected during the proestrus-estrus phase revealed that low-anxiety rats had startle amplitudes similar to those of high-anxiety rats. It is supposed that high-anxiety female rats benefit from increased estradiol and progesterone levels to achieve comparable potentiated startle amplitudes. In contrast, female rats experienced a significant decrease in hormone levels during the Diestrus phase. This decrease is believed to play a role in preventing them from displaying a heightened startle response when faced with strongly aversive stimuli. Data collected after 5-HT and 8-OH-DPAT were administered into the basolateral nuclei and dorsal periaqueductal gray suggest that 5-HT neurotransmission works with progesterone and estrogen to reduce startle potentiation, most likely by activating the serotonin-1A receptor subtype.
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Affiliation(s)
- R F Sgobbi
- Departamento de Psicologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil
| | - R M Incrocci
- Departamento de Psicologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil
| | - F Paliarin
- Departamento de Psicologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil
| | - M J Nobre
- Departamento de Psicologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil; Departamento de Psicologia, Uni-FACEF, 14401-135, Franca, SP, Brasil.
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4
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Kola PK, Oraegbuna CS, Lei S. Ionic mechanisms involved in arginine vasopressin-mediated excitation of auditory cortical and thalamic neurons. Mol Cell Neurosci 2024; 130:103951. [PMID: 38942186 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2024.103951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 06/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024] Open
Abstract
The axons containing arginine vasopressin (AVP) from the hypothalamus innervate a variety of structures including the cerebral cortex, thalamus, hippocampus and amygdala. A plethora amount of evidence indicates that activation of the V1a subtype of the vasopressin receptors facilitates anxiety-like and fear responses. As an essential structure involved in fear and anxiety responses, the amygdala, especially the lateral nucleus of amygdala (LA), receives glutamatergic innervations from the auditory cortex and auditory thalamus where high density of V1a receptors have been detected. However, the roles and mechanisms of AVP in these two important areas have not been determined, which prevents the understanding of the mechanisms whereby V1a activation augments anxiety and fear responses. Here, we used coronal brain slices and studied the effects of AVP on neuronal activities of the auditory cortical and thalamic neurons. Our results indicate that activation of V1a receptors excited both auditory cortical and thalamic neurons. In the auditory cortical neurons, AVP increased neuronal excitability by depressing multiple subtypes of inwardly rectifying K+ (Kir) channels including the Kir2 subfamily, the ATP-sensitive K+ channels and the G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK) channels, whereas activation of V1a receptors excited the auditory thalamic neurons by depressing the Kir2 subfamily of the Kir channels as well as activating the hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels and a persistent Na+ channel. Our results may help explain the roles of V1a receptors in facilitating fear and anxiety responses. Categories: Cell Physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phani K Kola
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND58203, United States of America
| | - Chidiebele S Oraegbuna
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND58203, United States of America
| | - Saobo Lei
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND58203, United States of America.
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5
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Gargiulo MR, Argibay LM, Molina VA, Calfa GD, Bender CL. Role of amygdala astrocytes in different phases of contextual fear memory. Behav Brain Res 2024; 468:115017. [PMID: 38679145 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115017] [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: 02/09/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Growing evidence indicates a critical role of astrocytes in learning and memory. However, little is known about the role of basolateral amygdala complex (BLA-C) astrocytes in contextual fear conditioning (CFC), a paradigm relevant to understand and generate treatments for fear- and anxiety-related disorders. To get insights on the involvement of BLA-C astrocytes in fear memory, fluorocitrate (FLC), a reversible astroglial metabolic inhibitor, was applied at critical moments of the memory processing in order to target the acquisition, consolidation, retrieval and reconsolidation process of the fear memory. Adult Wistar male rats were bilaterally cannulated in BLA-C. Ten days later they were infused with different doses of FLC (0.5 or 1 nmol/0.5 µl) or saline before or after CFC and before or after retrieval. FLC impaired fear memory expression when administered before and shortly after CFC, but not one hour later. Infusion of FLC prior and after retrieval did not affect the memory. Our findings suggest that BLA-C astrocytes are critically involved in the acquisition/early consolidation of fear memory but not in the retrieval and reconsolidation. Furthermore, the extinction process was presumably not affected (considering that peri-retrieval administration could also affect this process).
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Affiliation(s)
- Melisa Riva Gargiulo
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba (IFEC-CONICET) - Departamento de Farmacología Otto Orsingher (FCQ-UNC), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Lourdes María Argibay
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba (IFEC-CONICET) - Departamento de Farmacología Otto Orsingher (FCQ-UNC), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Víctor Alejandro Molina
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba (IFEC-CONICET) - Departamento de Farmacología Otto Orsingher (FCQ-UNC), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Gastón Diego Calfa
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba (IFEC-CONICET) - Departamento de Farmacología Otto Orsingher (FCQ-UNC), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Crhistian Luis Bender
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba (IFEC-CONICET) - Departamento de Farmacología Otto Orsingher (FCQ-UNC), Córdoba, Argentina.
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Manassero E, Concina G, Caraig MCC, Sarasso P, Salatino A, Ricci R, Sacchetti B. Medial anterior prefrontal cortex stimulation downregulates implicit reactions to threats and prevents the return of fear. eLife 2024; 13:e85951. [PMID: 38913410 PMCID: PMC11196108 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Downregulating emotional overreactions toward threats is fundamental for developing treatments for anxiety and post-traumatic disorders. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is critical for top-down modulatory processes, and despite previous studies adopting repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over this region provided encouraging results in enhancing extinction, no studies have hitherto explored the effects of stimulating the medial anterior PFC (aPFC, encompassing the Brodmann area 10) on threat memory and generalization. Here we showed that rTMS over the aPFC applied before threat memory retrieval immediately decreases implicit reactions to learned and novel stimuli in humans. These effects enduringly persisted 1 week later in the absence of rTMS. No effects were detected on explicit recognition. Critically, rTMS over the aPFC resulted in a more pronounced reduction of defensive responses compared to rTMS targeting the dorsolateral PFC. These findings reveal a previously unexplored prefrontal region, the modulation of which can efficiently and durably inhibit implicit reactions to learned threats. This represents a significant advancement toward the long-term deactivation of exaggerated responses to threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenio Manassero
- Rita Levi-Montalcini Department of Neurosciences, University of TurinTurinItaly
| | - Giulia Concina
- Rita Levi-Montalcini Department of Neurosciences, University of TurinTurinItaly
| | | | | | | | | | - Benedetto Sacchetti
- Rita Levi-Montalcini Department of Neurosciences, University of TurinTurinItaly
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7
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Dugan BJ, Fraigne JJ, Peever J. REM sleep: Out-dreaming fear. Curr Biol 2024; 34:R510-R512. [PMID: 38772341 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.033] [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: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
The ability to forget fear-inducing situations is essential for adapting to our environment, but the neural mechanisms underlying 'fear forgetting' remain unclear. Novel findings reveal that the activity of the infralimbic cortex - specifically during REM sleep - contributes to the extinction of fear memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany J Dugan
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto ON, Canada
| | - Jimmy J Fraigne
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto ON, Canada
| | - John Peever
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto ON, Canada.
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8
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Premachandran H, Wilkin J, Arruda-Carvalho M. Minimizing Variability in Developmental Fear Studies in Mice: Toward Improved Replicability in the Field. Curr Protoc 2024; 4:e1040. [PMID: 38713136 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.1040] [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] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
In rodents, the first weeks of postnatal life feature remarkable changes in fear memory acquisition, retention, extinction, and discrimination. Early development is also marked by profound changes in brain circuits underlying fear memory processing, with heightened sensitivity to environmental influences and stress, providing a powerful model to study the intersection between brain structure, function, and the impacts of stress. Nevertheless, difficulties related to breeding and housing young rodents, preweaning manipulations, and potential increased variability within that population pose considerable challenges to developmental fear research. Here we discuss several factors that may promote variability in studies examining fear conditioning in young rodents and provide recommendations to increase replicability. We focus primarily on experimental conditions, design, and analysis of rodent fear data, with an emphasis on mouse studies. The convergence of anatomical, synaptic, physiological, and behavioral changes during early life may increase variability, but careful practice and transparency in reporting may improve rigor and consensus in the field. © 2024 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanista Premachandran
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Jennifer Wilkin
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Maithe Arruda-Carvalho
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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9
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Wehrli JM, Xia Y, Abivardi A, Kleim B, Bach DR. The impact of doxycycline on human contextual fear memory. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024; 241:1065-1077. [PMID: 38334789 PMCID: PMC11031495 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-024-06540-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
RATIONALE Previous work identified an attenuating effect of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor doxycycline on fear memory consolidation. This may present a new mechanistic approach for the prevention of trauma-related disorders. However, so far, this has only been unambiguously demonstrated in a cued delay fear conditioning paradigm, in which a simple geometric cue predicted a temporally overlapping aversive outcome. This form of learning is mainly amygdala dependent. Psychological trauma often involves the encoding of contextual cues, which putatively necessitates partly different neural circuits including the hippocampus. The role of MMP signalling in the underlying neural pathways in humans is unknown. METHODS Here, we investigated the effect of doxycycline on configural fear conditioning in a double-blind placebo-controlled randomised trial with 100 (50 females) healthy human participants. RESULTS Our results show that participants successfully learned and retained, after 1 week, the context-shock association in both groups. We find no group difference in fear memory retention in either of our pre-registered outcome measures, startle eye-blink responses and pupil dilation. Contrary to expectations, we identified elevated fear-potentiated startle in the doxycycline group early in the recall test, compared to the placebo group. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that doxycycline does not substantially attenuate contextual fear memory. This might limit its potential for clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelena M Wehrli
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Yanfang Xia
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Aslan Abivardi
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, FMRIB Building, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Birgit Kleim
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dominik R Bach
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, Russell Square House, 10-12 Russell Square, London, WC1B 5EH, UK.
- Hertz Chair for Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, Transdisciplinary Research Area Life & Health , University of Bonn, Am Probsthof 49, 53121, Bonn, Germany.
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Hegoburu C, Tang Y, Niu R, Ghosh S, Triana Del Rio R, de Araujo Salgado I, Abatis M, Alexandre Mota Caseiro D, van den Burg EH, Grundschober C, Stoop R. Social buffering in rats reduces fear by oxytocin triggering sustained changes in central amygdala neuronal activity. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2081. [PMID: 38453902 PMCID: PMC10920863 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45626-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The presence of a companion can reduce fear, but the neural mechanisms underlying this social buffering of fear are incompletely known. We studied social buffering of fear in male and female, and its encoding in the amygdala of male, auditory fear-conditioned rats. Pharmacological, opto,- and/or chemogenetic interventions showed that oxytocin signaling from hypothalamus-to-central amygdala projections underlied fear reduction acutely with a companion and social buffering retention 24 h later without a companion. Single-unit recordings with optetrodes in the central amygdala revealed fear-encoding neurons (showing increased conditioned stimulus-responses after fear conditioning) inhibited by social buffering and blue light-stimulated oxytocinergic hypothalamic projections. Other central amygdala neurons showed baseline activity enhanced by blue light and companion exposure, with increased conditioned stimulus responses that persisted without the companion. Social buffering of fear thus switches the conditioned stimulus from encoding "fear" to "safety" by oxytocin-mediated recruitment of a distinct group of central amygdala "buffer neurons".
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe Hegoburu
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, CHUV, Prilly-Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Yan Tang
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, CHUV, Prilly-Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ruifang Niu
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, CHUV, Prilly-Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Supriya Ghosh
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, CHUV, Prilly-Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Marios Abatis
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, CHUV, Prilly-Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Christophe Grundschober
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Neuroscience Discovery, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ron Stoop
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, CHUV, Prilly-Lausanne, Switzerland.
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McDonald AJ. Functional neuroanatomy of basal forebrain projections to the basolateral amygdala: Transmitters, receptors, and neuronal subpopulations. J Neurosci Res 2024; 102:e25318. [PMID: 38491847 PMCID: PMC10948038 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
The projections of the basal forebrain (BF) to the hippocampus and neocortex have been extensively studied and shown to be important for higher cognitive functions, including attention, learning, and memory. Much less is known about the BF projections to the basolateral nuclear complex of the amygdala (BNC), although the cholinergic innervation of this region by the BF is actually far more robust than that of cortical areas. This review will focus on light and electron microscopic tract-tracing and immunohistochemical (IHC) studies, many of which were published in the last decade, that have analyzed the relationship of BF inputs and their receptors to specific neuronal subtypes in the BNC in order to better understand the anatomical substrates of BF-BNC circuitry. The results indicate that BF inputs to the BNC mainly target the basolateral nucleus of the BNC (BL) and arise from cholinergic, GABAergic, and perhaps glutamatergic BF neurons. Cholinergic inputs mainly target dendrites and spines of pyramidal neurons (PNs) that express muscarinic receptors (MRs). MRs are also expressed by cholinergic axons, as well as cortical and thalamic axons that synapse with PN dendrites and spines. BF GABAergic axons to the BL also express MRs and mainly target BL interneurons that contain parvalbumin. It is suggested that BF-BL circuitry could be very important for generating rhythmic oscillations known to be critical for emotional learning. BF cholinergic inputs to the BNC might also contribute to memory formation by activating M1 receptors located on PN dendritic shafts and spines that also express NMDA receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Joseph McDonald
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
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12
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Park K, Park H, Chung C. Fear conditioning and extinction distinctively alter bidirectional synaptic plasticity within the amygdala of an animal model of post-traumatic stress disorder. Neurobiol Stress 2024; 29:100606. [PMID: 38292517 PMCID: PMC10825524 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Synaptic plasticity in the amygdala plays an essential role in the formation and inhibition of fear memory; however, this plasticity has mainly been studied in the lateral amygdala, making it largely uninvestigated in other subnuclei. Here, we investigated long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) to the medial division of the central amygdala (CEm) synapses of juvenile C57BL/6N (B6) and 129S1/SvImJ (S1) mice. We found that in naïve B6 and S1 mice, LTP was not induced at the BLA to CEm synapses, whereas fear conditioning lowered the threshold for LTP induction in these synapses of both B6 and S1 mice. Interestingly, fear extinction disrupted the induction of LTP at the BLA to CEm synapses of B6 mice, whereas LTP was left intact in S1 mice. Both low-frequency stimulation (LFS) and modest LFS (mLFS) induced LTD in naïve B6 and S1 mice, suggesting that the BLA to CEm synapses express bidirectional plasticity. Fear conditioning disrupted both types of LTD induction selectively in S1 mice and LFS-LTD, presumably NMDAR-dependent LTD was partially recovered by fear extinction. However, mLFS-LTD which has been known to be endocannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R)-dependent was not induced after fear extinction in both mouse strains. Our observations suggest that fear conditioning enhances LTP while fear extinction diminishes LTP at the BLA to the CEm synapses of B6 mice with successful extinction. Considering that S1 mice showed strong fear conditioning and impaired extinction, strong fear conditioning in the S1 strain may be related to disrupted LTD, and impaired extinction may be due to constant LTP and weak LFS-LTD at the BLA to CEm synapses. Our study contributes to the further understanding of the dynamics of synaptic potentiation and depression between the subnuclei of the amygdala in juvenile mice after fear conditioning and extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwanghoon Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul, 05029, South Korea
| | - Hoyong Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul, 05029, South Korea
| | - ChiHye Chung
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul, 05029, South Korea
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13
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Aranberri Ruiz A. Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Improve Emotional State. Biomedicines 2024; 12:407. [PMID: 38398009 PMCID: PMC10886536 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12020407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Emotional experiences are a part of our lives. The maladaptive functioning of an individual's emotional field can lead to emotional disturbances of various kinds, such as anxiety and depression. Currently, there is an increasing prevalence of emotional disorders that cause great human suffering and high socioeconomic costs. Emotional processing has a biological basis. The major neuroscientific theories of emotion are based on biological functioning, and all of them take into account the anatomy and function of the tenth cranial nerve: the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve connects the subdiaphragmatic and supradiaphragmatic areas and modulates emotional processing as the basis of interoceptive functioning. Auricular vagus nerve stimulation is a new and innovative neuromodulation technique based on the function of the vagus nerve. Several interventions have shown that this new neurostimulation technique is a very promising resource for treating emotional disorders. In this paper, we summarise three neuroscientific theories of emotion, explain what transcutaneous auricular nerve stimulation is, and present arguments for its use and continued research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ainara Aranberri Ruiz
- Department of Basic Psychological Process and Development, University of the Basque Country, 20018 San Sebastian, Spain
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14
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Palchaudhuri S, Osypenko D, Schneggenburger R. Fear Learning: An Evolving Picture for Plasticity at Synaptic Afferents to the Amygdala. Neuroscientist 2024; 30:87-104. [PMID: 35822657 DOI: 10.1177/10738584221108083] [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] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Unraveling the neuronal mechanisms of fear learning might allow neuroscientists to make links between a learned behavior and the underlying plasticity at specific synaptic connections. In fear learning, an innocuous sensory event such as a tone (called the conditioned stimulus, CS) acquires an emotional value when paired with an aversive outcome (unconditioned stimulus, US). Here, we review earlier studies that have shown that synaptic plasticity at thalamic and cortical afferents to the lateral amygdala (LA) is critical for the formation of auditory-cued fear memories. Despite the early progress, it has remained unclear whether there are separate synaptic inputs that carry US information to the LA to act as a teaching signal for plasticity at CS-coding synapses. Recent findings have begun to fill this gap by showing, first, that thalamic and cortical auditory afferents can also carry US information; second, that the release of neuromodulators contributes to US-driven teaching signals; and third, that synaptic plasticity additionally happens at connections up- and downstream of the LA. Together, a picture emerges in which coordinated synaptic plasticity in serial and parallel circuits enables the formation of a finely regulated fear memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shriya Palchaudhuri
- Laboratory of Synaptic Mechanisms, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Denys Osypenko
- Laboratory of Synaptic Mechanisms, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ralf Schneggenburger
- Laboratory of Synaptic Mechanisms, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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15
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Ozsvár A, Sieburg MC, Sietam MD, Hou WH, Capogna M. A combinatory genetic strategy for targeting neurogliaform neurons in the mouse basolateral amygdala. Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1254460. [PMID: 38362542 PMCID: PMC10867116 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1254460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
The mouse basolateral amygdala (BLA) contains various GABAergic interneuron subpopulations, which have distinctive roles in the neuronal microcircuit controlling numerous behavioral functions. In mice, roughly 15% of the BLA GABAergic interneurons express neuropeptide Y (NPY), a reasonably characteristic marker for neurogliaform cells (NGFCs) in cortical-like brain structures. However, genetically labeled putative NPY-expressing interneurons in the BLA yield a mixture of interneuron subtypes besides NGFCs. Thus, selective molecular markers are lacking for genetically accessing NGFCs in the BLA. Here, we validated the NGFC-specific labeling with a molecular marker, neuron-derived neurotrophic factor (NDNF), in the mouse BLA, as such specificity has been demonstrated in the neocortex and hippocampus. We characterized genetically defined NDNF-expressing (NDNF+) GABAergic interneurons in the mouse BLA by combining the Ndnf-IRES2-dgCre-D transgenic mouse line with viral labeling, immunohistochemical staining, and in vitro electrophysiology. We found that BLA NDNF+ GABAergic cells mainly expressed NGFC neurochemical markers NPY and reelin (Reln) and exhibited small round soma and dense axonal arborization. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings indicated that most NDNF+ interneurons showed late spiking and moderate firing adaptation. Moreover, ∼81% of BLA NDNF+ cells generated retroaxonal action potential after current injections or optogenetic stimulations, frequently developing into persistent barrage firing. Optogenetic activation of the BLA NDNF+ cell population yielded both GABAA- and GABAB receptor-mediated currents onto BLA pyramidal neurons (PNs). We demonstrate a combinatory strategy combining the NDNF-cre mouse line with viral transfection to specifically target adult mouse BLA NGFCs and further explore their functional and behavioral roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Attila Ozsvár
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Meike Claudia Sieburg
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Monica Dahlstrup Sietam
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Wen-Hsien Hou
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Marco Capogna
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory (PROMEMO), Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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16
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Hornstein E, Leschak CJ, Parrish MH, Byrne-Haltom KE, Fanselow MS, Craske MG, Eisenberger NI. Social support and fear-inhibition: an examination of underlying neural mechanisms. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2024; 19:nsae002. [PMID: 38217103 PMCID: PMC10868130 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsae002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent work has demonstrated that reminders of those we are closest to have a unique combination of effects on fear learning and represent a new category of fear inhibitors, termed prepared fear suppressors. Notably, social-support-figure images have been shown to resist becoming associated with fear, suppress conditional-fear-responding and lead to long-term fear reduction. Due to the novelty of this category, understanding the underlying neural mechanisms that support these unique abilities of social-support-reminders has yet to be investigated. Here, we examined the neural correlates that enable social-support-reminders to resist becoming associated with fear during a retardation-of-acquisition test. We found that social-support-figure-images (vs stranger-images) were less readily associated with fear, replicating prior work, and that this effect was associated with decreased amygdala activity and increased ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) activity for social-support-figure-images (vs stranger-images), suggesting that social-support-engagement of the VMPFC and consequent inhibition of the amygdala may contribute to unique their inhibitory effects. Connectivity analyses supported this interpretation, showing greater connectivity between the VMPFC and left amygdala for social-support-figure-images (vs stranger-images).
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Affiliation(s)
- E.A Hornstein
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - C J Leschak
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - M H Parrish
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - K E Byrne-Haltom
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - M S Fanselow
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - M G Craske
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - N I Eisenberger
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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17
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Shen XY, Zhang J, Huang HZ, Li SD, Zhou L, Wu SP, Tang C, Huang X, Liu ZQ, Guo ZY, Li X, Man HY, Lu YM, Zhu LQ, Liu D. The interaction of Synapsin 2a and Synaptogyrin-3 regulates fear extinction in mice. J Clin Invest 2024; 134:e172802. [PMID: 38175724 PMCID: PMC10866652 DOI: 10.1172/jci172802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms behind a lack of efficient fear extinction in some individuals are unclear. Here, by employing a principal components analysis-based approach, we differentiated the mice into extinction-resistant and susceptible groups. We determined that elevated synapsin 2a (Syn2a) in the infralimbic cortex (IL) to basolateral amygdala (BLA) circuit disrupted presynaptic orchestration, leading to an excitatory/inhibitory imbalance in the BLA region and causing extinction resistance. Overexpression or silencing of Syn2a levels in IL neurons replicated or alleviated behavioral, electrophysiological, and biochemical phenotypes in resistant mice. We further identified that the proline-rich domain H in the C-terminus of Syn2a was indispensable for the interaction with synaptogyrin-3 (Syngr3) and demonstrated that disrupting this interaction restored extinction impairments. Molecular docking revealed that ritonavir, an FDA-approved HIV drug, could disrupt Syn2a-Syngr3 binding and rescue fear extinction behavior in Syn2a-elevated mice. In summary, the aberrant elevation of Syn2a expression and its interaction with Syngr3 at the presynaptic site were crucial in fear extinction resistance, suggesting a potential therapeutic avenue for related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi-Ya Shen
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Juan Zhang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - He-Zhou Huang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Shao-Dan Li
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Ling Zhou
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Shi-Ping Wu
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Cheng Tang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xian Huang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Zhi-Qiang Liu
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Zi-Yuan Guo
- Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM), Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Xiang Li
- Department of Neurosurgery and
- Brain Research Center, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Medical Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Heng-Ye Man
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - You-Ming Lu
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Ling-Qiang Zhu
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Dan Liu
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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18
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Lonnberg A, Logrip ML, Kuznetsov A. Mechanisms of alcohol influence on fear conditioning: a computational model. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.12.30.573310. [PMID: 38260700 PMCID: PMC10802259 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.30.573310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
A connection between stress-related illnesses and alcohol use disorders is extensively documented. Fear conditioning is a standard procedure used to study stress learning and links it to the activation of amygdala circuitry. However, the connection between the changes in amygdala circuit and function induced by alcohol and fear conditioning is not well established. We introduce a computational model to test the mechanistic relationship between amygdala functional and circuit adaptations during fear conditioning and the impact of acute vs. repeated alcohol exposure. In accordance with experiments, both acute and prior repeated alcohol decreases speed and robustness of fear extinction in our simulations. The model predicts that, first, the delay in fear extinction in alcohol is mostly induced by greater activation of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) after fear acquisition due to alcohol-induced modulation of synaptic weights. Second, both acute and prior repeated alcohol shifts the amygdala network away from the robust extinction regime by inhibiting the activity in the central amygdala (CeA). Third, our model predicts that fear memories formed in acute or after chronic alcohol are more connected to the context. Thus, the model suggests how circuit changes induced by alcohol may affect fear behaviors and provides a framework for investigating the involvement of multiple neuromodulators in this neuroadaptive process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Lonnberg
- University of Evansville, Department of Mathematics, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Marian L. Logrip
- Indiana University-Purdue University, Department of Psychology, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Alexey Kuznetsov
- Indiana University-Purdue University, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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19
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Fronza MG, Ferreira BF, Pavan-Silva I, Guimarães FS, Lisboa SF. "NO" Time in Fear Response: Possible Implication of Nitric-Oxide-Related Mechanisms in PTSD. Molecules 2023; 29:89. [PMID: 38202672 PMCID: PMC10779493 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29010089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition characterized by persistent fear responses and altered neurotransmitter functioning due to traumatic experiences. Stress predominantly affects glutamate, a neurotransmitter crucial for synaptic plasticity and memory formation. Activation of the N-Methyl-D-Aspartate glutamate receptors (NMDAR) can trigger the formation of a complex comprising postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD95), the neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and its adaptor protein (NOS1AP). This complex is pivotal in activating nNOS and nitric oxide (NO) production, which, in turn, activates downstream pathways that modulate neuronal signaling, including synaptic plasticity/transmission, inflammation, and cell death. The involvement of nNOS and NOS1AP in the susceptibility of PTSD and its comorbidities has been widely shown. Therefore, understanding the interplay between stress, fear, and NO is essential for comprehending the maintenance and progression of PTSD, since NO is involved in fear acquisition and extinction processes. Moreover, NO induces post-translational modifications (PTMs), including S-nitrosylation and nitration, which alter protein function and structure for intracellular signaling. Although evidence suggests that NO influences synaptic plasticity and memory processing, the specific role of PTMs in the pathophysiology of PTSD remains unclear. This review highlights pathways modulated by NO that could be relevant to stress and PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana G. Fronza
- Pharmacology Departament, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 14049-900, Brazil; (M.G.F.); (B.F.F.); (I.P.-S.)
| | - Bruna F. Ferreira
- Pharmacology Departament, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 14049-900, Brazil; (M.G.F.); (B.F.F.); (I.P.-S.)
| | - Isabela Pavan-Silva
- Pharmacology Departament, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 14049-900, Brazil; (M.G.F.); (B.F.F.); (I.P.-S.)
| | - Francisco S. Guimarães
- Pharmacology Departament, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 14049-900, Brazil; (M.G.F.); (B.F.F.); (I.P.-S.)
| | - Sabrina F. Lisboa
- Pharmacology Departament, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 14049-900, Brazil; (M.G.F.); (B.F.F.); (I.P.-S.)
- Biomolecular Sciences Department, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 14040-903, Brazil
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20
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Herry C, Jercog D. Stable coding of aversive associations in medial prefrontal populations. C R Biol 2023; 346:127-138. [PMID: 38116876 DOI: 10.5802/crbiol.126] [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: 02/19/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is at the core of numerous psychiatric conditions, including fear and anxiety-related disorders. Whereas an abundance of evidence suggests a crucial role of the mPFC in regulating fear behaviour, the precise role of the mPFC in this process is not yet entirely clear. While studies at the single-cell level have demonstrated the involvement of this area in various aspects of fear processing, such as the encoding of threat-related cues and fear expression, an increasingly prevalent idea in the systems neuroscience field is that populations of neurons are, in fact, the essential unit of computation in many integrative brain regions such as prefrontal areas. What mPFC neuronal populations represent when we face threats? To address this question, we performed electrophysiological single-unit population recordings in the dorsal mPFC while mice faced threat-predicting cues eliciting defensive behaviours, and performed pharmacological and optogenetic inactivations of this area and the amygdala. Our data indicated that the presence of threat-predicting cues induces a stable coding dynamics of internally driven representations in the dorsal mPFC, necessary to drive learned defensive behaviours. Moreover, these neural population representations primary reflect learned associations rather than specific defensive behaviours, and the construct of such representations relies on the functional integrity of the amygdala.
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21
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Karunakaran KB, Amemori KI. Spatiotemporal expression patterns of anxiety disorder-associated genes. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:385. [PMID: 38092764 PMCID: PMC10719387 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02693-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 11/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Anxiety disorders (ADs) are the most common form of mental disorder that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Although physiological studies have revealed the neural circuits related to AD symptoms, how AD-associated genes are spatiotemporally expressed in the human brain still remains unclear. In this study, we integrated genome-wide association studies of four human AD subtypes-generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder-with spatial gene expression patterns. Our investigation uncovered a novel division among AD-associated genes, marked by significant and distinct expression enrichments in the cerebral nuclei, limbic, and midbrain regions. Each gene cluster was associated with specific anxiety-related behaviors, signaling pathways, region-specific gene networks, and cell types. Notably, we observed a significant negative correlation in the temporal expression patterns of these gene clusters during various developmental stages. Moreover, the specific brain regions enriched in each gene group aligned with neural circuits previously associated with negative decision-making and anxious temperament. These results suggest that the two distinct gene clusters may underlie separate neural systems involved in anxiety. As a result, our findings bridge the gap between genes and neural circuitry, shedding light on the mechanisms underlying AD-associated behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalyani B Karunakaran
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology, Kyoto University, Yoshida Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichi Amemori
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology, Kyoto University, Yoshida Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
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22
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Salinas-Hernández XI, Zafiri D, Sigurdsson T, Duvarci S. Functional architecture of dopamine neurons driving fear extinction learning. Neuron 2023; 111:3854-3870.e5. [PMID: 37741275 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.08.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
The ability to extinguish fear responses to stimuli that no longer predict danger is critical for adaptive behavior and increases the likelihood of survival. During fear extinction, dopamine (DA) neurons signal the absence of the expected aversive outcome, and this extinction prediction error (EPE) signal is crucial for initiating and driving extinction learning. However, the neural circuits underlying the EPE signal have remained elusive. Here, we investigate the input-output circuitry of EPE-encoding DA neurons in male mice. By employing projection-specific fiber photometry and optogenetics, we demonstrate that these neurons project to a restricted subregion of the nucleus accumbens. Comprehensive anatomical analyses, as well as projection-specific chemogenetic manipulations combined with recordings of DA biosensors, further uncover the dorsal raphe as one key input structure critical for generating the EPE signal. Together, our results reveal for the first time the functional architecture of EPE-encoding DA neurons crucial for driving fear extinction learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ximena I Salinas-Hernández
- Institute of Neurophysiology, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Daphne Zafiri
- Institute of Neurophysiology, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Torfi Sigurdsson
- Institute of Neurophysiology, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Sevil Duvarci
- Institute of Neurophysiology, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany.
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23
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Hadeiy SK, Habtemariam S, Shankayi Z, Shahyad S, Sahraei H, Asghardoust Rezaei M, Bahrami F. Amelioration of pain and anxiety in sleep-deprived rats by intra-amygdala injection of cinnamaldehyde. Sleep Med X 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sleepx.2023.100069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
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24
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Traina G, Tuszynski JA. The Neurotransmission Basis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders by the Fear Conditioning Paradigm. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16327. [PMID: 38003517 PMCID: PMC10671801 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216327] [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: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear conditioning constitutes the best and most reproducible paradigm to study the neurobiological mechanisms underlying emotions. On the other hand, studies on the synaptic plasticity phenomena underlying fear conditioning present neural circuits enforcing this learning pattern related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Notably, in both humans and the rodent model, fear conditioning and context rely on dependent neurocircuitry in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, cingulate gyrus, and hippocampus. In this review, an overview of the role that classical neurotransmitters play in the contextual conditioning model of fear, and therefore in PTSD, was reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Traina
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Via Romana, 06126 Perugia, Italy
| | - Jack A. Tuszynski
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (DIMEAS), Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca Degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin, Italy;
- Department of Data Science and Engineering, The Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, 11335 Saskatchewan Dr NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M9, Canada
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25
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Asokan MM, Watanabe Y, Kimchi EY, Polley DB. Potentiation of cholinergic and corticofugal inputs to the lateral amygdala in threat learning. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113167. [PMID: 37742187 PMCID: PMC10879743 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The amygdala, cholinergic basal forebrain, and higher-order auditory cortex (HO-AC) regulate brain-wide plasticity underlying auditory threat learning. Here, we perform multi-regional extracellular recordings and optical measurements of acetylcholine (ACh) release to characterize the development of discriminative plasticity within and between these brain regions as mice acquire and recall auditory threat memories. Spiking responses are potentiated for sounds paired with shock (CS+) in the lateral amygdala (LA) and optogenetically identified corticoamygdalar projection neurons, although not in neighboring HO-AC units. Spike- or optogenetically triggered local field potentials reveal enhanced corticofugal-but not corticopetal-functional coupling between HO-AC and LA during threat memory recall that is correlated with pupil-indexed memory strength. We also note robust sound-evoked ACh release that rapidly potentiates for the CS+ in LA but habituates across sessions in HO-AC. These findings highlight a distributed and cooperative plasticity in LA inputs as mice learn to reappraise neutral stimuli as possible threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meenakshi M Asokan
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
| | - Yurika Watanabe
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Eyal Y Kimchi
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Daniel B Polley
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
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26
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Kalinowski D, Bogus-Nowakowska K, Kozłowska A, Równiak M. The Co-Expression Pattern of Calcium-Binding Proteins with γ-Aminobutyric Acid and Glutamate Transporters in the Amygdala of the Guinea Pig: Evidence for Glutamatergic Subpopulations. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15025. [PMID: 37834473 PMCID: PMC10573686 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241915025] [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: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The amygdala has large populations of neurons utilizing specific calcium-binding proteins such as parvalbumin (PV), calbindin (CB), or calretinin (CR). They are considered specialized subsets of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) interneurons; however, many of these cells are devoid of GABA or glutamate decarboxylase. The neurotransmitters used by GABA-immunonegative cells are still unknown, but it is suggested that a part may use glutamate. Thus, this study investigates in the amygdala of the guinea pig relationships between PV, CB, or CR-containing cells and GABA transporter (VGAT) or glutamate transporter type 2 (VGLUT2), markers of GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons, respectively. The results show that although most neurons using PV, CB, and CR co-expressed VGAT, each of these populations also had a fraction of VGLUT2 co-expressing cells. For almost all neurons using PV (~90%) co-expressed VGAT, while ~1.5% of them had VGLUT2. The proportion of neurons using CB and VGAT was smaller than that for PV (~80%), while the percentage of cells with VGLUT2 was larger (~4.5%). Finally, only half of the neurons using CR (~53%) co-expressed VGAT, while ~3.5% of them had VGLUT2. In conclusion, the populations of neurons co-expressing PV, CB, and CR are in the amygdala, primarily GABAergic. However, at least a fraction of neurons in each of them co-express VGLUT2, suggesting that these cells may use glutamate. Moreover, the number of PV-, CB-, and CR-containing neurons that may use glutamate is probably larger as they can utilize VGLUT1 or VGLUT3, which are also present in the amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kalinowski
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, pl. Łódzki 3, 10-727 Olsztyn, Poland; (K.B.-N.); (M.R.)
| | - Krystyna Bogus-Nowakowska
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, pl. Łódzki 3, 10-727 Olsztyn, Poland; (K.B.-N.); (M.R.)
| | - Anna Kozłowska
- Department of Human Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Warszawska 30, 10-082 Olsztyn, Poland;
| | - Maciej Równiak
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, pl. Łódzki 3, 10-727 Olsztyn, Poland; (K.B.-N.); (M.R.)
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27
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Davidson AM, Kaushik S, Hige T. Dopamine-Dependent Plasticity Is Heterogeneously Expressed by Presynaptic Calcium Activity across Individual Boutons of the Drosophila Mushroom Body. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0275-23.2023. [PMID: 37848287 PMCID: PMC10616905 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0275-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The Drosophila mushroom body (MB) is an important model system for studying the synaptic mechanisms of associative learning. In this system, coincidence of odor-evoked calcium influx and dopaminergic input in the presynaptic terminals of Kenyon cells (KCs), the principal neurons of the MB, triggers long-term depression (LTD), which plays a critical role in olfactory learning. However, it is controversial whether such synaptic plasticity is accompanied by a corresponding decrease in odor-evoked calcium activity in the KC presynaptic terminals. Here, we address this question by inducing LTD by pairing odor presentation with optogenetic activation of dopaminergic neurons (DANs). This allows us to rigorously compare the changes at the presynaptic and postsynaptic sites in the same conditions. By imaging presynaptic acetylcholine release in the condition where LTD is reliably observed in the postsynaptic calcium signals, we show that neurotransmitter release from KCs is depressed selectively in the MB compartments innervated by activated DANs, demonstrating the presynaptic nature of LTD. However, total odor-evoked calcium activity of the KC axon bundles does not show concurrent depression. We further conduct calcium imaging in individual presynaptic boutons and uncover the highly heterogeneous nature of calcium plasticity. Namely, only a subset of boutons, which are strongly activated by associated odors, undergo calcium activity depression, while weakly responding boutons show potentiation. Thus, our results suggest an unexpected nonlinear relationship between presynaptic calcium influx and the results of plasticity, challenging the simple view of cooperative actions of presynaptic calcium and dopaminergic input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M Davidson
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
- Integrative Program for Biological and Genome Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Shivam Kaushik
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Toshihide Hige
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
- Integrative Program for Biological and Genome Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
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28
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Sepahvand T, Power KD, Qin T, Yuan Q. The Basolateral Amygdala: The Core of a Network for Threat Conditioning, Extinction, and Second-Order Threat Conditioning. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1274. [PMID: 37886984 PMCID: PMC10604397 DOI: 10.3390/biology12101274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Threat conditioning, extinction, and second-order threat conditioning studied in animal models provide insight into the brain-based mechanisms of fear- and anxiety-related disorders and their treatment. Much attention has been paid to the role of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in such processes, an overview of which is presented in this review. More recent evidence suggests that the BLA serves as the core of a greater network of structures in these forms of learning, including associative and sensory cortices. The BLA is importantly regulated by hippocampal and prefrontal inputs, as well as by the catecholaminergic neuromodulators, norepinephrine and dopamine, that may provide important prediction-error or learning signals for these forms of learning. The sensory cortices may be required for the long-term storage of threat memories. As such, future research may further investigate the potential of the sensory cortices for the long-term storage of extinction and second-order conditioning memories.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Qi Yuan
- Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St John’s, NL A1B 3V6, Canada; (T.S.); (K.D.P.); (T.Q.)
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29
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Crestani AP, Cicvaric A, Yiu AP. Editorial: New insights into synaptic plasticity in fear conditioning. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2023; 15:1270701. [PMID: 37779862 PMCID: PMC10535560 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2023.1270701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ana P. Crestani
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Ana Cicvaric
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
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30
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Veres JM, Fekete Z, Müller K, Andrasi T, Rovira-Esteban L, Barabas B, Papp OI, Hajos N. Fear learning and aversive stimuli differentially change excitatory synaptic transmission in perisomatic inhibitory cells of the basal amygdala. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1120338. [PMID: 37731462 PMCID: PMC10507864 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1120338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory circuits in the basal amygdala (BA) have been shown to play a crucial role in associative fear learning. How the excitatory synaptic inputs received by BA GABAergic interneurons are influenced by memory formation, a network parameter that may contribute to learning processes, is still largely unknown. Here, we investigated the features of excitatory synaptic transmission received by the three types of perisomatic inhibitory interneurons upon cue-dependent fear conditioning and aversive stimulus and tone presentations without association. Acute slices were prepared from transgenic mice: one group received tone presentation only (conditioned stimulus, CS group), the second group was challenged by mild electrical shocks unpaired with the CS (unsigned unconditioned stimulus, unsigned US group) and the third group was presented with the CS paired with the US (signed US group). We found that excitatory synaptic inputs (miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents, mEPSCs) recorded in distinct interneuron types in the BA showed plastic changes with different patterns. Parvalbumin (PV) basket cells in the unsigned US and signed US group received mEPSCs with reduced amplitude and rate in comparison to the only CS group. Coupling the US and CS in the signed US group caused a slight increase in the amplitude of the events in comparison to the unsigned US group, where the association of CS and US does not take place. Excitatory synaptic inputs onto cholecystokinin (CCK) basket cells showed a markedly different change from PV basket cells in these behavioral paradigms: only the decay time was significantly faster in the unsigned US group compared to the only CS group, whereas the amplitude of mEPSCs increased in the signed US group compared to the only CS group. Excitatory synaptic inputs received by PV axo-axonic cells showed the least difference in the three behavioral paradigm: the only significant change was that the rate of mEPSCs increased in the signed US group when compared to the only CS group. These results collectively show that associative learning and aversive stimuli unpaired with CS cause different changes in excitatory synaptic transmission in BA perisomatic interneuron types, supporting the hypothesis that they play distinct roles in the BA network operations upon pain information processing and fear memory formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit M. Veres
- Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology, ELRN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsuzsanna Fekete
- Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology, ELRN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- János Szentágothai School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Kinga Müller
- Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology, ELRN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- János Szentágothai School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tibor Andrasi
- Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology, ELRN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Laura Rovira-Esteban
- Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology, ELRN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Bence Barabas
- Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology, ELRN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- János Szentágothai School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Orsolya I. Papp
- Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology, ELRN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Norbert Hajos
- Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology, ELRN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- The Linda and Jack Gill Center for Molecular Bioscience, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, United States
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, United States
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31
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McDonald AJ. Functional neuroanatomy of monoaminergic systems in the basolateral nuclear complex of the amygdala: Neuronal targets, receptors, and circuits. J Neurosci Res 2023; 101:1409-1432. [PMID: 37166098 PMCID: PMC10524224 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
This review discusses neuroanatomical aspects of the three main monoaminergic systems innervating the basolateral nuclear complex (BNC) of the amygdala (serotonergic, noradrenergic, and dopaminergic systems). It mainly focuses on immunohistochemical (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH) studies that have analyzed the relationship of specific monoaminergic inputs and their receptors to specific neuronal subtypes in the BNC in order to better understand the anatomical substrates of the monoaminergic modulation of BNC circuitry. First, light and electron microscopic IHC investigations identifying the main BNC neuronal subpopulations and characterizing their local circuitry, including connections with discrete PN compartments and other INs, are reviewed. Then, the relationships of each of the three monoaminergic systems to distinct PN and IN cell types, are examined in detail. For each system, the neuronal targets and their receptor expression are discussed. In addition, pertinent electrophysiological investigations are discussed. The last section of the review compares and contrasts various aspects of each of the three monoaminergic systems. It is concluded that the large number of different receptors, each with a distinct mode of action, expressed by distinct cell types with different connections and functions, should offer innumerable ways to subtlety regulate the activity of the BNC by therapeutic drugs in psychiatric diseases in which there are alterations of BNC monoaminergic modulatory systems, such as in anxiety disorders, depression, and drug addiction. It is suggested that an important area for future studies is to investigate how the three systems interact in concert at the neuronal and neuronal network levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Joseph McDonald
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
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32
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Sun Y, Tao JX, Han X, Wang X, Zhu Y, Lian Y, Ren G, Wang Q. Clinical features and brain MRI volumetric changes in anti-mGluR5 encephalitis. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2023; 10:1407-1416. [PMID: 37329164 PMCID: PMC10424662 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.51831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anti-metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) encephalitis is a rare and under-recognized autoimmune encephalitis. This study is conducted to characterize its clinical and neuroimaging features. METHODS Twenty-nine patients with anti-mGluR5 encephalitis (15 new cases identified in this study and 14 previously reported cases) were included in this study and their clinical features were characterized. Brain MRI volumetric analysis using FreeSurfer software was performed in 9 new patients and compared with 25 healthy controls at both early (≤6 months of onset) and chronic (>1 year of onset) disease stages. RESULTS The common clinical manifestations of anti-mGluR5 encephalitis included cognitive deficits (n = 21, 72.4%), behavioral and mood disturbances (n = 20, 69%), seizures (n = 16, 55.2%), and sleep disorder (n = 13, 44.8%). Tumors were observed in 7 patients. Brain MRI T2/FLAIR signal hyperintensities were observed predominantly in mesiotemporal and subcortical regions in 75.9% patients. MRI volumetric analysis demonstrated significant amygdala enlargement in both early and chronic disease stages compared to healthy controls (P < 0.001). Twenty-six patients had complete or partial recovery, one remained stable, one died and one was lost to follow-up. CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrated that cognitive impairment, behavioral disturbance, seizures, and sleep disorder are the prominent clinical manifestations of anti-mGluR5 encephalitis. Most patients showed a good prognosis with full recovery, even in the paraneoplastic disease variants. The amygdala enlargement in the early and chronic disease stages is a distinct MRI feature, which exploratively offer a valuable perspective for the study of the disease processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueqian Sun
- Department of NeurologyBeijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- National Center for Clinical Medicine of Neurological DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - James X. Tao
- Department of NeurologyThe University of ChicagoChicagoUSA
| | - Xiong Han
- Department of NeurologyHenan Provincial People's HospitalZhengzhouChina
| | - Xiangqing Wang
- Department of NeurologyChinese PLA General HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Yulan Zhu
- Department of NeurologyThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical UniversityHarbinHeilongjiangChina
| | - Yajun Lian
- Department of NeurologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhouHenanChina
| | - Guoping Ren
- Department of NeurologyBeijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- National Center for Clinical Medicine of Neurological DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Qun Wang
- Department of NeurologyBeijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- National Center for Clinical Medicine of Neurological DiseasesBeijingChina
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain DisordersBeijing Institute of Brain Disorders, Capital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
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33
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Khalil V, Faress I, Mermet-Joret N, Kerwin P, Yonehara K, Nabavi S. Subcortico-amygdala pathway processes innate and learned threats. eLife 2023; 12:e85459. [PMID: 37526552 PMCID: PMC10449383 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Behavioral flexibility and timely reactions to salient stimuli are essential for survival. The subcortical thalamic-basolateral amygdala (BLA) pathway serves as a shortcut for salient stimuli ensuring rapid processing. Here, we show that BLA neuronal and thalamic axonal activity in mice mirror the defensive behavior evoked by an innate visual threat as well as an auditory learned threat. Importantly, perturbing this pathway compromises defensive responses to both forms of threats, in that animals fail to switch from exploratory to defensive behavior. Despite the shared pathway between the two forms of threat processing, we observed noticeable differences. Blocking β-adrenergic receptors impairs the defensive response to the innate but not the learned threats. This reduced defensive response, surprisingly, is reflected in the suppression of the activity exclusively in the BLA as the thalamic input response remains intact. Our side-by-side examination highlights the similarities and differences between innate and learned threat-processing, thus providing new fundamental insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Khalil
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Islam Faress
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Noëmie Mermet-Joret
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Peter Kerwin
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Keisuke Yonehara
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Multiscale Sensory Structure Laboratory, National Institute of GeneticsMishimaJapan
- Department of Genetics, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI)MishimaJapan
| | - Sadegh Nabavi
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
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34
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Winzenried ET, Everett AC, Saito ER, Miller RM, Johnson T, Neal E, Boyce Z, Smith C, Jensen C, Kimball S, Brantley A, Melendez G, Moffat D, Davis E, Aponik L, Crofts T, Dabney B, Edwards JG. Effects of a True Prophylactic Treatment on Hippocampal and Amygdala Synaptic Plasticity and Gene Expression in a Rodent Chronic Stress Model of Social Defeat. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11193. [PMID: 37446371 PMCID: PMC10342862 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241311193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex stress-related disorder induced by exposure to traumatic stress that is characterized by symptoms of re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyper-arousal. While it is widely accepted that brain regions involved in emotional regulation and memory-e.g., the amygdala and hippocampus-are dysregulated in PTSD, the pathophysiology of the disorder is not well defined and therefore, pharmacological interventions are extremely limited. Because stress hormones norepinephrine and cortisol (corticosterone in rats) are heavily implicated in the disorder, we explored whether preemptively and systemically antagonizing β-adrenergic and glucocorticoid receptors with propranolol and mifepristone are sufficient to mitigate pathological changes in synaptic plasticity, gene expression, and anxiety induced by a modified social defeat (SD) stress protocol. Young adult, male Sprague Dawley rats were initially pre-screened for anxiety. The rats were then exposed to SD and chronic light stress to induce anxiety-like symptoms. Drug-treated rats were administered propranolol and mifepristone injections prior to and continuing throughout SD stress. Using competitive ELISAs on plasma, field electrophysiology at CA1 of the ventral hippocampus (VH) and the basolateral amygdala (BLA), quantitative RT-PCR, and behavior assays, we demonstrate that our SD stress increased anxiety-like behavior, elevated long-term potentiation (LTP) in the VH and BLA, and altered the expression of mineralocorticoid, glucocorticoid, and glutamate receptors. These measures largely reverted to control levels with the administration of propranolol and mifepristone. Our findings indicate that SD stress increases LTP in the VH and BLA and that prophylactic treatment with propranolol and mifepristone may have the potential in mitigating these and other stress-induced effects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna C. Everett
- Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Erin R. Saito
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Roxanne M. Miller
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Taylor Johnson
- Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Eliza Neal
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Zachary Boyce
- Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Calvin Smith
- Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Chloe Jensen
- Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Spencer Kimball
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Adam Brantley
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Gabriel Melendez
- Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Devin Moffat
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Erin Davis
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Lyndsey Aponik
- Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Tyler Crofts
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Bryson Dabney
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Jeffrey G. Edwards
- Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
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35
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LeDuke DO, Borio M, Miranda R, Tye KM. Anxiety and depression: A top-down, bottom-up model of circuit function. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2023; 1525:70-87. [PMID: 37129246 PMCID: PMC10695657 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
A functional interplay of bottom-up and top-down processing allows an individual to appropriately respond to the dynamic environment around them. These processing modalities can be represented as attractor states using a dynamical systems model of the brain. The transition probability to move from one attractor state to another is dependent on the stability, depth, neuromodulatory tone, and tonic changes in plasticity. However, how does the relationship between these states change in disease states, such as anxiety or depression? We describe bottom-up and top-down processing from Marr's computational-algorithmic-implementation perspective to understand depressive and anxious disease states. We illustrate examples of bottom-up processing as basolateral amygdala signaling and projections and top-down processing as medial prefrontal cortex internal signaling and projections. Understanding these internal processing dynamics can help us better model the multifaceted elements of anxiety and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deryn O. LeDuke
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, USA
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Matilde Borio
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Raymundo Miranda
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, USA
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Kay M. Tye
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
- Kavli Institute for the Brain and Mind, La Jolla, California, USA
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36
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Boyle CA, Lei S. Neuromedin B excites central lateral amygdala neurons and reduces cardiovascular output and fear-potentiated startle. J Cell Physiol 2023; 238:1381-1404. [PMID: 37186390 PMCID: PMC10330072 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.31020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Neuromedin B (NMB) and gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) are the two mammalian analogs in the bombesin peptide family that exert a variety of actions including emotional processing, appetitive behaviors, cognition, and tumor growth. The bombesin-like peptides interact with three receptors: the NMB-preferring bombesin 1 (BB1) receptors, the GRP-preferring bombesin 2 (BB2) receptors and the orphan bombesin 3 (BB3) receptors. Whereas, injection of bombesin into the central amygdala reduces satiety and modulates blood pressure, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms have not been determined. As administration of bombesin induces the expression of Fos in the lateral nucleus of the central amygdala (CeL) which expresses BB1 receptors, we probed the effects of NMB on CeL neurons using in vitro and in vivo approaches. We showed that activation of the BB1 receptors increased action potential firing frequency recorded from CeL neurons via inhibition of the inwardly rectifying K+ (Kir) channels. Activities of phospholipase Cβ and protein kinase C were required, whereas intracellular Ca2+ release was unnecessary for BB1 receptor-elicited potentiation of neuronal excitability. Application of NMB directly into the CeA reduced blood pressure and heart rate and significantly reduced fear-potentiated startle. We may provide a cellular and molecular mechanism whereby bombesin-like peptides modulate anxiety and fear responses in the amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody A. Boyle
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58203, USA
| | - Saobo Lei
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58203, USA
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Glickert G, Latimer B, Sah P, Nair SS. Reverse engineering information processing in lateral amygdala during auditory tones. INTERNATIONAL IEEE/EMBS CONFERENCE ON NEURAL ENGINEERING : [PROCEEDINGS]. INTERNATIONAL IEEE EMBS CONFERENCE ON NEURAL ENGINEERING 2023; 2023:10.1109/ner52421.2023.10123856. [PMID: 37366393 PMCID: PMC10292606 DOI: 10.1109/ner52421.2023.10123856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Learning in the mammalian lateral amygdala (LA) during auditory fear conditioning (tone - foot shock pairing), one form of associative learning, requires N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent plasticity. Despite this fact being known for more than two decades, the biophysical details related to signal flow and the involvement of the coincidence detector, NMDAR, in this learning, remain unclear. Here we use a 4000-neuron computational model of the LA (containing two types of pyramidal cells, types A and C, and two types of interneurons, fast spiking FSI and low-threshold spiking LTS) to reverse engineer changes in information flow in the amygdala that underpin such learning; with a specific focus on the role of the coincidence detector NMDAR. The model also included a Ca2s based learning rule for synaptic plasticity. The physiologically constrained model provides insights into the underlying mechanisms that implement habituation to the tone, including the role of NMDARs in generating network activity which engenders synaptic plasticity in specific afferent synapses. Specifically, model runs revealed that NMDARs in tone-FSI synapses were more important during the spontaneous state, although LTS cells also played a role. Training trails with tone only also suggested long term depression in tone-PN as well as tone-FSI synapses, providing possible hypothesis related to underlying mechanisms that might implement the phenomenon of habituation.
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38
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Kenna M, Marek R, Sah P. Insights into the encoding of memories through the circuitry of fear. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 80:102712. [PMID: 37003106 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Associative learning induces physical changes to a network of cells, known as the memory engram. Fear is widely used as a model to understand the circuit motifs that underpin associative memories. Recent advances suggest that the distinct circuitry engaged by different conditioned stimuli (e.g. tone vs. context) can provide insights into what information is being encoded in the fear engram. Moreover, as the fear memory matures, the circuitry engaged indicates how information is remodelled after learning and hints at potential mechanisms for consolidation. Finally, we propose that the consolidation of fear memories involves plasticity of engram cells through coordinated activity between brain regions, and the inherent characteristics of the circuitry may mediate this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Kenna
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Roger Marek
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Pankaj Sah
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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Omoumi S, Rashidy-Pour A, Seyedinia SA, Tarahomi P, Vafaei AA, Raise-Abdullahi P. Corticosterone injection into the infralimbic prefrontal cortex enhances fear memory extinction: Involvement of GABA receptors and the extracellular signal-regulated kinase. Physiol Behav 2023; 265:114156. [PMID: 36918107 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the interactive effect of glucocorticoid and Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors in the Infralimbic (IL) cortex on fear extinction in rats' auditory fear conditioning task (AFC). Animals received 3 conditioning trial tones (conditioned stimulus, 30 s, 4 kHz, 80 dB) co-terminated with a footshock (unconditioned stimulus, 0.8 mA, 1 s). Extinction testing was conducted over 3 days (Ext 1-3) after conditioning. Intra-IL injection of corticosterone (CORT, 20 ng/0.3 µl/side) was performed 15 min before the first extinction trial (Ext 1) which attenuated auditory fear expression in subsequent extinction trials (Ext 1-3), demonstrating fear memory extinction enhancement. Co-injection of the GABAA agonist muscimol (250 ng/0.3 µl/side) or the GABAB agonist baclofen (250 ng/0.3 µl/side) 15 min before corticosterone, did not significantly affect the facilitative effects of corticosterone on fear extinction. However, co-injection of the GABAA antagonist bicuculline (BIC, 100 ng/0.3 µl/side) or the GABAB antagonist CGP35348 (CGP, 100 ng/0.3 µl/side) 15 min before corticosterone, blocked the facilitative effects of corticosterone on fear extinction. Moreover, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and cAMP response element-binding (CREB) in the IL were examined by Western blotting analysis after the first extinction trial (Ext 1) in some groups. Intra-IL injection of corticosterone increased the ERK activity but not CREB. Co-injection of the bicuculline or CGP35348 blocked the enhancing effect of corticosterone on ERK expression in the IL. Glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) activation in the IL cortex by corticosterone increased ERK activity and facilitated fear extinction. GABAA or GABAB antagonists decreased ERK activity and inhibited corticosterone's effect. GRs and GABA receptors in the IL cortex jointly modulate the fear extinction processes via the ERK pathway. This pre-clinical animal study may highlight GRs and GABA interactions in the IL cortex modulating fear memory processes in fear-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Samira Omoumi
- Research Center of Physiology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran; Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Ali Rashidy-Pour
- Research Center of Physiology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran; Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Seyed Ali Seyedinia
- Research Center of Physiology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran; Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Parnia Tarahomi
- Research Center of Physiology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran; Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Abbas Ali Vafaei
- Research Center of Physiology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran; Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.
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Krohn F, Novello M, van der Giessen RS, De Zeeuw CI, Pel JJM, Bosman LWJ. The integrated brain network that controls respiration. eLife 2023; 12:83654. [PMID: 36884287 PMCID: PMC9995121 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Respiration is a brain function on which our lives essentially depend. Control of respiration ensures that the frequency and depth of breathing adapt continuously to metabolic needs. In addition, the respiratory control network of the brain has to organize muscular synergies that integrate ventilation with posture and body movement. Finally, respiration is coupled to cardiovascular function and emotion. Here, we argue that the brain can handle this all by integrating a brainstem central pattern generator circuit in a larger network that also comprises the cerebellum. Although currently not generally recognized as a respiratory control center, the cerebellum is well known for its coordinating and modulating role in motor behavior, as well as for its role in the autonomic nervous system. In this review, we discuss the role of brain regions involved in the control of respiration, and their anatomical and functional interactions. We discuss how sensory feedback can result in adaptation of respiration, and how these mechanisms can be compromised by various neurological and psychological disorders. Finally, we demonstrate how the respiratory pattern generators are part of a larger and integrated network of respiratory brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friedrich Krohn
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Manuele Novello
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Chris I De Zeeuw
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands.,Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Johan J M Pel
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
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Asokan MM, Watanabe Y, Kimchi EY, Polley DB. Potentiated cholinergic and corticofugal inputs support reorganized sensory processing in the basolateral amygdala during auditory threat acquisition and retrieval. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.31.526307. [PMID: 36778308 PMCID: PMC9915656 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.31.526307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Reappraising neutral stimuli as environmental threats reflects rapid and discriminative changes in sensory processing within the basolateral amygdala (BLA). To understand how BLA inputs are also reorganized during discriminative threat learning, we performed multi-regional measurements of acetylcholine (ACh) release, single unit spiking, and functional coupling in the mouse BLA and higher-order auditory cortex (HO-AC). During threat memory recall, sounds paired with shock (CS+) elicited relatively higher firing rates in BLA units and optogenetically targeted corticoamygdalar (CAmy) units, though not in neighboring HO-AC units. Functional coupling was potentiated for descending CAmy projections prior to and during CS+ threat memory recall but ascending amygdalocortical coupling was unchanged. During threat acquisition, sound-evoked ACh release was selectively enhanced for the CS+ in BLA but not HO-AC. These findings suggest that phasic cholinergic inputs facilitate discriminative plasticity in the BLA during threat acquisition that is subsequently reinforced through potentiated auditory corticofugal inputs during memory recall.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meenakshi M. Asokan
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston MA 02114 USA
- Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA 02114 USA
| | - Yurika Watanabe
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston MA 02114 USA
| | - Eyal Y. Kimchi
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston MA 02114 USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Daniel B. Polley
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston MA 02114 USA
- Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA 02114 USA
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA 02114 USA
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Wehrli JM, Xia Y, Offenhammer B, Kleim B, Müller D, Bach DR. Effect of the Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitor Doxycycline on Human Trace Fear Memory. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0243-22.2023. [PMID: 36759188 PMCID: PMC9961363 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0243-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Learning to predict threat is of adaptive importance, but aversive memory can also become disadvantageous and burdensome in clinical conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Pavlovian fear conditioning is a laboratory model of aversive memory and thought to rely on structural synaptic reconfiguration involving matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)9 signaling. It has recently been suggested that the MMP9-inhibiting antibiotic doxycycline, applied before acquisition training in humans, reduces fear memory retention after one week. This previous study used cued delay fear conditioning, in which predictors and outcomes overlap in time. However, temporal separation of predictors and outcomes is common in clinical conditions. Learning the association of temporally separated events requires a partly different neural circuitry, for which the role of MMP9 signaling is not yet known. Here, we investigate the impact of doxycycline on long-interval (15 s) trace fear conditioning in a randomized controlled trial with 101 (50 females) human participants. We find no impact of the drug in our preregistered analyses. Exploratory post hoc analyses of memory retention suggested a serum level-dependent effect of doxycycline on trace fear memory retention. However, effect size to distinguish CS+/CS- in the placebo group turned out to be smaller than in previously used delay fear conditioning protocols, which limits the power of statistical tests. Our results suggest that doxycycline effect on trace fear conditioning in healthy individuals is smaller and less robust than anticipated, potentially limiting its clinical application potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelena M Wehrli
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich 8032, Switzerland
- Experimental Psychopathology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich 8050, Switzerland
| | - Yanfang Xia
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin Offenhammer
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Birgit Kleim
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich 8032, Switzerland
- Experimental Psychopathology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich 8050, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Müller
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich 8091, Switzerland
| | - Dominik R Bach
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich 8032, Switzerland
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging and Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London WC1B 5EH, United Kingdom
- Hertz Chair for Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, Transdisciplinary Research Area "Life and Health," University of Bonn, Bonn 53121, Germany
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Grochecki P, Smaga I, Wydra K, Marszalek-Grabska M, Slowik T, Kedzierska E, Listos J, Gibula-Tarlowska E, Filip M, Kotlinska JH. Impact of Mephedrone on Fear Memory in Adolescent Rats: Involvement of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) Receptor. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24031941. [PMID: 36768263 PMCID: PMC9915535 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24031941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is complicated by the presence of drug use disorder comorbidity. Here, we examine whether conditioned fear (PTSD model) modifies the rewarding effect of mephedrone and if repeated mephedrone injections have impact on trauma-related behaviors (fear sensitization, extinction, and recall of the fear reaction). We also analyzed whether these trauma-induced changes were associated with exacerbation in metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and the GluN2A and GluN2B subunits of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor expression in such brain structures as the hippocampus and basolateral amygdala. Male adolescent rats underwent trauma exposure (1.5 mA footshock), followed 7 days later by a conditioned place preference training with mephedrone. Next, the post-conditioning test was performed. Fear sensitization, conditioned fear, anxiety-like behavior, extinction acquisition and relapse were then assessed to evaluate behavioral changes. MMP-9, GluN2A and GluN2B were subsequently measured. Trauma-exposed rats subjected to mephedrone treatment acquired a strong place preference and exhibited impairment in fear extinction and reinstatement. Mephedrone had no effect on trauma-induced MMP-9 level in the basolateral amygdala, but decreased it in the hippocampus. GluN2B expression was decreased in the hippocampus, but increased in the basolateral amygdala of mephedrone-treated stressed rats. These data suggest that the modification of the hippocampus and basolateral amygdala due to mephedrone use can induce fear memory impairment and drug seeking behavior in adolescent male rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawel Grochecki
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Medical University, Chodzki 4A, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Irena Smaga
- Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smetna 12, 31-343 Krakow, Poland
| | - Karolina Wydra
- Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smetna 12, 31-343 Krakow, Poland
| | - Marta Marszalek-Grabska
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University, Jaczewskiego 8B, 20-090 Lublin, Poland
| | - Tymoteusz Slowik
- Experimental Medicine Center, Medical University, Jaczewskiego 8, 20-090 Lublin, Poland
| | - Ewa Kedzierska
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Medical University, Chodzki 4A, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Joanna Listos
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Medical University, Chodzki 4A, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Ewa Gibula-Tarlowska
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Medical University, Chodzki 4A, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Filip
- Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smetna 12, 31-343 Krakow, Poland
| | - Jolanta H. Kotlinska
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Medical University, Chodzki 4A, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
- Correspondence:
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Emotional Memory Processing during REM Sleep with Implications for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. J Neurosci 2023; 43:433-446. [PMID: 36639913 PMCID: PMC9864570 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1020-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
REM sleep is important for the processing of emotional memories, including fear memories. Rhythmic interactions, especially in the theta band, between the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and limbic structures are thought to play an important role, but the ways in which memory processing occurs at a mechanistic and circuits level are largely unknown. To investigate how rhythmic interactions lead to fear extinction during REM sleep, we used a biophysically based model that included the infralimbic cortex (IL), a part of the mPFC with a critical role in suppressing fear memories. Theta frequency (4-12 Hz) inputs to a given cell assembly in IL, representing an emotional memory, resulted in the strengthening of connections from the IL to the amygdala and the weakening of connections from the amygdala to the IL, resulting in the suppression of the activity of fear expression cells for the associated memory. Lower frequency (4 Hz) theta inputs effected these changes over a wider range of input strengths. In contrast, inputs at other frequencies were ineffective at causing these synaptic changes and did not suppress fear memories. Under post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) REM sleep conditions, rhythmic activity dissipated, and 4 Hz theta inputs to IL were ineffective, but higher-frequency (10 Hz) theta inputs to IL induced changes similar to those seen with 4 Hz inputs under normal REM sleep conditions, resulting in the suppression of fear expression cells. These results suggest why PTSD patients may repeatedly experience the same emotionally charged dreams and suggest potential neuromodulatory therapies for the amelioration of PTSD symptoms.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Rhythmic interactions in the theta band between the mPFC and limbic structures are thought to play an important role in processing emotional memories, including fear memories, during REM sleep. The infralimbic cortex (IL) in the mPFC is thought to play a critical role in suppressing fear memories. We show that theta inputs to the IL, unlike other frequency inputs, are effective in producing synaptic changes that suppress the activity of fear expression cells associated with a given memory. Under PTSD REM sleep conditions, lower-frequency (4 Hz) theta inputs to the IL do not suppress the activity of fear expression cells associated with the given memory but, surprisingly, 10 Hz inputs do. These results suggest potential neuromodulatory therapies for PTSD.
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Kalinowski D, Bogus-Nowakowska K, Kozłowska A, Równiak M. Dopaminergic and cholinergic modulation of the amygdala is altered in female mice with oestrogen receptor β deprivation. Sci Rep 2023; 13:897. [PMID: 36650256 PMCID: PMC9845293 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28069-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The amygdala is modulated by dopaminergic and cholinergic neurotransmission, and this modulation is altered in mood disorders. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the presence/absence of quantitative alterations in the expression of main dopaminergic and cholinergic markers in the amygdala of mice with oestrogen receptor β (ERβ) knock-out which exhibit increased anxiety, using immunohistochemistry and quantitative methods. Such alterations could either contribute to increased anxiety or be a compensatory mechanism for reducing anxiety. The results show that among dopaminergic markers, the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine transporter (DAT) and dopamine D2-like receptor (DA2) is significantly elevated in the amygdala of mice with ERβ deprivation when compared to matched controls, whereas the content of dopamine D1-like receptor (DA1) is not altered by ERβ knock-out. In the case of cholinergic markers, muscarinic acetylcholine type 1 receptor (AChRM1) and alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChRα7) display overexpression while the content of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) remains unchanged. In conclusion, in the amygdala of ERβ knock-out female the dopaminergic and cholinergic signalling is altered, however, to determine the exact role of ERβ in the anxiety-related behaviour further studies are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kalinowski
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, pl. Łódzki 3, 10-727, Olsztyn, Poland.
| | - Krystyna Bogus-Nowakowska
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, pl. Łódzki 3, 10-727, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Anna Kozłowska
- Department of Human Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Warszawska 30, 10-082, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Maciej Równiak
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, pl. Łódzki 3, 10-727, Olsztyn, Poland
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Xuan SM, Su YW, Liang YM, Gao ZJ, Liu CY, Fan BF, Shi YW, Wang XG, Zhao H. mGluR5 in amygdala modulates fear memory generalization. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1072642. [PMID: 36891323 PMCID: PMC9986332 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1072642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Fear memory generalization is regarded as the core characteristic of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) development. However, the mechanism that contributes to the generalization of conditioned fear memory is still unclear. The generalization is generally considered to be a mismatch that occurs during memory consolidation. Methods Foot shocks and tones were given as unconditioned stress and conditioned stress, respectively for fear conditioning training. Immunofluorescence staining, western blotting and qPCR were performed to determine the expression of different genes in amygdala of mice after fear conditioning training. Cycloheximide was used as a protein synthesis inhibitor and 2-methyl-6-phenylethynyl-pyridine was injected for mGluR5 inhibition. Results Fear conditioning using caused incremental generalization, which was clearly observed during training. The density of c-Fos+ cells or the synaptic p-NMDAR expression did not differ with stress intensities. Strong-shock fear conditioning could induce significant mGluR5 de novo synthesis in the amygdala, which was not observed in the weak-shock group. Inhibition of mGluR5 impaired fear memory generalization induced by strong-shock fear conditioning, but the generalization level induced by weak-shock training was enhanced. Discussion These results indicated that mGluR5 in the amygdala is critical to the function of inappropriate fear memory generalization and suggested that this may be a potential target for the treatment of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shou-Min Xuan
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Ya-Wen Su
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yi-Meng Liang
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhen-Jie Gao
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Chun-Yan Liu
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Bu-Fang Fan
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yan-Wei Shi
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiao-Guang Wang
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Hu Zhao
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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Vervliet B. Fear Extinction as a Psychologist Views It. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023; 64:3-18. [PMID: 37498494 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2023_433] [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] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Fear extinction is a topic of central importance in translational neuroscience. It integrates knowledge from various disciplines, including clinical psychology, experimental psychology, psychiatry, cellular and systems neuroscience, and pharmacology. The experimental phenomenon of extinction was first discovered by Ivan P. Pavlov more than 100 years ago and still forms the basis for investigating the psychological and physiological mechanisms that drive extinction of fear. Here, I present old and new ways to think about fear conditioning and extinction from a psychologist's point of view. Extinction is a simple phenomenon with a complex machinery. Enhancing the behavioral analysis of extinction is necessary to advance research in neighboring disciplines as well and to increase our chances to develop extinction enhancers that might further improve efficacy of extinction-based therapies to treat dysfunctional fears. For that purpose, I address a number of fundamental questions in this chapter to clarify psychological viewpoints on the process of fear extinction. What is extinction? What is an association? What is fear? What can we learn from fear extinction? My goal is to reinforce critical thinking about basic assumptions underlying fear extinction and to open up new avenues for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bram Vervliet
- Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
- Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium.
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Bauer EP. Sex differences in fear responses: Neural circuits. Neuropharmacology 2023; 222:109298. [PMID: 36328063 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Women have increased vulnerability to PTSD and anxiety disorders compared to men. Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of these disorders is critical for identifying risk factors and developing appropriate sex-specific interventions. Despite the clear clinical relevance of an examination of sex differences in fear responses, the vast majority of pre-clinical research on fear learning and memory formation has exclusively used male animals. This review highlights sex differences in context and cued fear conditioning, fear extinction and fear generalization with a focus on the neural circuits underlying these behaviors in rodents. There are mixed reports of behavioral sex differences in context and cued fear conditioning paradigms, which can depend upon the behavioral indices of fear. However, there is greater evidence of differential activation of the hippocampus, amygdalar nuclei and the prefrontal cortical regions in male and female rodents during context and cued fear conditioning. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a sexually dimorphic structure, is of particular interest as it differentially contributes to fear responses in males and females. In addition, while the influence of the estrous cycle on different phases of fear conditioning is delineated, the clearest modulatory effect of estrogen is on fear extinction processes. Examining the variability in neural responses and behavior in both sexes should increase our understanding of how that variability contributes to the neurobiology of affective disorders. This article is part of the Special Issue on 'Fear, anxiety and PTSD'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth P Bauer
- Departments of Biology and Neuroscience & Behavior, Barnard College of Columbia University, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States.
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Huang J, Xu F, Yang L, Tuolihong L, Wang X, Du Z, Zhang Y, Yin X, Li Y, Lu K, Wang W. Involvement of the GABAergic system in PTSD and its therapeutic significance. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1052288. [PMID: 36818657 PMCID: PMC9928765 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1052288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The neurobiological mechanism of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is poorly understood. The inhibition of GABA neurons, especially in the amygdala, is crucial for the precise regulation of the consolidation, expression, and extinction of fear conditioning. The GABAergic system is involved in the pathophysiological process of PTSD, with several studies demonstrating that the function of the GABAergic system decreases in PTSD patients. This paper reviews the preclinical and clinical studies, neuroimaging techniques, and pharmacological studies of the GABAergic system in PTSD and summarizes the role of the GABAergic system in PTSD. Understanding the role of the GABAergic system in PTSD and searching for new drug targets will be helpful in the treatment of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fei Xu
- Department of Psychiatry of School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liping Yang
- Department of Applied Psychology of School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lina Tuolihong
- Department of Basic Medical of Basic Medical College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyu Wang
- Eight-Year Master's and Doctoral Program in Clinical Medicine of the First Clinical Medical College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zibo Du
- Eight-Year Master's and Doctoral Program in Clinical Medicine of the First Clinical Medical College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yiqi Zhang
- Eight-Year Master's and Doctoral Program in Clinical Medicine of the First Clinical Medical College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xuanlin Yin
- Department of Basic Medical of Basic Medical College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yingjun Li
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kangrong Lu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Construction and Detection in Tissue Engineering, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wanshan Wang
- Department of Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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Singh S, Topolnik L. Inhibitory circuits in fear memory and fear-related disorders. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1122314. [PMID: 37035504 PMCID: PMC10076544 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1122314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear learning and memory rely on dynamic interactions between the excitatory and inhibitory neuronal populations that make up the prefrontal cortical, amygdala, and hippocampal circuits. Whereas inhibition of excitatory principal cells (PCs) by GABAergic neurons restrains their excitation, inhibition of GABAergic neurons promotes the excitation of PCs through a process called disinhibition. Specifically, GABAergic interneurons that express parvalbumin (PV+) and somatostatin (SOM+) provide inhibition to different subcellular domains of PCs, whereas those that express the vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP+) facilitate disinhibition of PCs by inhibiting PV+ and SOM+ interneurons. Importantly, although the main connectivity motifs and the underlying network functions of PV+, SOM+, and VIP+ interneurons are replicated across cortical and limbic areas, these inhibitory populations play region-specific roles in fear learning and memory. Here, we provide an overview of the fear processing in the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex based on the evidence obtained in human and animal studies. Moreover, focusing on recent findings obtained using genetically defined imaging and intervention strategies, we discuss the population-specific functions of PV+, SOM+, and VIP+ interneurons in fear circuits. Last, we review current insights that integrate the region-specific inhibitory and disinhibitory network patterns into fear memory acquisition and fear-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay Singh
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bio-informatics, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- Neuroscience Axis, CRCHUQ, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Lisa Topolnik
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bio-informatics, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- Neuroscience Axis, CRCHUQ, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- *Correspondence: Lisa Topolnik
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