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Yang J, Lin L, Zou GJ, Wang LF, Li F, Li CQ, Cui YH, Huang FL. CK2 negatively regulates the extinction of remote fear memory. Behav Brain Res 2024; 465:114960. [PMID: 38494129 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.114960] [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: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Cognitive behavioral therapy, rooted in exposure therapy, is currently the primary approach employed in the treatment of anxiety-related conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In laboratory settings, fear extinction in animals is a commonly employed technique to investigate exposure therapy; however, the precise mechanisms underlying fear extinction remain elusive. Casein kinase 2 (CK2), which regulates neuroplasticity via phosphorylation of its substrates, has a significant influence in various neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, as well as in the process of learning and memory. In this study, we adopted a classical Pavlovian fear conditioning model to investigate the involvement of CK2 in remote fear memory extinction and its underlying mechanisms. The results indicated that the activity of CK2 in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of mice was significantly upregulated after extinction training of remote cued fear memory. Notably, administration of the CK2 inhibitor CX-4945 prior to extinction training facilitated the extinction of remote fear memory. In addition, CX-4945 significantly upregulated the expression of p-ERK1/2 and p-CREB in the mPFC. Our results suggest that CK2 negatively regulates remote fear memory extinction, at least in part, by inhibiting the ERK-CREB pathway. These findings contribute to our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of remote cued fear extinction, thereby offering a theoretical foundation and identifying potential targets for the intervention and treatment of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Yang
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China; School of Basic Medicine, Yiyang Medical College, Yiyang, Hunan 413000, China
| | - Lin Lin
- Nursing Department, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Guang-Jing Zou
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Lai-Fa Wang
- Hunan Provincial University Key Laboratory of the Fundamental and Clinical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, Hunan 410219, China
| | - Fang Li
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Chang-Qi Li
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Yan-Hui Cui
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China.
| | - Fu-Lian Huang
- School of Basic Medicine, Yiyang Medical College, Yiyang, Hunan 413000, China.
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Antonoudiou P, Stone B, Colmers PLW, Evans-Strong A, Walton N, Maguire J. Influence of chronic stress on network states governing valence processing: Potential relevance to the risk for psychiatric illnesses. J Neuroendocrinol 2023; 35:e13274. [PMID: 37186481 PMCID: PMC11025365 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Stress is a major risk factor for psychiatric illnesses and understanding the mechanisms through which stress disrupts behavioral states is imperative to understanding the underlying pathophysiology of mood disorders. Both chronic stress and early life stress alter valence processing, the process of assigning value to sensory inputs and experiences (positive or negative), which determines subsequent behavior and is essential for emotional processing and ultimately survival. Stress disrupts valence processing in both humans and preclinical models, favoring negative valence processing and impairing positive valence processing. Valence assignment involves neural computations performed in emotional processing hubs, including the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and ventral hippocampus, which can be influenced by neuroendocrine mediators. Oscillations within and between these regions are critical for the neural computations necessary to perform valence processing functions. Major advances in the field have demonstrated a role for oscillatory states in valence processing under physiological conditions and emerging studies are exploring how these network states are altered under pathophysiological conditions and impacted by neuroendocrine factors. The current review highlights what is currently known regarding the impact of stress and the role of neuroendocrine mediators on network states and valence processing. Further, we propose a model in which chronic stress alters information routing through emotional processing hubs, resulting in a facilitation of negative valence processing and a suppression of positive valence processing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bradly Stone
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | | | - Najah Walton
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jamie Maguire
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Frontera JL, Sala RW, Georgescu IA, Baba Aissa H, d'Almeida MN, Popa D, Léna C. The cerebellum regulates fear extinction through thalamo-prefrontal cortex interactions in male mice. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1508. [PMID: 36932068 PMCID: PMC10023697 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36943-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear extinction is a form of inhibitory learning that suppresses the expression of aversive memories and plays a key role in the recovery of anxiety and trauma-related disorders. Here, using male mice, we identify a cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway regulating fear extinction. The cerebellar fastigial nucleus (FN) projects to the lateral subregion of the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MD), which is reciprocally connected with the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). The inhibition of FN inputs to MD in male mice impairs fear extinction in animals with high fear responses and increases the bursting of MD neurons, a firing pattern known to prevent extinction learning. Indeed, this MD bursting is followed by high levels of the dmPFC 4 Hz oscillations causally associated with fear responses during fear extinction, and the inhibition of FN-MD neurons increases the coherence of MD bursts and oscillations with dmPFC 4 Hz oscillations. Overall, these findings reveal a regulation of fear-related thalamo-cortical dynamics by the cerebellum and its contribution to fear extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimena L Frontera
- Neurophysiology of Brain Circuits Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Romain W Sala
- Neurophysiology of Brain Circuits Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Ioana A Georgescu
- Neurophysiology of Brain Circuits Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Hind Baba Aissa
- Neurophysiology of Brain Circuits Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Marion N d'Almeida
- Neurophysiology of Brain Circuits Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Daniela Popa
- Neurophysiology of Brain Circuits Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Clément Léna
- Neurophysiology of Brain Circuits Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France.
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Differential Modulation of Dorsal Raphe Serotonergic Activity in Rat Brain by the Infralimbic and Prelimbic Cortices. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054891. [PMID: 36902322 PMCID: PMC10003771 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054891] [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: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The reciprocal connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the dorsal raphe nucleus (DR) is involved in mood control and resilience to stress. The infralimbic subdivision (IL) of the mPFC is the rodent equivalent of the ventral anterior cingulate cortex, which is intimately related to the pathophysiology/treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Boosting excitatory neurotransmission in the IL-but not in the prelimbic cortex, PrL-evokes depressive-like or antidepressant-like behaviors in rodents, which are associated with changes in serotonergic (5-HT) neurotransmission. We therefore examined the control of 5-HT activity by both of the mPFC subdivisions in anesthetized rats. The electrical stimulation of IL and PrL at 0.9 Hz comparably inhibited 5-HT neurons (53% vs. 48%, respectively). However, stimulation at higher frequencies (10-20 Hz) revealed a greater proportion of 5-HT neurons sensitive to IL than to PrL stimulation (86% vs. 59%, at 20 Hz, respectively), together with a differential involvement of GABAA (but not 5-HT1A) receptors. Likewise, electrical and optogenetic stimulation of IL and PrL enhanced 5-HT release in DR in a frequency-dependent manner, with greater elevations after IL stimulation at 20 Hz. Hence, IL and PrL differentially control serotonergic activity, with an apparent superior role of IL, an observation that may help to clarify the brain circuits involved in MDD.
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Sung Y, Kaang BK. The Three Musketeers in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex: Subregion-specific Structural and Functional Plasticity Underlying Fear Memory Stages. Exp Neurobiol 2022; 31:221-231. [PMID: 36050222 PMCID: PMC9471411 DOI: 10.5607/en22012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Fear memory recruits various brain regions with long-lasting brain-wide subcellular events. The medial prefrontal cortex processes the emotional and cognitive functions required for adequately handling fear memory. Several studies have indicated that subdivisions within the medial prefrontal cortex, namely the prelimbic, infralimbic, and anterior cingulate cortices, may play different roles across fear memory states. Through a dedicated cytoarchitecture and connectivity, the three different regions of the medial prefrontal cortex play a specific role in maintaining and extinguishing fear memory. Furthermore, synaptic plasticity and maturation of neural circuits within the medial prefrontal cortex suggest that remote memories undergo structural and functional reorganization. Finally, recent technical advances have enabled genetic access to transiently activated neuronal ensembles within these regions, suggesting that memory trace cells in these regions may preferentially contribute to processing specific fear memory. We reviewed recently published reports and summarize the molecular, synaptic and cellular events occurring within the medial prefrontal cortex during various memory stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongmin Sung
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Bong-Kiun Kaang
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
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