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Panzer E, Guimares-Olmo I, Pereira de Vasconcelos A, Stéphan A, Cassel JC. In relentless pursuit of the white whale: A role for the ventral midline thalamus in behavioral flexibility and adaption? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 163:105762. [PMID: 38857666 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105762] [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: 04/25/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
The reuniens (Re) nucleus is located in the ventral midline thalamus. It has fostered increasing interest, not only for its participation in a variety of cognitive functions (e.g., spatial working memory, systemic consolidation, reconsolidation, extinction of fear or generalization), but also for its neuroanatomical positioning as a bidirectional relay between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the hippocampus (HIP). In this review we compile and discuss recent studies having tackled a possible implication of the Re nucleus in behavioral flexibility, a major PFC-dependent executive function controlling goal-directed behaviors. Experiments considered explored a possible role for the Re nucleus in perseveration, reversal learning, fear extinction, and set-shifting. They point to a contribution of this nucleus to behavioral flexibility, mainly by its connections with the PFC, but possibly also by those with the hippocampus, and even with the amygdala, at least for fear-related behavior. As such, the Re nucleus could be a crucial crossroad supporting a PFC-orchestrated ability to cope with new, potentially unpredictable environmental contingencies, and thus behavioral flexibility and adaption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Panzer
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg F-67000, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, Strasbourg F-67000, France
| | - Isabella Guimares-Olmo
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg F-67000, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, Strasbourg F-67000, France
| | - Anne Pereira de Vasconcelos
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg F-67000, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, Strasbourg F-67000, France
| | - Aline Stéphan
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg F-67000, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, Strasbourg F-67000, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Cassel
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg F-67000, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, Strasbourg F-67000, France.
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Tanner MK, Hohorst AA, Westerman JD, Mendoza CS, Han R, Moya NA, Jaime J, Alvarez LM, Dryden MQ, Balolia A, Abdul RA, Loetz EC, Greenwood BN. Pharmacological manipulations of the dorsomedial and dorsolateral striatum during fear extinction reveal opposing roles in fear renewal. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2024; 212:107937. [PMID: 38735637 PMCID: PMC11187715 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2024.107937] [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: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
Systemic manipulations that enhance dopamine (DA) transmission around the time of fear extinction can strengthen fear extinction and reduce conditioned fear relapse. Prior studies investigating the brain regions where DA augments fear extinction focus on targets of mesolimbic and mesocortical DA systems originating in the ventral tegmental area, given the role of these DA neurons in prediction error. The dorsal striatum (DS), a primary target of the nigrostriatal DA system originating in the substantia nigra (SN), is implicated in behaviors beyond its canonical role in movement, such as reward and punishment, goal-directed action, and stimulus-response associations, but whether DS DA contributes to fear extinction is unknown. We have observed that chemogenetic stimulation of SN DA neurons during fear extinction prevents the return of fear in contexts different from the extinction context, a form of relapse called renewal. This effect of SN DA stimulation is mimicked by a DA D1 receptor (D1R) agonist injected into the DS, thus implicating DS DA in fear extinction. Different DS subregions subserve unique functions of the DS, but it is unclear where in the DS D1R agonist acts during fear extinction to reduce renewal. Furthermore, although fear extinction increases neural activity in DS subregions, whether neural activity in DS subregions is causally involved in fear extinction is unknown. To explore the role of DS subregions in fear extinction, adult, male Long-Evans rats received microinjections of either the D1R agonist SKF38393 or a cocktail consisting of GABAA/GABAB receptor agonists muscimol/baclofen selectively into either dorsomedial (DMS) or dorsolateral (DLS) DS subregions immediately prior to fear extinction, and extinction retention and renewal were subsequently assessed drug-free. While increasing D1R signaling in the DMS during fear extinction did not impact fear extinction retention or renewal, DMS inactivation reduced later renewal. In contrast, DLS inactivation had no effect on fear extinction retention or renewal but increasing D1R signaling in the DLS during extinction reduced fear renewal. These data suggest that DMS and DLS activity during fear extinction can have opposing effects on later fear renewal, with the DMS promoting renewal and the DLS opposing renewal. Mechanisms through which the DS could influence the contextual gating of fear extinction are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret K Tanner
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Alyssa A Hohorst
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | | | | | - Rebecca Han
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Nicolette A Moya
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jennifer Jaime
- The Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Lareina M Alvarez
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Miles Q Dryden
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Aleezah Balolia
- Neuroscience Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Remla A Abdul
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Esteban C Loetz
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA
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Knox D, Parikh V. Basal forebrain cholinergic systems as circuits through which traumatic stress disrupts emotional memory regulation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 159:105569. [PMID: 38309497 PMCID: PMC10948307 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105569] [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: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Contextual and spatial systems facilitate changes in emotional memory regulation brought on by traumatic stress. Cholinergic basal forebrain (chBF) neurons provide input to contextual/spatial systems and although chBF neurons are important for emotional memory, it is unknown how they contribute to the traumatic stress effects on emotional memory. Clusters of chBF neurons that project to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) modulate fear conditioned suppression and passive avoidance, while clusters of chBF neurons that project to the hippocampus (Hipp) and PFC (i.e. cholinergic medial septum and diagonal bands of Broca (chMS/DBB neurons) are critical for fear extinction. Interestingly, neither Hipp nor PFC projecting chMS/DBB neurons are critical for fear extinction. The retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is a contextual/spatial memory system that receives input from chMS/DBB neurons, but whether this chMS/DBB-RSC circuit facilitates traumatic stress effects on emotional memory remain unexplored. Traumatic stress leads to neuroinflammation and the buildup of reactive oxygen species. These two molecular processes may converge to disrupt chBF circuits enhancing the impact of traumatic stress on emotional memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dayan Knox
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
| | - Vinay Parikh
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Leibovitz SE, Sevinc G, Greenberg J, Hölzel B, Gard T, Calahan T, Vangel M, Orr SP, Milad MR, Lazar SW. Mindfulness training and exercise differentially impact fear extinction neurocircuitry. Psychol Med 2024; 54:835-846. [PMID: 37655520 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723002593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ability to extinguish a maladaptive conditioned fear response is crucial for healthy emotional processing and resiliency to aversive experiences. Therefore, enhancing fear extinction learning has immense potential emotional and health benefits. Mindfulness training enhances both fear conditioning and recall of extinguished fear; however, its effects on fear extinction learning are unknown. Here we investigated the impact of mindfulness training on brain mechanisms associated with fear-extinction learning, compared to an exercise-based program. METHODS We investigated BOLD activations in response to a previously learned fear-inducing cue during an extinction paradigm, before and after an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program (MBSR, n = 49) or exercise-based stress management education program (n = 27). RESULTS The groups exhibited similar reductions in stress, but the MBSR group was uniquely associated with enhanced activation of salience network nodes and increased hippocampal engagement. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that mindfulness training increases attention to anticipatory aversive stimuli, which in turn facilitates decreased aversive subjective responses and enhanced reappraisal of the memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaked E Leibovitz
- College of Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Gunes Sevinc
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Jonathan Greenberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Britta Hölzel
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich 81675, Germany
| | - Tim Gard
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Thomas Calahan
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Mark Vangel
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Scott P Orr
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Mohammed R Milad
- Psychiatry Department, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Sara W Lazar
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
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Plas SL, Tuna T, Bayer H, Juliano VAL, Sweck SO, Arellano Perez AD, Hassell JE, Maren S. Neural circuits for the adaptive regulation of fear and extinction memory. Front Behav Neurosci 2024; 18:1352797. [PMID: 38370858 PMCID: PMC10869525 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1352797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The regulation of fear memories is critical for adaptive behaviors and dysregulation of these processes is implicated in trauma- and stress-related disorders. Treatments for these disorders include pharmacological interventions as well as exposure-based therapies, which rely upon extinction learning. Considerable attention has been directed toward elucidating the neural mechanisms underlying fear and extinction learning. In this review, we will discuss historic discoveries and emerging evidence on the neural mechanisms of the adaptive regulation of fear and extinction memories. We will focus on neural circuits regulating the acquisition and extinction of Pavlovian fear conditioning in rodent models, particularly the role of the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in the contextual control of extinguished fear memories. We will also consider new work revealing an important role for the thalamic nucleus reuniens in the modulation of prefrontal-hippocampal interactions in extinction learning and memory. Finally, we will explore the effects of stress on this circuit and the clinical implications of these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha L. Plas
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Tuğçe Tuna
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Hugo Bayer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Vitor A. L. Juliano
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Samantha O. Sweck
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Angel D. Arellano Perez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - James E. Hassell
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
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Vasudevan K, Hassell JE, Maren S. Hippocampal Engrams and Contextual Memory. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2024; 38:45-66. [PMID: 39008010 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-62983-9_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Memories are not formed in a vacuum and often include rich details about the time and place in which events occur. Contextual stimuli promote the retrieval of events that have previously occurred in the encoding context and limit the retrieval of context-inappropriate information. Contexts that are associated with traumatic or harmful events both directly elicit fear and serve as reminders of aversive events associated with trauma. It has long been appreciated that the hippocampus is involved in contextual learning and memory and is central to contextual fear conditioning. However, little is known about the underlying neuronal mechanisms underlying the encoding and retrieval of contextual fear memories. Recent advancements in neuronal labeling methods, including activity-dependent tagging of cellular ensembles encoding memory ("engrams"), provide unique insight into the neural substrates of memory in the hippocampus. Moreover, these methods allow for the selective manipulation of memory ensembles. Attenuating or erasing fear memories may have considerable therapeutic value for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder or other trauma- or stressor-related conditions. In this chapter, we review the role of the hippocampus in contextual fear conditioning in rodents and explore recent work implicating hippocampal ensembles in the encoding and retrieval of aversive memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krithika Vasudevan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - James E Hassell
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
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7
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Malik S, Park CHJ, Kim JH. Age-specific sex effects in extinction of conditioned fear in rodents. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1298164. [PMID: 38161359 PMCID: PMC10756678 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1298164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sajida Malik
- School of Medicine, Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Chun Hui J. Park
- School of Medicine, Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Jee Hyun Kim
- School of Medicine, Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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Zhang J, Li W, Liao T, Li M, Yao X, Zhang Y, Zhang B, Zhang J, Jiang X, Wang K, Jing L. Diazepam promotes active avoidance extinction associating with increased dorsal CA3 and amygdala activity. Brain Res 2023; 1817:148481. [PMID: 37429455 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2023.148481] [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: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Active avoidance (AA) is an adaptive response to potentially harmful situations while maladapted avoidance that does not extinguish is one of the core symptoms of anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. However, the neural mechanisms of AA extinction and its relationship to anxiety remain unclear. We examined AA extinction during three extinction training sessions in two-way active avoidance paradigm and tested the effect of anxiolytic on AA extinction. Then we performed a meta-analysis of rodent studies, identified anxiolytic diazepam facilitates AA acquisition, and tested the same treatment in AA extinction. Diazepam-treated rats significantly reduced avoidance in the first two extinction training, compared with the saline-treated rats, and the reduction in avoidance remained in the third drug-free session. Then we explored extinction associated hippocampal and amygdala activity in saline-and diazepam-treated rats using c-Fos immunostaining following the last extinction session. The density of c-Fos positive cells was higher in dorsal CA3 of the diazepam group than in that of saline-treated animals, and was also higher in the central and basolateral amygdala regions of diazepam-treated rats than in that of saline-treated animals. Combined, these results suggest anxiolytics promotes AA extinction associated with dorsal CA3 and amygdala activity changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Zhang
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Wenjun Li
- The School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Taohong Liao
- The School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Meijuan Li
- The School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Xiaoqing Yao
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- The School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Bingyu Zhang
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Juanjuan Zhang
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Xiao Jiang
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; The School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China..
| | - Kai Wang
- The School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.; Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
| | - Liang Jing
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; The School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China..
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Zilcha-Mano S, Duek O, Suarez-Jimenez B, Zhu X, Lazarov A, Helpman L, Korem N, Malka M, Harpaz-Rotem I, Neria Y. Underlying Hippocampal Mechanism of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Outcome: Evidence From Two Clinical Trials. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 3:867-874. [PMID: 37881552 PMCID: PMC10593870 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The hippocampus plays an important role in the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its prognosis. Accumulating findings suggest that individuals with larger pretreatment hippocampal volume are more likely to benefit from PTSD treatment, but the mechanism underlying this effect is unknown. We investigated whether further increase in hippocampal volume during treatment explains the better prognosis of individuals with greater pretreatment hippocampal volume. Methods We collected structural magnetic resonance imagesfrom patients with PTSD before and after treatment. We examined whether larger hippocampal volume moderates the effect of increased hippocampal volume during treatment on symptom reduction. Given the relatively small sample sizes of treatment studies with pre- and posttreatment magnetic resonance imaging, we focused on effect sizes and sought to replicate findings in an external sample. We tested our hypothesis in study 1 (N = 38; prolonged exposure therapy) and then tested whether the results could be externally replicated in study 2 (N = 20; ketamine infusion followed by exposure therapy). Results Findings from study 1 revealed that increased right hippocampal volume during treatment was associated with greater PTSD symptom reduction only in patients with greater pretreatment right hippocampal volume (p = .03; η2 = 0.13, a large effect). Findings were partially replicated in study 2 for depressive symptoms (p = .034; η2 = 0.25, a very large effect) and for PTSD symptoms (p = .15; η2 = 0.15, a large effect). Conclusions Elucidating increased hippocampal volume as one of the neural mechanisms predictive of therapeutic outcome for individuals with larger pretreatment hippocampal volume may help identify clinical targets for this subgroup.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Or Duek
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | | | - Xi Zhu
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
| | - Amit Lazarov
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Liat Helpman
- Department of Counseling and Human Development, University of Haifa, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Nachshon Korem
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- National Center for PTSD, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut
| | - Michal Malka
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ilan Harpaz-Rotem
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- National Center for PTSD, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut
| | - Yuval Neria
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
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Shih CW, Chang CH. Inactivation of medial or lateral orbitofrontal cortex during fear extinction did not interfere with fear renewal. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 204:107800. [PMID: 37524199 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107800] [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: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Hyperactive orbitofrontal cortical activation is commonly seen in patients of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Previous studies from our laboratory showed that for rats with aberrant activation of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) during the extinction phase, they were unable to use contexts as the reference for proper retrieval of fear memory during renewal test. This result supported the phenomenon that many OCD patients show poor regulation of fear-related behavior. Since there are robust anatomical connections of the OFC with the fear-circuit, we aim to further examine whether the OFC is actively engaged in fear regulation under normal circumstances. In this study, the lateral or medial OFC was inactivated during the extinction phase using the ABA fear renewal procedure. We found that these animals showed intact fear renewal during retrieval test with their freezing levels equivalent to the control rats, revealing that the OFC did not have decisive roles in extinction acquisition. Together with our previous study, we suggest that the OFC only interferes with fear regulation when it becomes pathophysiologically hyperactive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Wei Shih
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Hui Chang
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan; Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan.
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11
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Li Y, Zhi W, Qi B, Wang L, Hu X. Update on neurobiological mechanisms of fear: illuminating the direction of mechanism exploration and treatment development of trauma and fear-related disorders. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1216524. [PMID: 37600761 PMCID: PMC10433239 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1216524] [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: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear refers to an adaptive response in the face of danger, and the formed fear memory acts as a warning when the individual faces a dangerous situation again, which is of great significance to the survival of humans and animals. Excessive fear response caused by abnormal fear memory can lead to neuropsychiatric disorders. Fear memory has been studied for a long time, which is of a certain guiding effect on the treatment of fear-related disorders. With continuous technological innovations, the study of fear has gradually shifted from the level of brain regions to deeper neural (micro) circuits between brain regions and even within single brain regions, as well as molecular mechanisms. This article briefly outlines the basic knowledge of fear memory and reviews the neurobiological mechanisms of fear extinction and relapse, which aims to provide new insights for future basic research on fear emotions and new ideas for treating trauma and fear-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Li
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Weijia Zhi
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Bing Qi
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
| | - Lifeng Wang
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangjun Hu
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
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12
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Xiang G, Liu X, Wang J, Lu S, Yu M, Zhang Y, Sun B, Huang B, Lu XY, Li X, Zhang D. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α activation facilitates contextual fear extinction and modulates intrinsic excitability of dentate gyrus neurons. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:206. [PMID: 37322045 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02496-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus encodes contextual information associated with fear, and cell activity in the DG is required for acquisition and extinction of contextual fear. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. Here we show that mice deficient for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) exhibited a slower rate of contextual fear extinction. Furthermore, selective deletion of PPARα in the DG attenuated, while activation of PPARα in the DG by local infusion of aspirin facilitated extinction of contextual fear. The intrinsic excitability of DG granule neurons was reduced by PPARα deficiency but increased by activation of PPARα with aspirin. Using RNA-Seq transcriptome we found that the transcription level of neuropeptide S receptor 1 (Npsr1) was tightly correlated with PPARα activation. Our results provide evidence that PPARα plays an important role in regulating DG neuronal excitability and contextual fear extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guo Xiang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
- Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Xia Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Jiangong Wang
- Institute of Metabolic and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, 256600, China
| | - Shunshun Lu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Meng Yu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Yuhan Zhang
- Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Bin Sun
- National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Bin Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
- Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Xin-Yun Lu
- Department of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Xingang Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
- Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Di Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China.
- Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, 250012, China.
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13
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Crimmins BE, Lingawi NW, Chieng BC, Leung BK, Maren S, Laurent V. Basal forebrain cholinergic signaling in the basolateral amygdala promotes strength and durability of fear memories. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:605-614. [PMID: 36056107 PMCID: PMC9938249 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01427-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) complex receives dense cholinergic projections from the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) and the horizontal limb of the diagonal band of Broca (HDB). The present experiments examined whether these projections regulate the formation, extinction, and renewal of fear memories. This was achieved by employing a Pavlovian fear conditioning protocol and optogenetics in transgenic rats. Silencing NBM projections during fear conditioning weakened the fear memory produced by that conditioning and abolished its renewal after extinction. By contrast, silencing HDB projections during fear conditioning had no effect. Silencing NBM or HDB projections during extinction enhanced the loss of fear produced by extinction, but only HDB silencing prevented renewal. Next, we found that systemic blockade of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors during fear conditioning mimicked the effects produced by silencing NBM projections during fear conditioning. However, this blockade had no effect when given during extinction. These findings indicate that basal forebrain cholinergic signaling in the BLA plays a critical role in fear regulation by promoting strength and durability of fear memories. We concluded that cholinergic compounds may improve treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder by durably stripping fear memories from their fear-eliciting capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byron E. Crimmins
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW Australia
| | - Nura W. Lingawi
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW Australia
| | - Billy C. Chieng
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW Australia
| | - Beatrice K. Leung
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW Australia
| | - Stephen Maren
- grid.264756.40000 0004 4687 2082Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX USA
| | - Vincent Laurent
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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14
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Inactivation of the dorsal CA1 hippocampus impairs the consolidation of discriminative avoidance memory by modulating the intrinsic and extrinsic hippocampal circuitry. J Chem Neuroanat 2023; 128:102209. [PMID: 36496001 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2022.102209] [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: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Despite progress in understanding the role of the dorsal hippocampus in the acquisition, consolidation and retrieval of episodic-like memory, plastic changes within the intra- and extrahippocampal circuits for aversive memory formation and anxiety-like behaviours must still be identified since both processes contribute to multiple aspects of flexible decision-making. Here, we investigated the effect of reversible inactivation induced by a muscimol microinfusion into the dorsal CA1 subfield (dCA1) either prior to acquisition or to retrieval testing of a discriminative avoidance task performed in a plus-maze apparatus (PM-DAT). Differential cAMP-response-element-binding protein 1 (CREB-1) expression in the dorsal and ventral CA1 and CA3 of the hippocampus (dCA1, dCA3, vCA1, and vCA3), dorsal dentate gyrus (dDG), and infralimbic (IL) and prelimbic (PrL) regions of the medial prefrontal cortex was also assessed to investigate the molecular changes associated with the consolidation or retrieval of episodic-like memory and anxiety. Adult male Wistar rats were assigned to two control groups, learning (no surgery/no microinfusion, n = 7) and sham-operated (sham surgery/no microinfusion, n = 6) groups, or four experimental groups, in which the vehicle (0.5 µl per side, n = 8/per group) or a GABAA receptor agonist (0.5 µg/0.5 µl muscimol/per side) was bilaterally microinfused in the dCA1 30 min prior to training (n = 9) or prior to testing sessions (n = 6) with a 24 h intertrial interval. Memory was evaluated using the percentage of time spent in the nonaversive enclosed arms, whereas anxiety was measured by calculating the percentages of time spent and entries into open arms and the percentage of time spent self-grooming. Our findings corroborated previous data showing that the dCA1 is required for discriminative avoidance consolidation. Furthermore, additional information indicated that impaired long-term memory was associated with downregulated CREB-1 expression in the dDG and vCA3. Moreover, memory retrieval was not impaired by dCA1 inactivation prior to the testing session, which was associated with the upregulation of CREB-1 in the dCA3 and vCA1 and downregulation in the dCA1 and vCA3. Differential expression of CREB was not identified in the IL or PrL areas. These results improve our understanding of how the hippocampal circuitry mediates the acquisition and retrieval of aversive memory and anxiety.
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15
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Lee SLT, Timmerman B, Pflomm R, Roy N, Kumar M, Markus EJ. Sequential order spatial memory in male rats: Characteristics and impact of medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus disruption. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 200:107739. [PMID: 36822465 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107739] [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: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Remembering an experience entails linking what happened, where the event transpired, and when it occurred. Most rodent hippocampal studies involve tests of spatial memory, but fewer investigate temporal and sequential order memory. Here we provide a demonstration of rats learning an aversive sequential order task using a radial arm water maze. Male rats learned a fixed sequence of up to seven spatial locations, with each decision session separated by a temporal delay. Rats relied on visuospatial cues and the number of times they had entered the maze for a given day in order to successfully perform the task. Behavioral patterns during asymptotic performance showed similarities to the serial-position effect, especially with regards to faster first choice latency. Rats at asymptotic performance were implanted with bilateral cannula in medial prefrontal cortex, dorsal, and ventral hippocampus. After re-training, we injected muscimol to temporarily disrupt targeted brain regions. While control rats made prospective errors, rats with mPFC muscimol exhibited more retrospective errors. Rats with hippocampal muscimol no longer exhibited a prospective bias and were at chance levels in their error choices. Taken together, our results suggest disruption of mPFC, but not the hippocampus, produced an error choice bias during an aversive sequential order spatial processing task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shang Lin Tommy Lee
- Division of Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Brian Timmerman
- Division of Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Riley Pflomm
- Division of Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Nikita Roy
- Division of Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Mahathi Kumar
- Division of Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Etan J Markus
- Division of Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
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16
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Comparison of behavioral and brain indices of fear renewal during a standard vs. novel immersive reality Pavlovian fear extinction paradigm in healthy adults. Behav Brain Res 2023; 437:114154. [PMID: 36244544 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114154] [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: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Pavlovian conditioning paradigms model the learned fear associations inherent in posttraumatic stress disorder, including the renewal of inappropriate fear responses following extinction learning. However, very few studies in humans investigate the underlying neural mechanisms involved in fear renewal despite its clinical importance. To address this issue, our lab designed a novel, immersive-reality Pavlovian fear acquisition, extinction, recall, and renewal paradigm. We utilized an ecological threat - a snake striking towards the participant - as the unconditioned stimulus (US). Context and background were dynamic and included both visual and auditory cues that are relevant to everyday life. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and behavioral measures (US expectancy ratings), we examined the validity of this Novel paradigm in healthy adults (n = 49) and compared it to a Standard, well-validated 2D paradigm (n = 28). The Novel paradigm, compared to the Standard, was associated with greater hippocampal activation throughout the task. Participants who underwent the Standard paradigm, compared to the Novel, also displayed insula activation; however, this was not specific to stimulus or time. During fear renewal, the Novel paradigm was associated with dorsal anterior cingulate cortex activation to CS+ (> CS-). Overall, we found that our Novel, immersive-reality paradigm, which features an ecologically relevant US, elicited greater corticolimbic activation. These results suggest that immersive Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigms paired with innately fearful stimuli may improve translatability of preclinical paradigms to clinical interventions for fear-based disorders.
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17
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Exploration driven by a medial preoptic circuit facilitates fear extinction in mice. Commun Biol 2023; 6:106. [PMID: 36707677 PMCID: PMC9883483 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04442-9] [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: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Repetitive exposure to fear-associated targets is a typical treatment for patients with panic or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The success of exposure therapy depends on the active exploration of a fear-eliciting target despite an innate drive to avoid it. Here, we found that a circuit running from CaMKIIα-positive neurons of the medial preoptic area to the ventral periaqueductal gray (MPA-vPAG) facilitates the exploration of a fear-conditioned zone and subsequent fear extinction in mice. Activation or inhibition of this circuit did not induce preference/avoidance of a specific zone. Repeated entries into the fear-conditioned zone, induced by the motivation to chase a head-mounted object due to MPA-vPAG circuit photostimulation, facilitated fear extinction. Our results show how the brain forms extinction memory against avoidance of a fearful target and suggest a circuit-based mechanism of exposure therapy.
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18
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Sánchez-Zavaleta R, Segovia J, Ruiz-Contreras AE, Herrera-Solís A, Méndez-Díaz M, de la Mora MP, Prospéro-García OE. GPR55 activation prevents amphetamine-induced conditioned place preference and decrease the amphetamine-stimulated inflammatory response in the ventral hippocampus in male rats. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2023; 120:110636. [PMID: 36099968 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2022.110636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Inflammatory response in the Central Nervous System (CNS) induced by psychostimulants seems to be a crucial factor in the development and maintenance of drug addiction. The ventral hippocampus (vHp) is part of the reward system involved in substance addiction and expresses abundant G protein-coupled receptor 55 (GPR55). This receptor modulates the inflammatory response in vitro and in vivo, but there is no information regarding its anti-inflammatory effects and its impact on psychostimulant consumption. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether vHp GPR55 activation prevents both the inflammatory response induced by amphetamine (AMPH) in the vHp and the AMPH-induced conditioned place preference (A-CPP). Wistar adult male rats with a bilateral cannula into the vHp or intact males were subjected to A-CPP (5 mg/kg). Upon the completion of A-CPP, the vHp was dissected to evaluate IL-1β and IL-6 expression through RT-PCR, Western blot and immunofluorescence. Our results reveal that AMPH induces both A-CPP and an increase of IL-1β and IL-6 in the vHp. The GPR55 agonist lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI, 10 μM) infused into the vHp prevented A-CPP and the AMPH-induced IL-1β increase. CID 16020046 (CID, 10 μM), a selective GPR55 antagonist, abolished LPI effects. To evaluate the effect of the inflammatory response, lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 5 μg/μl) was infused bilaterally into the vHp during A-CPP acquisition. LPS strengthened A-CPP and increased IL-1β/IL-6 mRNA and protein levels in the vHp. LPS also increased CD68, Iba1, GFAP and vimentin expression. All LPS-induced effects were blocked by LPI. Our results suggest that GPR55 activation in the vHp prevents A-CPP while decreasing the local neuro-inflammatory response. These findings indicate that vHp GPR55 is a crucial factor in preventing the rewarding effects of AMPH due to its capacity to interfere with proinflammatory responses in the vHp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolfo Sánchez-Zavaleta
- Laboratorio de Canabinoides, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico.
| | - José Segovia
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Mexico
| | - Alejandra E Ruiz-Contreras
- Laboratorio de Neurogenómica Cognitiva, Coordinación de Psicobiología y Neurociencias, Facultad de Psicología, México
| | - Andrea Herrera-Solís
- Laboratorio de Efectos Terapéuticos de los Cannabinoides, Subdirección de Investigación Biomédica, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González, México
| | - Mónica Méndez-Díaz
- Laboratorio de Canabinoides, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
| | | | - Oscar E Prospéro-García
- Laboratorio de Canabinoides, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
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19
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Lokshina Y, Sheynin J, Vogt GS, Liberzon I. Fear Extinction Learning in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023; 64:257-270. [PMID: 37535308 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2023_436] [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: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Impairments in fear extinction processes have been implicated in the genesis and maintenance of debilitating psychopathologies, including Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD, classified as a trauma- and stressor-related disorder, is characterized by four symptom clusters: intrusive recollections of trauma, avoidance of trauma-related stimuli, alterations in cognition and mood, and hyperarousal. One of the key pathological feature associated with the persistence of these symptoms is impaired fear extinction, as delineated in multiple studies employing Pavlovian fear-conditioning paradigms. These paradigms, comprising fear acquisition, extinction, extinction recall, and fear renewal phases, have illuminated the neurobiological substrates of PTSD. Dysfunctions in the neural circuits that mediate these fear learning and extinction processes can result in failure to extinguish fear responses and retain extinction memory, giving rise to enduring experience of fear and anxiety. The protective avoidance behaviors observed in individuals with PTSD further exacerbate intrusive symptoms and pose challenges to effective treatment strategies. A comprehensive analysis of fear conditioning and extinction processes, along with the underlying neurobiology, could significantly enhance our understanding of PTSD pathophysiology. This chapter delineates the role of fear extinction processes in PTSD, investigates the underlying neurobiological substrates, and underscores the therapeutic implications, while also identifying future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yana Lokshina
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Jony Sheynin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Gregory S Vogt
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Israel Liberzon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA.
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
- Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
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20
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Glavonic E, Mitic M, Francija E, Petrovic Z, Adzic M. Sex-specific role of hippocampal NMDA-Erk-mTOR signaling in fear extinction of adolescent mice. Brain Res Bull 2023; 192:156-167. [PMID: 36410566 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2022.11.011] [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: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is a key phase of development for perturbations in fear extinction, with inability to adequately manage fear a potent factor for developing psychiatric disorders in adulthood. However, while behavioral correlates of adolescent fear regulation are established to a degree, molecular mediators of extinction learning in adolescence remain largely unknown. In this study, we observed fear acquisition and fear extinction (across 4 and 7 days) of adolescent and adult mice of both sexes and investigated how hippocampal levels of different plasticity markers relate to extinction learning. While fear was acquired evenly in males and females of both ages, fear extinction was found to be impaired in adolescent males. We also observed lower levels of GluA1, GLUN2A and GLUN2B subunits in male adolescents following fear acquisition, with an increase in their expression, as well as the activity of Erk-mTOR pathway over subsequent extinction sessions, which was paralleled with improved extinction learning. On the other hand, we detected no changes in plasticity-related proteins after fear acquisition in females, with alterations in GluA1, GluA4 and GLUN2B levels across fear extinction sessions. Additionally, we did not discern any pattern regarding the Erk-mTOR activity in female mice associated with their extinction performance. Overall, our research identifies sex-specific synaptic properties in the hippocampus that underlie developmentally regulated differences in fear extinction learning. We also point out hippocampal NMDA-Erk-mTOR signaling as the driving force behind successful fear extinction in male adolescents, highlighting this pathway as a potential therapeutic target for fear-related disorders in the adolescent population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilija Glavonic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, "VINČA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Milos Mitic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, "VINČA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ester Francija
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, "VINČA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Zorica Petrovic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, "VINČA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia; Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Miroslav Adzic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, "VINČA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
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21
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De Corte BJ, Farley SJ, Heslin KA, Parker KL, Freeman JH. The dorsal hippocampus' role in context-based timing in rodents. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 194:107673. [PMID: 35985617 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
To act proactively, we must predict when future events will occur. Individuals generate temporal predictions using cues that indicate an event will happen after a certain duration elapses. Neural models of timing focus on how the brain represents these cue-duration associations. However, these models often overlook the fact that situational factors frequently modulate temporal expectations. For example, in realistic environments, the intervals associated with different cues will often covary due to a common underlying cause. According to the 'common cause hypothesis,' observers anticipate this covariance such that, when one cue's interval changes, temporal expectations for other cues shift in the same direction. Furthermore, as conditions will often differ across environments, the same cue can mean different things in different contexts. Therefore, updates to temporal expectations should be context-specific. Behavioral work supports these predictions, yet their underlying neural mechanisms are unclear. Here, we asked whether the dorsal hippocampus mediates context-based timing, given its broad role in context-conditioning. Specifically, we trained rats with either hippocampal or sham lesions that two cues predicted reward after either a short or long duration elapsed (e.g., tone-8 s/light-16 s). Then, we moved rats to a new context and extended the long cue's interval (e.g., light-32 s). This caused rats to respond later to the short cue, despite never being trained to do so. Importantly, when returned to the initial training context, sham rats shifted back toward both cues' original intervals. In contrast, lesion rats continued to respond at the long cue's newer interval. Surprisingly, they still showed contextual modulation for the short cue, responding earlier like shams. These data suggest the hippocampus only mediates context-based timing if a cue is explicitly paired and/or rewarded across distinct contexts. Furthermore, as lesions did not impact timing measures at baseline or acquisition for the long cue's new interval, our data suggests that the hippocampus only modulates timing when context is relevant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J De Corte
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sean J Farley
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Kelsey A Heslin
- Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Krystal L Parker
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - John H Freeman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
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22
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Gong Z, Wang Z, Jiang L, Wang X, Zhang B, Vashisth MK, Zhou Q. Neuronal activity in the dorsal dentate gyrus during extinction regulates fear memory extinction and renewal. Exp Neurol 2022; 358:114224. [PMID: 36089058 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.114224] [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: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 07/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Memory extinction and renewal are major factors that limits the efficacy of exposure therapy. The dorsal dentate gyrus (dDG) plays a crucial role in spatial memory, and epigenetic modifications in the dDG play an important role in fear memory renewal. However, whether dDG activity regulates fear memory extinction and renewal remains unclear. In this study, we showed that an extinction procedure that prevents fear memory renewal (extinction within the reconsolidation window) leads to increased c-fos expression in the dDG. Chemicogenetic activation of dDG excitatory neurons during extinction training elevated fear memory extinction and prevented renewal, whereas inhibition of dDG excitatory neurons inhibited fear memory extinction. We also demonstrated that inhibiting fear engram cells (neurons active during fear acquisition) during extinction training inhibits fear memory extinction. Therefore, dDG activity during fear extinction plays an important role in fear memory extinction and renewal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiting Gong
- Department of Anatomy, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Zongliang Wang
- School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, China
| | - Le Jiang
- Department of Anatomy, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Xiaobing Wang
- Department of Anatomy, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Bensi Zhang
- Department of Anatomy, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Manoj Kumar Vashisth
- Department of Anatomy, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Qiang Zhou
- School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, China.
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23
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Vasudevan K, Ramanathan KR, Vierkant V, Maren S. Nucleus reuniens inactivation does not impair consolidation or reconsolidation of fear extinction. LEARNING & MEMORY (COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y.) 2022; 29:216-222. [PMID: 35902273 PMCID: PMC9374271 DOI: 10.1101/lm.053611.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Recent data reveal that the thalamic nucleus reuniens (RE) has a critical role in the extinction of conditioned fear. Muscimol (MUS) infusions into the RE impair within-session extinction of conditioned freezing and result in poor long-term extinction memories in rats. Although this suggests that RE inactivation impairs extinction learning, it is also possible that it is involved in the consolidation of extinction memories. To examine this possibility, we examined the effects of RE inactivation on the consolidation and reconsolidation of fear extinction in male and female rats. Twenty-four hours after auditory fear conditioning, rats underwent an extinction procedure (45 CS-alone trials) in a novel context and were infused with saline (SAL) or MUS within minutes of the final extinction trial. Twenty-four hours later, conditioned freezing to the extinguished CS was assessed in the extinction context. Postextinction inactivation of the RE did not affect extinction retrieval. In a second experiment, rats underwent extinction training and, 24 h later, were presented with a single CS to reactivate the extinction memory; rats were infused with SAL or MUS immediately after the reactivation session. Pharmacological inactivation of the RE did not affect conditioned freezing measured in a drug-free retrieval test the following day. Importantly, we found in a subsequent test that MUS infusions immediately before retrieval testing increased conditioned freezing and impaired extinction retrieval, as we have previously reported. These results indicate that although RE inactivation impairs the expression of extinction, it does not impair either the consolidation or reconsolidation of extinction memories. We conclude that the RE may have a critical role in suppressing context-inappropriate fear memories in the extinction context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krithika Vasudevan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Karthik R Ramanathan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Valerie Vierkant
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
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24
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Jones P. Mindfulness and Nondual Well-Being – What is the Evidence that We Can Stay Happy? REVIEW OF GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/10892680221093013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Research into subjective well-being (SWB) focuses on conducive life conditions, healthy cognitive-affective processes and adaptive behaviours, however, in this model, well-being fluctuates based on changing mental and physical phenomena. This inquiry explores the possibility that we can have a nondual experience of well-being that is unaffected by such movements and investigates if the literature supports this. The assertion in traditional mindfulness that the sense of self is constructed and responsible for such fluctuations is explored, along with what evidence there is that mindfulness practices deliver relevant cognitive and behavioural correlates associated with such a way of being. Proposed preconditions include (a) nondual awareness or the perception of no-self; (b) increased positive affect, decreased negative affect, and increased self-lessness; (c) increased capacity to maintain (or protect) well-being including heightened emotional self-regulation and resilience to aversive stimuli. Research findings provide some evidence that the sense of self can be both constructed and deconstructed, and that mindfulness training may target psychological dimensions that could contribute to an experience of well-being that transcends the impact of life conditions. Recommendations are made for a collaborative relationship between SWB research and mindfulness to expand the inquiry into possible causes and conditions of ‘nondual well-being’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Jones
- College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education (SHEE), Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia
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Dai ZH, Xu X, Chen WQ, Nie LN, Liu Y, Sui N, Liang J. The role of hippocampus in memory reactivation: an implication for a therapeutic target against opioid use disorder. CURRENT ADDICTION REPORTS 2022; 9:67-79. [PMID: 35223369 PMCID: PMC8857535 DOI: 10.1007/s40429-022-00407-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Purpose of the review The abuse of opioids induces many terrible problems in human health and social stability. For opioid-dependent individuals, withdrawal memory can be reactivated by context, which is then associated with extremely unpleasant physical and emotional feelings during opioid withdrawal. The reactivation of withdrawal memory is considered one of the most important reasons for opioid relapse, and it also allows for memory modulation based on the reconsolidation phenomenon. However, studies exploring withdrawal memory modulation during the reconsolidation window are lacking. By summarizing the previous findings about the reactivation of negative emotional memories, we are going to suggest potential neural regions and systems for modulating opioid withdrawal memory. Recent findings Here, we first present the role of memory reactivation in its modification, discuss how the hippocampus participates in memory reactivation, and discuss the importance of noradrenergic signaling in the hippocampus for memory reactivation. Then, we review the engagement of other limbic regions receiving noradrenergic signaling in memory reactivation. We suggest that noradrenergic signaling targeting hippocampus neurons might play a potential role in strengthening the disruptive effect of withdrawal memory extinction by facilitating the degree of memory reactivation. Summary This review will contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying reactivation-dependent memory malleability and will provide new therapeutic avenues for treating opioid use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhong-hua Dai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xing Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei-qi Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Li-na Nie
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Nan Sui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Liang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Hennings AC, McClay M, Drew MR, Lewis-Peacock JA, Dunsmoor JE. Neural reinstatement reveals divided organization of fear and extinction memories in the human brain. Curr Biol 2022; 32:304-314.e5. [PMID: 34813732 PMCID: PMC8792329 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Neurobiological research in rodents has revealed that competing experiences of fear and extinction are stored as distinct memory traces in the brain. This divided organization is adaptive for mitigating overgeneralization of fear to related stimuli that are learned to be safe while also maintaining threat associations for unsafe stimuli. The mechanisms involved in organizing these competing memories in the human brain remain unclear. Here, we used a hybrid form of Pavlovian conditioning with an episodic memory component to identify overlapping multivariate patterns of fMRI activity associated with the formation and retrieval of fear versus extinction. In healthy adults, distinct regions of the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus showed selective reactivation of fear versus extinction memories based on the temporal context in which these memories were encoded. This dissociation was absent in participants with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The divided neural organization of fear and extinction may support flexible retrieval of context-appropriate emotional memories, while their disorganization may promote overgeneralization and increased fear relapse in affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Augustin C Hennings
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Mason McClay
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael R Drew
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Jarrod A Lewis-Peacock
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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Sex-dependent effects of chronic exercise on cognitive flexibility but not hippocampal Bdnf in aging mice. Neuronal Signal 2022; 6:NS20210053. [PMID: 35036000 PMCID: PMC8734434 DOI: 10.1042/ns20210053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive impairments associated with advanced age involve alterations in the hippocampus that changes with experience throughout life. The hippocampus is critical for cognitive flexibility involved with extinction and reinstatement of conditioned fear. It is widely accepted that regular exercise can be beneficial for hippocampal function. Therefore, we asked whether chronic voluntary exercise in middle-aged mice can improve extinction and/or reinstatement of conditioned fear compared with standard-housing. Eight-month-old male and female C57Bl/6J mice had access to a running wheel or remained in standard-housing until 11 months of age. Alongside control standard-housed young adult (3-month-old) mice, they received tone-footshock pairings, which were subsequently extinguished with tone-alone presentations the next day. Half of the mice then received a reminder in the form of a single footshock. Male and female 11-month-old mice housed in standard conditions exhibited impaired reinstatement compared with young adult mice. However, for males that had access to a running wheel from 8 months of age, the reminder treatment rescued reinstatement ability. This was not observed in females. Additionally, exercise during middle age in both sexes increased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) mRNA in the hippocampus, specifically exon 4 mRNA. These results show that, at least for males, physical exercise is beneficial for reducing age-related decline in cognitive abilities. Despite not affecting reinstatement, exercise also increased Bdnf gene expression in the female hippocampus, which could potentially benefit other forms of hippocampus-dependent cognition.
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Wang X, Zhao Y, Shi X, Gong M, Hao Y, Fu Y, Velez de-la-Paz OI, Wang X, Du Y, Guo X, Song L, Meng L, Gao Y, Yin X, Wang S, Shi Y, Shi H. Sulfur dioxide derivatives attenuates consolidation of contextual fear memory in mice. Eur J Pharmacol 2022; 914:174658. [PMID: 34861211 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2021.174658] [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: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by an enhancement of traumatic memory. Intervention strategies based on the different stages of memory have been shown to be effective in the prevention and control of PTSD. The endogenous gaseous molecule, sulfur dioxide (SO2), has been reported to significantly exert neuromodulatory effects; however, its regulation of learning and memory remains unestablished. This study aimed to investigate the effects of exogenous SO2 derivatives administration on the formation, consolidation, reconsolidation, retention, and expression of contextual fear memory. Behavioral results showed that both intraperitoneal injection (50 mg/kg, ip) and hippocampal infusion (5 μg/side) of SO2 derivatives (a mixture of sodium sulfite and sodium bisulfite, Na2SO3/NaHSO3, 3:1 M/M) significantly impaired consolidation but had no effect on reconsolidation and retention of contextual fear memory. These findings suggest that the attenuating effects of SO2 on the consolidation of fear memory involves, at least partially, the region of the hippocampus. The findings of this study provide direct evidence for the development of new strategies for PTSD prevention and treatment involving the use of gaseous SO2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinhao Wang
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medicinal University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China
| | - Yize Zhao
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medicinal University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China
| | - Xiaorui Shi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medicinal University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China
| | - Miao Gong
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medicinal University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China
| | - Ying Hao
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medicinal University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China
| | - Yaling Fu
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medicinal University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China
| | - Omar Israel Velez de-la-Paz
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medicinal University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China
| | - Xi Wang
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medicinal University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China
| | - Yuru Du
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medicinal University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China
| | - Xiangfei Guo
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medicinal University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China
| | - Li Song
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medicinal University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050017, China
| | - Li Meng
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medicinal University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China
| | - Yuan Gao
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medicinal University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050017, China
| | - Xi Yin
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Department of Functional Region of Diagnosis, Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050011, China
| | - Sheng Wang
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medicinal University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China
| | - Yun Shi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050017, China.
| | - Haishui Shi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of HeBMU, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medicinal University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China.
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Xi Y, Zhou L, Wang Y. The Construction of Positive Social Psychology During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring the Relationship Between Social Support and Peace of Mind Through a Three-Wave Longitudinal Cross-Lag Study. Front Psychol 2021; 12:631748. [PMID: 34764897 PMCID: PMC8576327 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a major global crisis that has infected public social mentality. Drawing on the concept of peace of mind (PoM), a culture-specific positive emotion construct developed in the Chinese cultural context, this study explored the ways to build a positive public social mentality in the time of the pandemic. PoM is indicative of a calm and stable emotional state marked by self-control and spiritual cultivation and is believed to align with the perceptions of subjective well-being in Chinese or eastern cultures. A three-wave cross-lag study using an online questionnaire survey was conducted on 107 employees in Chinese enterprises during the pandemic. The research findings suggest that social support had a significant positive time-cross effect on later PoM, i.e., social support-T1 had a significant predictive effect on PoM-T2 (β = 0.16, SE = 0.09, p < 0.05) and social support-T2 had a significant predictive effect on PoM-T3 (β = 0.38, SE = 0.19, p < 0.05), whereas PoM failed to show a positive time-cross effect on later social support, i.e., the predictive effects of PoM-T1 on social support-T2 (β = 0.04, SE = 0.07, p > 0.05) and of PoM-T2 on social support-T3 (β = 0.13, SE = 0.09, p > 0.05) were not significant. This study provided a dynamic picture of the construction of public social mentality in the time of public health emergencies and also contributed to the research on PoM antecedents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiheng Xi
- Department of Labor and Human Relations, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
- Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Li Zhou
- Department of Linguistics and Literary Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Economics and Management, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China
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Song C, Yeh PH, Ollinger J, Sours Rhodes C, Lippa SM, Riedy G, Bonavia GH. Altered Metabolic Interrelationships in the Cortico-Limbic Circuitry in Military Service Members with Persistent Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Brain Connect 2021; 12:602-616. [PMID: 34428937 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2021.0036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Comorbid mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common in military service members. The aim of this study is to investigate brain metabolic interrelationships in service members with and without persistent PTSD symptoms after mTBI by using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography. Methods: Service members (n = 408) diagnosed with mTBI were studied retrospectively. Principal component analysis was applied to identify latent metabolic systems, and the associations between metabolic latent systems and self-report measures of post-concussive and PTSD symptoms were evaluated. Participants were divided into two groups based on DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition-Text Revision) criteria for PTSD, and structural equation modeling was performed to test a priori hypotheses on metabolic interrelationships among the brain regions in the cortico-limbic circuitry responsible for top-down control and bottom-up emotional processing. The differences in metabolic interrelationships between age-matched PTSD-absent (n = 204) and PTSD-present (n = 204) groups were evaluated. Results: FDG uptake in the temporo-limbic system was positively correlated with post-concussive and hyperarousal symptoms. For the bottom-up emotional processing, the insula and amygdala-hippocampal complex in the PTSD-present group had stronger metabolic interrelationships with the bilateral rostral anterior cingulate, left lingual, right lateral occipital, and left superior temporal cortices, but a weaker relationship with the right precuneus cortex, compared with the PTSD-absent group. For the top-down control, the PTSD-present group had decreased metabolic engagements of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on the amygdala. Discussion: Our results suggest altered metabolic interrelationships in the cortico-limbic circuitry in mTBI subjects with persistent PTSD symptoms, which may underlie the pathophysiological mechanisms of comorbid mTBI and PTSD. Impact statement This is the first 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography study to investigate brain metabolic interrelationships in service members with persistent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). We identified that the temporo-limbic metabolic system was associated with post-concussive and hyperarousal symptoms. Further, brain metabolic interrelationships in the cortico-limbic circuitry were altered in mTBI subjects with significant PTSD symptoms compared with those without them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chihwa Song
- National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Ping-Hong Yeh
- National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - John Ollinger
- National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Chandler Sours Rhodes
- National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Sara M Lippa
- National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Gerard Riedy
- National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Grant H Bonavia
- National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Sewart A, McGlade A, Treanor M, Fanselow M, Craske M. Pre-treatment hippocampal functioning impacts context renewal for cholinergic modulated exposure therapy. Biol Psychol 2021; 165:108167. [PMID: 34624624 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2020] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Our recent trial demonstrated individuals suffering from social anxiety with performance-related concerns who received virtual reality exposure augmented with scopolamine, a cholinergic antagonist, experienced significantly less post-treatment context renewal (CX) than placebo (Craske et al., 2019). The purpose of the present investigation was to determine who specifically benefits from scopolamine by examining hippocampal (HPC) functioning as a moderator of treatment response (Placebo n = 15, SCOP 0.5 mg n = 15, SCOP 0.6 mg n = 15). Skin conductance response to conditional stimulus (SCR-to-CS) termination suggested a dose-response relationship for enhanced HPC functioning individuals, wherein individuals receiving scopolamine demonstrated less fear at CX. In addition, SCR-to-CS onset indicated reduced fear at CX for impaired HPC individuals receiving SCOP 0.5 mg and SCOP 0.6 mg relative to Placebo. Our findings, however, lacked consistency across measures. Scopolamine remains a promising agent and additional research required to further understand its effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Sewart
- California State University, Dominguez Hills, Department of Psychology, 1000 East Victoria Street, Carson, CA 90747, United States.
| | - Anastasia McGlade
- University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, 1285 Franz Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Michael Treanor
- University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, 757 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Michael Fanselow
- University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, 1285 Franz Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States; University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, 757 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Michelle Craske
- University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, 1285 Franz Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States; University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, 757 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
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Baldi E, Costa A, Rani B, Passani MB, Blandina P, Romano A, Provensi G. Oxytocin and Fear Memory Extinction: Possible Implications for the Therapy of Fear Disorders? Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:10000. [PMID: 34576161 PMCID: PMC8467761 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221810000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Several psychiatric conditions such as phobias, generalized anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are characterized by pathological fear and anxiety. The main therapeutic approach used in the management of these disorders is exposure-based therapy, which is conceptually based upon fear extinction with the formation of a new safe memory association, allowing the reduction in behavioral conditioned fear responses. Nevertheless, this approach is only partially resolutive, since many patients have difficulty following the demanding and long process, and relapses are frequently observed over time. One strategy to improve the efficacy of the cognitive therapy is the combination with pharmacological agents. Therefore, the identification of compounds able to strengthen the formation and persistence of the inhibitory associations is a key goal. Recently, growing interest has been aroused by the neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT), which has been shown to have anxiolytic effects. Furthermore, OXT receptors and binding sites have been found in the critical brain structures involved in fear extinction. In this review, the recent literature addressing the complex effects of OXT on fear extinction at preclinical and clinical levels is discussed. These studies suggest that the OXT roles in fear behavior are due to its local effects in several brain regions, most notably, distinct amygdaloid regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Baldi
- Section of Physiological Sciences, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy;
| | - Alessia Costa
- Section of Clinical Pharmacology and Oncology, Department of Health Sciences (DSS), University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy; (A.C.); (B.R.); (M.B.P.)
| | - Barbara Rani
- Section of Clinical Pharmacology and Oncology, Department of Health Sciences (DSS), University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy; (A.C.); (B.R.); (M.B.P.)
| | - Maria Beatrice Passani
- Section of Clinical Pharmacology and Oncology, Department of Health Sciences (DSS), University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy; (A.C.); (B.R.); (M.B.P.)
| | - Patrizio Blandina
- Section of Pharmacology of Toxicology, Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy;
| | - Adele Romano
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology ‘V. Erspamer’, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Gustavo Provensi
- Section of Pharmacology of Toxicology, Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy;
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Lori A, Schultebraucks K, Galatzer-Levy I, Daskalakis NP, Katrinli S, Smith AK, Myers AJ, Richholt R, Huentelman M, Guffanti G, Wuchty S, Gould F, Harvey PD, Nemeroff CB, Jovanovic T, Gerasimov ES, Maples-Keller JL, Stevens JS, Michopoulos V, Rothbaum BO, Wingo AP, Ressler KJ. Transcriptome-wide association study of post-trauma symptom trajectories identified GRIN3B as a potential biomarker for PTSD development. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1811-1820. [PMID: 34188182 PMCID: PMC8357796 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01073-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Biomarkers that predict symptom trajectories after trauma can facilitate early detection or intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and may also advance our understanding of its biology. Here, we aimed to identify trajectory-based biomarkers using blood transcriptomes collected in the immediate aftermath of trauma exposure. Participants were recruited from an Emergency Department in the immediate aftermath of trauma exposure and assessed for PTSD symptoms at baseline, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Three empirical symptom trajectories (chronic-PTSD, remitting, and resilient) were identified in 377 individuals based on longitudinal symptoms across four data points (1, 3, 6, and 12 months), using latent growth mixture modeling. Blood transcriptomes were examined for association with longitudinal symptom trajectories, followed by expression quantitative trait locus analysis. GRIN3B and AMOTL1 blood mRNA levels were associated with chronic vs. resilient post-trauma symptom trajectories at a transcriptome-wide significant level (N = 153, FDR-corrected p value = 0.0063 and 0.0253, respectively). We identified four genetic variants that regulate mRNA blood expression levels of GRIN3B. Among these, GRIN3B rs10401454 was associated with PTSD in an independent dataset (N = 3521, p = 0.04). Examination of the BrainCloud and GTEx databases revealed that rs10401454 was associated with brain mRNA expression levels of GRIN3B. While further replication and validation studies are needed, our data suggest that GRIN3B, a glutamate ionotropic receptor NMDA type subunit-3B, may be involved in the manifestation of PTSD. In addition, the blood mRNA level of GRIN3B may be a promising early biomarker for the PTSD manifestation and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Lori
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Katharina Schultebraucks
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Data Science Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Isaac Galatzer-Levy
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nikolaos P Daskalakis
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Seyma Katrinli
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Alicia K Smith
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Amanda J Myers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Ryan Richholt
- Neurogenomics Division and Center for Rare Childhood Disorders, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Matthew Huentelman
- Neurogenomics Division and Center for Rare Childhood Disorders, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Guia Guffanti
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Stefan Wuchty
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
- Institute of Data Science and Computing, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Felicia Gould
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Philip D Harvey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | | | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | | | | | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Vasiliki Michopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Barbara O Rothbaum
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Aliza P Wingo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Division of Mental Health, Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA, USA.
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
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Kim DH, Choi BR, Jeon YJ, Jang YS, Han JS. Engagement of lateral habenula in the extinction of the appetitive conditioned responses. Behav Brain Res 2021; 415:113516. [PMID: 34389424 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Following the association of a neutral stimulus (conditioned stimulus, CS) with a biologically significant stimulus (unconditioned stimulus, US), CS-alone presentations generate extinction: a decline in the conditioned response. Many studies have revealed the neural substrates of fear extinction; however, a few have identified the brain regions responsible for appetitive extinction. Midbrain dopamine neurons are activated by presenting a reward or predictable reward cue, whereas the cue signaling the absence of reward activates the lateral habenula (LHb) neurons. We examined the engagement of the LHb in appetitive extinction. In the first phase, rats first received pairings of a CS (light) with US delivery (food pellets). In the second phase, rats in the CS-alone group underwent four CS-alone presentations, whereas those in the paired-paired group received four pairings of light with food pellets. We also included a comparison group for CS-alone presentations: rats were placed in the training box without CS or US exposures in the first phase and received four CS-alone presentations in the second phase. Thirty minutes after the second phase, c-Fos levels in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), and LHb in these groups were measured. c-Fos levels in the LHb were higher in the paired-CS-alone group than in the paired-paired and comparison groups, while those in the VTA and SNc were significantly higher in the paired-paired group than in the other groups. On examination of LHb neurotoxic lesion effects on the decline of conditioned food-cup responses when a CS was repeatedly presented with no US, LHb lesions decelerated the decline in conditioned food-cup responses, suggesting a crucial role of LHb in appetitive extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Hee Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Bo-Ryoung Choi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Yong-Jae Jeon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Yoon-Sun Jang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jung-Soo Han
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea.
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35
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Adkins JM, Lynch J, Gray M, Jasnow AM. Presynaptic GABA B receptor inhibition sex dependently enhances fear extinction and attenuates fear renewal. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:2059-2071. [PMID: 33855580 PMCID: PMC8295214 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05831-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety and trauma-related disorders are highly prevalent worldwide, and are associated with altered associative fear learning. Despite the effectiveness of exposure therapy, which aims to reduce associative fear responses, relapse rates remain high. This is due, in part, to the context specificity of exposure therapy, which is a form of extinction. Many studies show that fear relapses when mice are tested outside the extinction context, and this is known as fear renewal. Using Pavlovian fear conditioning and extinction, we can study the mechanisms underlying extinction and renewal. The aim of the current experiment was to identify the role of presynaptic GABAB receptors in these two processes. Previous work from our lab showed that genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition of GABAB(1a) receptors that provide presynaptic inhibition on glutamatergic terminals reduces context specificity and leads to generalization. We therefore hypothesized that inactivation of these presynaptic GABAB receptors could be used to reduce the context specificity associated with fear extinction training and suppress renewal when mice are tested outside of the extinction context. Using CGP 36216, an antagonist specific for presynaptic GABAB receptors, we blocked presynaptic GABAB receptors using intracerebroventricular injections during various time points of extinction learning in male and female mice. Results showed that blocking these receptors pre- and post-extinction training led to enhanced extinction learning in male mice only. We also found that post-extinction infusions of CGP reduced renewal rates in male mice when they were tested outside of the extinction context. In an attempt to localize the function of presynaptic GABAB receptors within regions of the extinction circuit, we infused CGP locally within the basolateral amygdala or dorsal hippocampus. We failed to reduce renewal when CGP was infused directly within these regions, suggesting that presynaptic inhibition within these regions per se may not be necessary for driving context specificity during extinction learning. Together, these results show an important sex-dependent role of presynaptic GABAB receptors in extinction and renewal processes and identify a novel receptor target that may be used to design pharmacotherapies to enhance the effectiveness of exposure therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan M Adkins
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
| | - Joseph Lynch
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
| | - Michael Gray
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
| | - Aaron M Jasnow
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA.
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, 6439 Garners Ferry Road, Columbia, SC, 29209, USA.
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36
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Castillo-Ocampo Y, Colón M, Hernández A, Lopez P, Gerena Y, Porter JT. Plasticity of GluN1 at Ventral Hippocampal Synapses in the Infralimbic Cortex. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2021; 13:695964. [PMID: 34335223 PMCID: PMC8320376 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2021.695964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the infralimbic cortex (IL) is not thought to play a role in fear acquisition, recent experiments found evidence that synaptic plasticity is occurring at ventral hippocampal (vHPC) synapses in IL during auditory fear acquisition as measured by changes in the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated currents in male rats. These electrophysiological data suggest that fear conditioning changes the expression of NMDA receptors on vHPC-to-IL synapses. To further evaluate the plasticity of NMDA receptors at this specific synapse, we injected AAV particles expressing channelrhodopsin-EYFP into the vHPC of male and female rats to label vHPC projections with EYFP. To test for NMDA receptor changes in vHPC-to-IL synapses after fear learning, we used fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to quantify synaptosomes isolated from IL tissue punches that were positive for EYFP and the obligatory GluN1 subunit. More EYFP+/GluN1+ synaptosomes with greater average expression of GluN1 were isolated from male rats exposed to auditory fear conditioning (AFC) than those exposed to context and tones only or to contextual fear conditioning (CFC), suggesting that AFC increased NMDA receptor expression in males. In a second experiment, we found that pairing the tones and shocks was required to induce the molecular changes and that fear extinction did not reverse the changes. In contrast, females showed similar levels of EYFP+/GluN1+ synaptosomes in all behavioral groups. These findings suggest that AFC induces synaptic plasticity of NMDA receptors in the vHPC-to-IL projection in males, while female rats rely on different synaptic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yesenia Castillo-Ocampo
- Department of Basic Sciences, Ponce Research Institute, Ponce Health Sciences University, Ponce, Puerto Rico
| | - María Colón
- Department of Basic Sciences, Ponce Research Institute, Ponce Health Sciences University, Ponce, Puerto Rico
| | - Anixa Hernández
- Department of Basic Sciences, Ponce Research Institute, Ponce Health Sciences University, Ponce, Puerto Rico
| | - Pablo Lopez
- Department of Basic Sciences, Ponce Research Institute, Ponce Health Sciences University, Ponce, Puerto Rico
| | - Yamil Gerena
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - James T. Porter
- Department of Basic Sciences, Ponce Research Institute, Ponce Health Sciences University, Ponce, Puerto Rico
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van Rooij SJH, Ravi M, Ely TD, Michopoulos V, Winters SJ, Shin J, Marin MF, Milad MR, Rothbaum BO, Ressler KJ, Jovanovic T, Stevens JS. Hippocampal activation during contextual fear inhibition related to resilience in the early aftermath of trauma. Behav Brain Res 2021; 408:113282. [PMID: 33819532 PMCID: PMC8128041 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impaired contextual fear inhibition is often associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our previous work has demonstrated that more hippocampal activation during a response inhibition task after trauma exposure was related to greater resilience and fewer future PTSD symptoms. In the current study, we sought to extend our previous findings by employing a contextual fear conditioning and extinction paradigm to further determine the role of the hippocampus in resilience and PTSD in the early aftermath of trauma. METHODS Participants (N = 28) were recruited in the Emergency Department shortly after experiencing a traumatic event. A contextual fear inhibition task was conducted in a 3 T MRI scanner approximately two months post-trauma. Measures of resilience (CD-RISC) at time of scan and PTSD symptoms three months post-trauma were collected. The associations between hippocampal activation during fear conditioning and during the effect of context during extinction, and post-trauma resilience and PTSD symptoms at three-months were assessed. RESULTS During fear conditioning, activation of the bilateral hippocampal region of interest (ROI) correlated positively with resilience (r = 0.48, p = 0.01). During the effect of context during extinction, greater bilateral hippocampal activation correlated with lower PTSD symptoms three months post-trauma after controlling for baseline PTSD symptoms, age and gender (r=-0.59, p=0.009). CONCLUSIONS Greater hippocampal activation was related to post-trauma resilience and lower PTSD symptoms three months post-trauma. The current study supports and strengthens prior findings suggesting the importance of hippocampus-dependent context processing as a mechanism for resilience versus PTSD risk, which could be a potential mechanistic target for novel early interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanne J H van Rooij
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Meghna Ravi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Timothy D Ely
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Vasiliki Michopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sterling J Winters
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Jaemin Shin
- MR Applied Science Lab, GE Healthcare, New York, NY, USA
| | - Marie-France Marin
- Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mohammed R Milad
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Barbara O Rothbaum
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Shih CW, Chang CH. Medial or lateral orbitofrontal cortex activation during fear extinction differentially regulates fear renewal. Behav Brain Res 2021; 412:113412. [PMID: 34118296 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Some anxiety-related disorders, such as panic disorder, specific phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), develop because of the poor regulation and inappropriate expression of fear-related behavior at the wrong place and wrong time. In clinical settings, exposure therapy, which consists of repeated presentation of trauma-related stimuli without real threats in the therapeutic context, is commonly used to treat these disorders. However, 30-50 % of patients suffer from the recurrence of anxiety symptoms after they leave the therapeutic context. This behavioral phenomenon is called renewal. In this study, ABA Pavlovian fear renewal paradigm was used to assess the role of the aberrant orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) activation, a symptom of OCD patients, on fear regulation in laboratory settings. The rats were fear conditioned in one context (context A), extinguished to the tones in another context (context B), and then tested in either context A or B. During extinction, rats were subjected to lateral or medial OFC activation. We found that rats that underwent extinction with either lateral or medial OFC activation were unable to use the context to determine whether it was a safe or dangerous context during renewal test. Interestingly, the rats with lateral OFC activation during extinction showed generally high fear, whereas the rats with medial OFC activation during extinction showed generally low fear. In conclusion, our results suggested that aberrant activation of specifically the lateral OFC may have a negative impact during exposure therapy treatments and results in their poor regulation of fear-related behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Wei Shih
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsihchu, 30013, Taiwan; Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Hui Chang
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsihchu, 30013, Taiwan; Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan.
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Zhang Y, Wang Z, Ju J, Liao J, Zhou Q. Elevated activity in the dorsal dentate gyrus reduces expression of fear memory after fear extinction training. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2021; 46:E390-E401. [PMID: 34077148 PMCID: PMC8327976 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.200151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Effectively reducing the expression of certain aversive memories (fear or trauma memories) with extinction training is generally viewed to be therapeutically important. A deeper understanding of the biological basis for a more effective extinction process is also of high scientific importance. METHODS Our study involved intraventricular injection or local injection into the dorsal dentate gyrus of anti-neuregulin 1 antibodies (anti-NRG1) before fear extinction training, followed by testing the expression of fear memory 24 hours afterward or 9 days later. We used local injection of chemogenetic or optogenetic viruses into the dorsal dentate gyrus to manipulate the activity of the dorsal dentate gyrus and test the expression of fear memory. We also examined the effect of deep brain stimulation in the dorsal dentate gyrus on the expression of fear memory. RESULTS Mice that received intraventricular injection with anti-NRG1 antibodies exhibited lower expression of fear memory and increased density of activated excitatory neurons in the dorsal dentate gyrus. Injection of anti-NRG1 antibodies directly into the dorsal dentate gyrus also led to lower expression of fear memory and more activated neurons in the dorsal dentate gyrus. Inhibiting the activity of dorsal dentate gyrus excitatory neurons using an inhibitory designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADD) eliminated the effects of the anti-NRG1 antibodies. Enhancing the activity of the dorsal dentate gyrus with an excitatory DREADD or optogenetic stimulation resulted in lower expression of fear memory in mice that did not receive infusion of anti-NRG1 antibodies. Deep brain stimulation in the dorsal dentate gyrus effectively suppressed expression of fear memory, both during and after fear extinction training. LIMITATIONS The mechanism for the contribution of the dorsal dentate gyrus to the expression of fear memory needs further exploration. CONCLUSION Activation of the dorsal dentate gyrus may play an important role in modulating the expression of fear memory; its potential use in fear memory extinction is worthy of further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujie Zhang
- From the Peking University, Shenzhen Graduate School, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China (Zhang, Wang, Zhou); the Precision Medicine Centre, the Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, Guangdong, China (Ju); and the Pediatric Neurology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, 518038, China (Zhang, Liao)
| | - Zongliang Wang
- From the Peking University, Shenzhen Graduate School, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China (Zhang, Wang, Zhou); the Precision Medicine Centre, the Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, Guangdong, China (Ju); and the Pediatric Neurology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, 518038, China (Zhang, Liao)
| | - Jun Ju
- From the Peking University, Shenzhen Graduate School, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China (Zhang, Wang, Zhou); the Precision Medicine Centre, the Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, Guangdong, China (Ju); and the Pediatric Neurology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, 518038, China (Zhang, Liao)
| | - Jianxiang Liao
- From the Peking University, Shenzhen Graduate School, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China (Zhang, Wang, Zhou); the Precision Medicine Centre, the Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, Guangdong, China (Ju); and the Pediatric Neurology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, 518038, China (Zhang, Liao)
| | - Qiang Zhou
- From the Peking University, Shenzhen Graduate School, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China (Zhang, Wang, Zhou); the Precision Medicine Centre, the Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, Guangdong, China (Ju); and the Pediatric Neurology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, 518038, China (Zhang, Liao)
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Zabik NL, Iadipaolo AS, Marusak HA, Peters C, Burghardt K, Rabinak CA. A common genetic variant in fatty acid amide hydrolase is linked to alterations in fear extinction neural circuitry in a racially diverse, nonclinical sample of adults. J Neurosci Res 2021; 100:744-761. [PMID: 34051704 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Poor fear extinction learning and recall are linked to the development of fear-based disorders, like posttraumatic stress disorder, and are associated with aberrant activation of fear-related neural circuitry. This includes greater amygdala activation during extinction learning and lesser hippocampal and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) activation during recall. Emerging data indicate that genetic variation in fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH C385A; rs324420) is associated with increased peripheral endocannabinoid (eCB) levels and lesser threat-related amygdala reactivity. Preclinical studies link increased eCB signaling to better extinction learning and recall, thus FAAH C385A may protect against the development of trauma-related psychopathology by facilitating extinction learning. However, how this FAAH variant affects fear extinction neural circuitry remains unknown. In the present study, we used a novel, immersive-reality fear extinction paradigm paired with functional neuroimaging to assess FAAH C385A effects on fear-related neural circuitry and conditioned fear responding (US expectancy ratings, subjective units of distress, and skin conductance responding) in healthy adults from an urban area (Detroit, MI; N = 59; C/C = 35, A-carrier = 24). We found lesser amygdala activation in A-allele carriers, compared to C/C homozygotes, during early extinction recall. Likewise, we found lesser dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and greater hippocampus activation in early extinction learning in A-carriers compared to C/C homozygotes. We found no effects of FAAH C385A on vmPFC activation or behavioral fear indices. These data support and extend previous findings that FAAH genetic variation, associated with increased eCB signaling and subsequent enhanced fear extinction, may predict individual differences in successful fear learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole L Zabik
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.,Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | | | - Hilary A Marusak
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.,Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Child and Family Development, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Craig Peters
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Kyle Burghardt
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Christine A Rabinak
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.,Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.,Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Child and Family Development, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
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Lusnig L, Radach R, Hofmann MJ. Meditation affects word recognition of meditation novices. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2021; 86:723-736. [PMID: 33966104 PMCID: PMC8942899 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-021-01522-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This work represents one of the first attempts to examine the effects of meditation on the processing of written single words. In the present longitudinal study, participants conducted a lexical decision task and rated the affective valence of nouns before and after a 7-week class in mindfulness meditation, loving-kindness meditation, or a control intervention. Both meditation groups rated the emotional valence of nouns more neutral after the interventions, suggesting a general down-regulation of emotions. In the loving-kindness group, positive words were rated more positively after the intervention, suggesting a specific intensification of positive feelings. After both meditation interventions, response times in the lexical decision task accelerated significantly, with the largest facilitation occurring in the loving-kindness group. We assume that meditation might have led to increased attention, better visual discrimination, a broadened attentional focus, and reduced mind-wandering, which in turn enabled accelerated word recognition. These results extend findings from a previous study with expert Zen meditators, in which we found that one session of advanced meditation can affect word recognition in a very similar way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larissa Lusnig
- Department of Psychology, University of Wuppertal, Wuppertal, Germany.
| | - Ralph Radach
- Department of Psychology, University of Wuppertal, Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Markus J Hofmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Wuppertal, Wuppertal, Germany
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Rotondo EK, Bieszczad KM. Sensory cortical and subcortical auditory neurophysiological changes predict cue-specific extinction behavior enabled by the pharmacological inhibition of an epigenetic regulator during memory formation. Brain Res Bull 2021; 169:167-183. [PMID: 33515653 PMCID: PMC8591994 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2021.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Extinction learning and memory have been broadly investigated at both behavioral and neural levels, but sensory system contributions to extinction processes have been less explored. Using a sound-reward extinction paradigm in male rats, we reveal both cortical and subcortical forms of plasticity associated with the cue-specificity of behavioral extinction memory. In the auditory cortex, frequency tuning narrowed by up to two-thirds of an octave around the remembered extinguished sound cue. Subcortical signals revealed in the auditory brainstem response (ABR) in the same animals developed smaller amplitudes of some (but not all) ABR peaks evoked by the extinguished sound frequency. Interestingly, treatment with an inhibitor of histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3-i) facilitated both auditory cortical tuning bandwidth changes and changes in subcortical peak amplitude evoked only by the extinguished sound frequency. These neurophysiological changes were correlated to each other, and to the highly precise extinction behavior enabled by HDAC3-i (compared to vehicle controls). Thus, we show for the first time that HDAC3 regulates the specificity of sensory features consolidated in extinction memory. Further, the sensory cortical changes in tuning bandwidth recapitulate known effects of blocking HDAC3 to enhance cue specificity in other behavioral tasks. Therefore, the findings demonstrate how some forms of sensory neuroplasticity may encode specific sensory features of learning experiences in order to enable cue-specific behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena K Rotondo
- Dept. of Psychology, Rutgers- The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, United States
| | - Kasia M Bieszczad
- Dept. of Psychology, Rutgers- The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, United States.
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43
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Understanding the dynamic and destiny of memories. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 125:592-607. [PMID: 33722616 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Memory formation enables the retention of life experiences overtime. Based on previously acquired information, organisms can anticipate future events and adjust their behaviors to maximize survival. However, in an ever-changing environment, a memory needs to be malleable to maintain its relevance. In fact, substantial evidence suggests that a consolidated memory can become labile and susceptible to modifications after being reactivated, a process termed reconsolidation. When an extinction process takes place, a memory can also be temporarily inhibited by a second memory that carries information with opposite meaning. In addition, a memory can fade and lose its significance in a process known as forgetting. Thus, following retrieval, new life experiences can be integrated with the original memory trace to maintain its predictive value. In this review, we explore the determining factors that regulate the fate of a memory after its reactivation. We focus on three post-retrieval memory destinies (reconsolidation, extinction, and forgetting) and discuss recent rodent studies investigating the biological functions and neural mechanisms underlying each of these processes.
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Xing X, Fu J, Wang H, Zheng X. Contributions of prelimbic cortex, dorsal and ventral hippocampus, and basolateral amygdala to fear return induced by elevated platform stress in rats. Brain Res 2021; 1761:147398. [PMID: 33662338 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147398] [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: 09/17/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Fear relapse is a major challenge in the treatment of stress-related mental disorders. Most investigations have focused on fear return induced by stimuli associated with the initial fear learning, while little attention has been paid to fear return evoked after exposure to an unconditioned stressor. This study explored the neural mechanisms of fear return induced by elevated platform (EP) stressor in Sprague-Dawley rats initially subjected to auditory fear conditioning. The contributions of the prelimbic cortex (PL), dorsal hippocampus (DH), ventral hippocampus (VH), and basolateral amygdala (BLA) were examined by targeted bilateral intracerebral injection of the GABAA agonist muscimol after elevated platform (EP) stressor. Muscimol-induced inactivation of PL or BLA significantly impaired the return of conditioning fear, while inactivation of the DH or VH had no effect. These results suggest that fear return induced by non-associative stressor may depend on the PL and BLA but not on the hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoli Xing
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China; School of Education Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, Henan Province, PR China
| | - Juan Fu
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China; College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Binzhou University, Binzhou 256600, Shandong Province, PR China
| | - Hongbo Wang
- School of Education Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, Henan Province, PR China
| | - Xigeng Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China.
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Walther T, Diekmann N, Vijayabaskaran S, Donoso JR, Manahan-Vaughan D, Wiskott L, Cheng S. Context-dependent extinction learning emerging from raw sensory inputs: a reinforcement learning approach. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2713. [PMID: 33526840 PMCID: PMC7851139 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81157-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The context-dependence of extinction learning has been well studied and requires the hippocampus. However, the underlying neural mechanisms are still poorly understood. Using memory-driven reinforcement learning and deep neural networks, we developed a model that learns to navigate autonomously in biologically realistic virtual reality environments based on raw camera inputs alone. Neither is context represented explicitly in our model, nor is context change signaled. We find that memory-intact agents learn distinct context representations, and develop ABA renewal, whereas memory-impaired agents do not. These findings reproduce the behavior of control and hippocampal animals, respectively. We therefore propose that the role of the hippocampus in the context-dependence of extinction learning might stem from its function in episodic-like memory and not in context-representation per se. We conclude that context-dependence can emerge from raw visual inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Walther
- Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Nicolas Diekmann
- Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | | | - José R Donoso
- Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | | | - Laurenz Wiskott
- Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Sen Cheng
- Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
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Harnett NG, Stevens JS, van Rooij SJH, Ely TD, Michopoulos V, Hudak L, Jovanovic T, Rothbaum BO, Ressler KJ, Fani N. Multimodal structural neuroimaging markers of risk and recovery from posttrauma anhedonia: A prospective investigation. Depress Anxiety 2021; 38:79-88. [PMID: 33169525 PMCID: PMC7785637 DOI: 10.1002/da.23104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anhedonic symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reflect deficits in reward processing that have significant functional consequences. Although recent evidence suggests that disrupted integrity of fronto-limbic circuitry is related to PTSD development, including anhedonic PTSD symptoms (posttrauma anhedonia [PTA]), little is known about potential structural biomarkers of long-term PTA as well as structural changes in fronto-limbic pathways associated with recovery from PTA over time. METHODS We investigated associations between white matter microstructure, gray matter volume, and PTA in 75 recently traumatized individuals, with a subset of participants (n = 35) completing follow-up assessment 12 months after trauma exposure. Deterministic tractography and voxel-based morphometry were used to assess changes in white and gray matter structure associated with changes in PTA. RESULTS Reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) of the uncinate fasciculus at around the time of trauma predicted greater PTA at 12-months posttrauma. Further, increased FA of the fornix over time was associated with lower PTA between 1 and 12-months posttrauma. Increased gray matter volume of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and precuneus over time was also associated with reduced PTA. CONCLUSIONS The microstructure of the uncinate fasciculus, an amygdala-prefrontal white matter connection, may represent a biomarker of vulnerability for later PTA. Conversely, development and recovery from PTA appear to be facilitated by white and gray matter structural changes in a major hippocampal pathway, the fornix. The present findings shed new light on neuroanatomical substrates of recovery from PTA and characterize white matter biomarkers of risk for posttraumatic dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel G. Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Emory University,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Emory University
| | | | | | - Timothy D. Ely
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University
| | | | - Lauren Hudak
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Wayne State University
| | | | - Kerry J. Ressler
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Emory University,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Emory University,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University,Address correspondence to: Negar Fani, PhD, Assistant Professor, Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 101 Woodruff Circle Suite 6007, Atlanta, Georgia 30322,
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Mollick JA, Hazy TE, Krueger KA, Nair A, Mackie P, Herd SA, O'Reilly RC. A systems-neuroscience model of phasic dopamine. Psychol Rev 2020; 127:972-1021. [PMID: 32525345 PMCID: PMC8453660 DOI: 10.1037/rev0000199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
We describe a neurobiologically informed computational model of phasic dopamine signaling to account for a wide range of findings, including many considered inconsistent with the simple reward prediction error (RPE) formalism. The central feature of this PVLV framework is a distinction between a primary value (PV) system for anticipating primary rewards (Unconditioned Stimuli [USs]), and a learned value (LV) system for learning about stimuli associated with such rewards (CSs). The LV system represents the amygdala, which drives phasic bursting in midbrain dopamine areas, while the PV system represents the ventral striatum, which drives shunting inhibition of dopamine for expected USs (via direct inhibitory projections) and phasic pausing for expected USs (via the lateral habenula). Our model accounts for data supporting the separability of these systems, including individual differences in CS-based (sign-tracking) versus US-based learning (goal-tracking). Both systems use competing opponent-processing pathways representing evidence for and against specific USs, which can explain data dissociating the processes involved in acquisition versus extinction conditioning. Further, opponent processing proved critical in accounting for the full range of conditioned inhibition phenomena, and the closely related paradigm of second-order conditioning. Finally, we show how additional separable pathways representing aversive USs, largely mirroring those for appetitive USs, also have important differences from the positive valence case, allowing the model to account for several important phenomena in aversive conditioning. Overall, accounting for all of these phenomena strongly constrains the model, thus providing a well-validated framework for understanding phasic dopamine signaling. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Mollick
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder
| | - Thomas E Hazy
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder
| | - Kai A Krueger
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder
| | - Ananta Nair
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder
| | - Prescott Mackie
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder
| | - Seth A Herd
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder
| | - Randall C O'Reilly
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder
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Gonzalez ST, Fanselow MS. The role of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and context in regulating fear learning and extinction. PSYCHOLOGY & NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 13:459-472. [PMID: 34504659 PMCID: PMC8425341 DOI: 10.1037/pne0000207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
An organism's ability to learn about and respond to stimuli in its environment is crucial for survival, which can involve learning simple associations such as learning what stimuli predict danger. However, individuals must also be able to use contextual information to adapt to changing environmental demands. While the circuitry that supports fear conditioning has been extensively studied, the circuitry that allows individuals to regulate fear under different circumstance is less well understood. A view of ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) function has emerged wherein the prelimbic region of the vmPFC supports fear expression, while the infralimbic region supports fear inhibition. However, despite a rich literature exploring the role of these regions in appetitive learning and memory suggesting a more nuanced function, there has been little integration of this literature with studies of the vmPFC in fear learning. In this review, we argue that the function of the vmPFC in fear learning is not restricted to fear inhibition versus expression per se. Instead, the vmPFC uses contextual information to guide behavior, particularly in situations of ambiguity or conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah T Gonzalez
- Staglin Center for Brain & Behavioral Health, Department of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563
| | - Michael S Fanselow
- Staglin Center for Brain & Behavioral Health, Department of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563
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Oh JP, Han JH. A critical role of hippocampus for formation of remote cued fear memory. Mol Brain 2020; 13:112. [PMID: 32799906 PMCID: PMC7429722 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-020-00652-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
A unique feature of fear memory is its persistence that is highly relevant to fear and anxiety-related mental disorders. Recurrent reactivation of neural representations acquired from a traumatic event is thought to contribute to the indelibility of fear memory. Given a well-established role of hippocampus for memory reactivation, hippocampus is likely involved in consolidation process of fear memory. However, evidence suggests that formation of fear memory to a discrete sensory cue is hippocampus-independent. Here, using a pharmacological reversible inactivation of dorsal hippocampus in auditory cued fear conditioning by local infusion of muscimol, we demonstrate in mice that hippocampus is critical for remote memory formation of learned fear to the discrete sensory cue. Muscimol infusion before conditioning did not affect formation of recent auditory fear memory as previously reported. Same muscimol infusion, however, impaired remote auditory fear memory. Muscimol infusion before remote test of auditory fear memory did not affect memory retrieval, indicating hippocampus is not a brain site for storage of remote cued fear memory. Moreover, memory reactivation enforced by re-exposure to the conditioned tone could compensate for hippocampal inactivation, as memory-reactivated mice showed normal remote auditory fear memory despite hippocampal inactivation. Our findings support that hippocampus may have a general role for consolidation of remote associative memory through reactivation of memory trace, giving an insight into how learned fear persists over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung-Pyo Oh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.,KAIST Institute for the BioCentury (KIB), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin-Hee Han
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea. .,KAIST Institute for the BioCentury (KIB), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
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50
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Wang CM, Zhang YF, Lin ZQ, Cai YF, Fu XY, Lin ZH. Pre-extinction activation of hippocampal AMPK prevents fear renewal in mice. Pharmacol Res 2020; 161:105099. [PMID: 32739427 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2020.105099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
As a type of fear relapse, fear renewal compromises the efficacy of fear extinction, which serves as the laboratory analog of exposure therapy (a therapeutic strategy for anxiety disorders). Interventions aiming to prevent fear renewal would thus benefit exposure therapy. To date, it remains unknown whether central adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation could produce inhibitory effects on fear renewal. Here, using pharmacological approach and virus-mediated gene overexpression technique, we demonstrated that activation of AMPK in dorsal hippocampus shortly before fear extinction training completely abolished subsequent fear renewal in male mice without affecting other types of fear relapse, including spontaneous recovery of fear and fear reinstatement. Furthermore, we also found that metformin, a first-line antidiabetic drug, was capable of preventing fear renewal in male mice by stimulating AMPK in dorsal hippocampus. Collectively, our study provides insight into the role of hippocampal AMPK in regulation of fear renewal and indicates that increasing activity of hippocampal AMPK can prevent fear renewal, thus enhancing the potency of exposure therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can-Ming Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou 362000, China.
| | - Yi-Fan Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou 362000, China
| | - Zhi-Qiang Lin
- Department of Pharmacy, Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou 362000, China
| | - Yi-Feng Cai
- Department of Pharmacy, Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou 362000, China
| | - Xin-Yang Fu
- Department of Pharmacy, Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou 362000, China
| | - Zhi-Hang Lin
- Department of Pharmacy, Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou 362000, China.
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