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Simões AP, Portes MAM, Lopes CR, Vanz F, Lourenço VS, Pliássova A, Gaspar IL, Silva HB, Tomé ÂR, Canas PM, Prediger RD, Cunha RA. Adenosine A 2A receptors control generalization of contextual fear in rats. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:316. [PMID: 37828000 PMCID: PMC10570294 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02613-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear learning is essential to survival, but traumatic events may lead to abnormal fear consolidation and overgeneralization, triggering fear responses in safe environments, as occurs in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Adenosine A2A receptors (A2AR) control emotional memory and fear conditioning, but it is not known if they affect the consolidation and generalization of fear, which was now investigated. We now report that A2AR blockade through systemic administration of the A2AR antagonist SCH58261 immediately after contextual fear conditioning (within the consolidation window), accelerated fear generalization. Conversely, A2AR activation with CGS21680 decreased fear generalization. Ex vivo electrophysiological recordings of field excitatory post-synaptic potentials (fEPSPs) in CA3-CA1 synapses and of population spikes in the lateral amygdala (LA), showed that the effect of SCH58261 is associated with a reversion of fear conditioning-induced decrease of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the dorsal hippocampus (DH) and with increased amplitude of LA LTP in conditioned animals. These data suggest that A2AR are engaged during contextual fear consolidation, controlling long-term potentiation mechanisms in both DH and LA during fear consolidation, impacting on fear generalization; this supports targeting A2AR during fear consolidation to control aberrant fear processing in PTSD and other fear-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana P Simões
- CNC- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Marina A M Portes
- CNC- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517, Coimbra, Portugal
- Department of Pharmacology, Graduate Program in Pharmacology, Center of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Cátia R Lopes
- CNC- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Felipe Vanz
- Department of Pharmacology, Graduate Program in Pharmacology, Center of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Vanessa S Lourenço
- CNC- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Anna Pliássova
- CNC- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ingride L Gaspar
- CNC- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Henrique B Silva
- CNC- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ângelo R Tomé
- CNC- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517, Coimbra, Portugal
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Paula M Canas
- CNC- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Rui D Prediger
- Department of Pharmacology, Graduate Program in Pharmacology, Center of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo A Cunha
- CNC- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517, Coimbra, Portugal.
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3004-504, Coimbra, Portugal.
- Multidisciplinary Institute of Aging (MIA-Portugal), University of Coimbra, 3004-504, Coimbra, Portugal.
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