Behavioral and central correlates of contextual fear learning and contextual modulation of cued fear in posttraumatic stress disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorder are precipitated by exposure to one or more traumatic events, and result in debilitating fear-related symptoms. Advances made over the past several years have greatly improved our understanding of these disorders, as well as the neurobiological and genetic factors that contribute to their emergence and progression. In this review, we provide an overview of this research, with a particular focus on recent developments in understanding the neurocircuitry underlying relevant aspects of fear learning, including acquisition, generalization, and the extinction of fear. Molecular regulators of stress response and candidate genes implicated in PTSD are also discussed. Although there remains a great deal to learn about these disorders, novel approaches, large-scale genomic studies, and new molecular techniques promise to help untangle the neurobiology of trauma- and stressor-related illness over the coming years. This review contains 3 figures, 3 tables and 56 references Key words: Posttraumatic stress disorder, fear, genetics, GWAS, HPA stress response, neurocircuitry models of trauma, generalization, extinction learning.

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STRESS SENSITIZATION AND FEAR LEARNING IN POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Psychophysiology ◽

10.1111/j.1469-8986.2007.00576.x ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 44 (s1) ◽

pp. S8-S9 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Fear Learning ◽

Stress Sensitization

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Altered Pain Perception and Fear-Learning Deficits in Subjects With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Journal of Pain ◽

10.1016/j.jpain.2016.09.002 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 17 (12) ◽

pp. 1325-1333 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Josef Jenewein ◽

Jeannine Erni ◽

Hanspeter Moergeli ◽

Christian Grillon ◽

Sonja Schumacher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Pain Perception ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Fear Learning ◽

Learning Deficits

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Systemic Administration of Curcumin Affect Anxiety-Related Behaviors in a Rat Model of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder via Activation of Serotonergic Systems

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2018/9041309 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Bombi Lee ◽

Hyejung Lee

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Curcuma Longa ◽

Central Zone ◽

Contextual Fear Conditioning ◽

Psychiatric Disease ◽

Contextual Fear ◽

Plus Maze ◽

Prolonged Stress

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a trauma-induced psychiatric disease characterized by impaired hyperarousal, fear extermination, depression, anxiety, and amnesic symptoms that may include the release of monoamines in the dread circuit. Curcumin (CUR), a major diarylheptanoid and polyphenolic component of Curcuma longa, reportedly possesses several pharmacological features, including antidiabetic, antiatherosclerotic, anticancer, and neuropsychiatric actions. But the anxiolytic-like effects of CUR and its mechanism of action in PTSD are unclear. The current research measured some anxiety-related behavioral responses to examine the effects of CUR on symptoms of anxiety in rats after single prolonged stress (SPS) exposure by reversing the serotonin (5-HT) dysfunction. Rats received CUR (20, 50, or 100 mg/kg, i.p., once daily) for 14 days after SPS exposure. Administration of CUR significantly increased the number of central zone crossings in the open field test and reduced grooming behavior in the elevated plus maze (EPM) test and increased the number of open-arm visits on the EPM test. CUR administration significantly reduced freezing response to contextual fear conditioning. CUR recovered neurochemical abnormalities and SPS-induced decreased 5-HT tissue levels in the hippocampus, amygdala, and striatum. These results suggested that CUR has anxiolytic-like effects on biochemical and behavioral symptoms associated with anxiety. Thus, CUR may be a useful agent to alleviate or treat psychiatric disorders similar to those observed in patients with PTSD.

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