scholarly journals Localized Synaptic Potentiation is Necessary and Sufficient for Context Fear Memory

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo M Cardozo ◽  
Blythe C Dillingham ◽  
Andre F Sousa ◽  
Westley Dang ◽  
Nicholas Job ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Basolateral Amygdala ◽  
Fear Learning ◽  
Excitatory Synapses ◽  
Synaptic Potentiation ◽  
Optogenetic Stimulation ◽  
Impaired Memory ◽  
Synaptic Changes ◽  
Necessary And Sufficient ◽  
Stimulation Of

The nature and distribution of the synaptic changes that underlie memory are not well understood. We examined the synaptic plasticity behind context fear learning and found that conditioning produced potentiation of excitatory synapses specifically onto the basolateral amygdala neurons activated during learning. This synaptic potentiation lasted at least 7 days, and its disruption impaired memory recall. High frequency optogenetic stimulation of the CS and US-activated ensembles or biochemical induction of synaptic potentiation in US-responsive neurons alone was sufficient to produce a context fear association without prior associative training. These results suggest that plasticity of CS inputs onto US-responsive amygdala neurons is a necessary and sufficient step in forming context fear associations, and that context discrimination is determined by the CS-specific amygdala inputs activated during retrieval.

scholarly journals High-Frequency Hippocampal Oscillations Activated by Optogenetic Stimulation of Transplanted Human ESC-Derived Neurons

2012 ◽  
Vol 32 (45) ◽  
pp. 15837-15842 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Pina-Crespo ◽  
M. Talantova ◽  
E.-G. Cho ◽  
W. Soussou ◽  
N. Dolatabadi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Optogenetic Stimulation ◽  
Stimulation Of

High-frequency stimulation of the hippocampus blocks fear learning sensitization and return of extinguished fear

Neuroscience ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 286 ◽  
pp. 423-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Deschaux ◽  
O.-C. Koumar ◽  
F. Canini ◽  
J.-L. Moreau ◽  
R. Garcia
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Fear Learning ◽  
High Frequency Stimulation ◽  
Frequency Stimulation ◽  
Stimulation Of

scholarly journals Fear Learning Enhances Prefrontal Cortical Suppression of Auditory Thalamic Inputs to the Amygdala in Adults, but Not Adolescents

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 3008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole C. Ferrara ◽  
Eliska Mrackova ◽  
Maxine K. Loh ◽  
Mallika Padival ◽  
J. Amiel Rosenkranz
Keyword(s):  
Fear Conditioning ◽  
Behavioral Interventions ◽  
Basolateral Amygdala ◽  
Fear Learning ◽  
Memory Retention ◽  
Aversive Learning ◽  
Prefrontal Cortical ◽  
Fear And Anxiety ◽  
Stimulation Of

Adolescence is characterized by increased susceptibility to the development of fear- and anxiety-related disorders. Adolescents also show elevated fear responding and aversive learning that is resistant to behavioral interventions, which may be related to alterations in the circuitry supporting fear learning. These features are linked to ongoing adolescent development of medial prefrontal cortical (PFC) inputs to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) that regulate neural activity and contribute to the refinement of fear responses. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the extent of PFC inhibition of the BLA following fear learning is greater in adults than in adolescents, using anesthetized in vivo recordings to measure local field potentials (LFPs) evoked by stimulation of PFC or auditory thalamic (MgN) inputs to BLA. We found that BLA LFPs evoked by stimulation of MgN inputs were enhanced in adults following fear conditioning. Fear conditioning also led to reduced summation of BLA LFPs evoked in response to PFC train stimulation, and increased the capacity of PFC inhibition of MgN inputs in adults. These data suggest that fear conditioning recruits additional inhibitory capacity by PFC inputs to BLA in adults, but that this capacity is weaker in adolescents. These results provide insight into how the development of PFC inputs may relate to age differences in memory retention and persistence following aversive learning.

scholarly journals Bilateral amygdala stimulation reduces avoidance behavior in a predator scent posttraumatic stress disorder model

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. E16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley A. Dengler ◽  
Shane A. Hawksworth ◽  
Laura Berardo ◽  
Ian McDougall ◽  
Alexander M. Papanastassiou
Keyword(s):  
Avoidance Behavior ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Basolateral Amygdala ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Elevated Plus Maze ◽  
High Frequency Stimulation ◽  
Plus Maze ◽  
Amygdala Activity ◽  
Frequency Stimulation ◽  
Stimulation Of

OBJECTIVEThe predator scent model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) produces prolonged abnormal anxiety and avoidance-like behaviors. Increased basolateral amygdala activity has been shown to correlate with severity of PTSD symptoms in human studies. Modulation of this increased amygdala activity by deep brain stimulation led to improved symptoms in prior studies that used a foot shock model of inducing PTSD. The predator scent model is a different technique that induces long-lasting avoidance behavioral responses by exposing the animal to an inescapable scent of one of its predators. The authors hypothesize that high-frequency stimulation of the bilateral basolateral amygdala will decrease avoidance and anxiety-like behaviors in a predator scent rodent model of PTSD.METHODSRodents underwent cat urine exposure in a place preference protocol. Avoidance in the place preference paradigm and anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze were measured before and after high-frequency stimulation.RESULTSPredator scent exposure resulted in long-term significant avoidance behavior in rodents. Bilateral stimulation significantly decreased avoidance behavior in rodents compared to no stimulation following predator scent exposure. There were no significant differences in anxiety behaviors on the elevated plus maze between stimulated and unstimulated cohorts.CONCLUSIONSBilateral stimulation of the basolateral amygdala leads to decreased avoidance behavior compared to controls in a predator scent model of PTSD.

scholarly journals Causal role for the subthalamic nucleus in interrupting behavior

eLife ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn H Fife ◽  
Navarre A Gutierrez-Reed ◽  
Vivien Zell ◽  
Julie Bailly ◽  
Christina M Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Subthalamic Nucleus ◽  
Behavioral Response ◽  
Causal Role ◽  
Projection Neurons ◽  
Response Suppression ◽  
Disruptive Effect ◽  
Optogenetic Stimulation ◽  
Conflicting Information ◽  
Necessary And Sufficient ◽  
Stimulation Of

Stopping or pausing in response to threats, conflicting information, or surprise is fundamental to behavior. Evidence across species has shown that the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is activated by scenarios involving stopping or pausing, yet evidence that the STN causally implements stops or pauses is lacking. Here we used optogenetics to activate or inhibit mouse STN to test its putative causal role. We first demonstrated that optogenetic stimulation of the STN excited its major projection targets. Next we showed that brief activation of STN projection neurons was sufficient to interrupt or pause a self-initiated bout of licking. Finally, we developed an assay in which surprise was used to interrupt licking, and showed that STN inhibition reduced the disruptive effect of surprise. Thus STN activation interrupts behavior, and blocking the STN blunts the interruptive effect of surprise. These results provide strong evidence that the STN is both necessary and sufficient for such forms of behavioral response suppression.

scholarly journals Optogenetic activation of the inhibitory nigro-collicular circuit evokes orienting movements in mice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.A. Villalobos ◽  
M.A. Basso
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Substantia Nigra ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Current Model ◽  
Optogenetic Stimulation ◽  
Output Neurons ◽  
Rebound Spiking ◽  
Stimulation Of

ABSTRACTIn contrast to predictions from the current model of basal ganglia (BG) function, we report here that increasing inhibition from the BG to the superior colliculus (SC) through the substantia nigra (nigra) using in vivo optogenetic activation of GABAergic terminals in mice, produces contralateral orienting movements. Orienting movements resulting from activation of inhibitory nigral terminals are unexpected because decreases and not increases, in nigral activity are generally associated with orienting movements. To determine how orienting movements may result from activation of inhibitory terminals, we performed a series of slice experiments and found that the same optogenetic stimulation of nigral terminals used in vivo, evoked post-inhibitory rebound depolarization and spiking in SC output neurons in vitro. Only high frequency (100Hz) stimulation evoked contralateral movements in vivo and triggered rebound spiking in vitro. The latency of orienting movements relative to the stimulation in vivo was similar to the latency of rebound spiking in vitro. Taken together, our results point toward a novel hypothesis that inhibition from the BG may play an active rather than passive role in the generation of orienting movements in mice.

scholarly journals Optogenetic stimulation of the basolateral amygdala-medial entorhinal cortex pathway after spatial training has sex-specific effects on downstream activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein expression

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krista L. Wahlstrom ◽  
Amanda Alvarez-Dieppa ◽  
Christa K. McIntyre ◽  
Ryan T. LaLumiere
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Memory ◽  
Somatosensory Cortex ◽  
Entorhinal Cortex ◽  
Memory Consolidation ◽  
Basolateral Amygdala ◽  
Medial Entorhinal Cortex ◽  
Protein Levels ◽  
Optogenetic Stimulation ◽  
Spatial Training ◽  
Stimulation Of

AbstractPrevious work from our laboratory suggests that projections from the basolateral amygdala (BLA) to the medial entorhinal cortex (mEC) are a critical pathway by which the BLA modulates the consolidation of spatial learning. Posttraining optogenetic stimulation of this pathway enhances retention of spatial memories. Evidence also indicates that intra-BLA administration of memory-enhancing drugs increases protein levels of activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein (ARC) in the dorsal hippocampus (DH) and that blocking ARC in the DH impairs spatial memory consolidation. Yet, whether optical manipulations of the BLA-mEC pathway after spatial training also alter ARC in the DH is unknown. To address this question, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats received optogenetic stimulation of the BLA-mEC pathway immediately after spatial training using a Barnes maze and, 45 min later, were sacrificed for ARC analysis. Initial experiments found that spatial training increased ARC levels in the DH of rats above those observed in control rats and rats that underwent a cued-response version of the task. Optogenetic stimulation of the BLA-mEC pathway following spatial training, using parameters effective at enhancing spatial memory consolidation, enhanced ARC protein levels in the DH of male rats without affecting ARC levels in the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) or somatosensory cortex. In contrast, similar optical stimulation decreased ARC protein levels in the DLS of female rats without altering ARC in the DH or somatosensory cortex. Together, the present findings suggest a mechanism by which BLA-mEC stimulation enhances spatial memory consolidation in rats and reveals a possible sex-difference in this mechanism.

Optogenetic stimulation of the basolateral amygdala accelerates acquisition of object-context associations.

2021 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
pp. 354-358
Author(s):  
Lauren E. DiFazio ◽  
David S. Reis ◽  
Joseph R. Manns
Keyword(s):  
Basolateral Amygdala ◽  
Optogenetic Stimulation ◽  
Stimulation Of
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