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| Open AccessA thalamic-hippocampal CA1 signal for contextual fear memory suppression, extinction, and discrimination
The role of the Nucleus Reuniens (NR)-CA1 pathway in contextual fear conditioning remains unknown. Here, the authors show that the NR-CA1 pathway transmits a signal that actively suppresses fear memory retrieval in CA1 during fearful behavior.
- Heather C. Ratigan
- , Seetha Krishnan
- & Mark E. J. Sheffield
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| Open AccessThalamic nucleus reuniens coordinates prefrontal-hippocampal synchrony to suppress extinguished fear
The thalamic nucleus reuniens coordinates oscillations between the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex during emotional memory retrieval. Here the authors show that theta-paced optogenetic stimulation of this network can suppress the retrieval of aversive memories and prevent fear relapse after extinction.
- Michael S. Totty
- , Tuğçe Tuna
- & Stephen Maren
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| Open AccessClosed-loop brain stimulation augments fear extinction in male rats
Whether fear memories can be attenuated through on demand electrical stimulation remains unclear. Here, the authors demonstrate that fear extinction can be augmented through closed-loop stimulation of the reward system, guided by hippocampal SWRs.
- Rodrigo Ordoñez Sierra
- , Lizeth Katherine Pedraza
- & Antal Berényi
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| Open AccessInsular cortical circuits as an executive gateway to decipher threat or extinction memory via distinct subcortical pathways
Ensembles of fear and extinction memories compete and interact to drive opposing behaviors. Here the authors identified insular cortical circuits as an executive gateway that decipher between fear and extinction memories via distinct subcortical pathways.
- Qi Wang
- , Jia-Jie Zhu
- & Tian-Le Xu
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| Open AccessReactivating hippocampal-mediated memories during reconsolidation to disrupt fear
The hippocampus is a brain region critically involved in memory. In this study, the authors demonstrate that reactivating hippocampal neurons associated with positive memories can disrupt a fear response in mice.
- Stephanie L. Grella
- , Amanda H. Fortin
- & Steve Ramirez
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| Open AccessDopaminergic mechanism underlying reward-encoding of punishment omission during reversal learning in Drosophila
Unexpected omission of aversive outcome is encoded as reward via activation of reward-encoding dopaminergic neurons in animals. The authors identify the Drosophila neural circuit through which reward-encoding dopaminergic neurons are activated when an olfactory cue is no longer paired with punishment.
- Li Yan McCurdy
- , Preeti Sareen
- & Michael N. Nitabach
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| Open AccessThe rostroventral part of the thalamic reticular nucleus modulates fear extinction
The precise role of the thalamic reticular nucleus in fear is not understood. Here, the authors report that the rostroventral part of the reticular nucleus is involved in the extinction of tone conditioned fear memory through its inhibitory projections to the dorsal midline thalamus.
- Joon-Hyuk Lee
- , Charles-Francois V. Latchoumane
- & Hee-Sup Shin
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| Open AccessPrefrontal projections to the thalamic nucleus reuniens mediate fear extinction
Previous work has shown that the thalamic nucleus reuniens (RE) is involved in memory and emotion. Here the authors report that the RE and its inputs from the medial prefrontal cortex are indispensable for the top-down inhibition of fear memories after extinction.
- Karthik R. Ramanathan
- , Jingji Jin
- & Stephen Maren
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| Open AccessDopamine-dependent prefrontal reactivations explain long-term benefit of fear extinction
The success of extinction learning is not predictive of long-term retrieval of an extinction memory. Using fMRI to study consolidation of fear extinction in human subjects, the authors show that reactivation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex during memory retrieval predicts extinction memory retrieval, and that increasing dopaminergic signaling increases the number of these activations.
- A. M. V. Gerlicher
- , O. Tüscher
- & R. Kalisch
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| Open AccessInfralimbic cortex is required for learning alternatives to prelimbic promoted associations through reciprocal connectivity
Prelimbic (PL) and infralimbic (IL) cortical areas are known to have complementary roles in learning and decision making. Here the authors report reciprocal connectivity between the two areas and elucidate their functional impact on different aspects of learning.
- Arghya Mukherjee
- & Pico Caroni
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| Open AccessInhibitory gain modulation of defense behaviors by zona incerta
Zona incerta (ZI) is an inhibitory subthalamic nucleus with diverse connectivity yet its functional importance has not been extensively studied. Here the authors report that ZI receives mPFC input and can modulate both innate and learned defensive behaviors via its inhibitory projection to the PAG.
- Xiao-lin Chou
- , Xiyue Wang
- & Huizhong Whit Tao
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Article
| Open AccessASIC1a regulates insular long-term depression and is required for the extinction of conditioned taste aversion
The acid-sensing ion channel, ASIC1a, is known to play a role in synaptic transmission and plasticity. Here, the authors demonstrate a role for ASIC1a in regulating plasticity in the insular cortex and find that extinction of conditioned taste aversion memory is disrupted in the ASIC1a knockout mice.
- Wei-Guang Li
- , Ming-Gang Liu
- & Tian-Le Xu
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| Open AccessNeural correlates of two different types of extinction learning in the amygdala central nucleus
There are two forms of extinction learning, which are vital for adaptive behaviour: simple extinction, when an expected outcome fails to occur, and overexpectation, when an exaggerated expectation is in conflict with the actual outcome. Iordanova et al.show that both forms of extinction learning have a common neural substrate in the amygdala.
- Mihaela D. Iordanova
- , Mickael L. D. Deroche
- & Geoffrey Schoenbaum