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Djerdjaj A, Rieger NS, Brady BH, Carey BN, Ng AJ, Christianson JP. Social affective behaviors among female rats involve the basolateral amygdala and insular cortex. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281794. [PMID: 37797037 PMCID: PMC10553809 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281794] [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: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to detect, appraise, and respond to another's emotional state is essential to social affective behavior. This is mediated by a network of brain regions responsible for integrating external cues with internal states to orchestrate situationally appropriate behavioral responses. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the insular cortex are reciprocally connected regions involved in social cognition and prior work in male rats revealed their contributions to social affective behavior. We investigated the functional role of these regions in female rats in a social affective preference (SAP) test in which experimental rats approach stressed juvenile but avoid stressed adult conspecifics. In separate experiments, the BLA or the insula were inhibited by local infusion of muscimol (100ng/side in 0.5μL saline) or vehicle prior to SAP tests. In both regions, muscimol interfered with preference for the stressed juvenile and naive adult, indicating that these regions are necessary for appropriate social affective behavior. In male rats, SAP behavior requires insular oxytocin but there are noteworthy sex differences in the oxytocin receptor distribution in rats. Oxytocin (500nM) administered to the insula did not alter social behavior but oxytocin infusions to the BLA increased social interaction. In sum, female rats appear to use the same BLA and insula regions for social affective behavior but sex differences exist in contribution of oxytocin in the insula.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Djerdjaj
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - Nathaniel S. Rieger
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States of America
| | - Bridget H. Brady
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - Bridget N. Carey
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - Alexandra J. Ng
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - John P. Christianson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
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2
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Djerdjaj A, Rieger NS, Brady BH, Carey BN, Ng AJ, Christianson JP. Social affective behaviors among female rats involve the basolateral amygdala and insular cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.02.526780. [PMID: 36778382 PMCID: PMC9915682 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.02.526780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The ability to detect, appraise, and respond to another's emotional state is essential to social affective behavior. This is mediated by a network of brain regions responsible for integrating external cues with internal states to orchestrate situationally appropriate behavioral responses. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the insular cortex are reciprocally connected regions involved in social cognition and prior work in male rats revealed their contributions to social affective behavior. We investigated the functional role of these regions in female rats in a social affective preference (SAP) test in which experimental rats approach stressed juvenile but avoid stressed adult conspecifics. In separate experiments, the BLA or the insula were inhibited by local infusion of muscimol (100ng/side in 0.5μL saline) or vehicle prior to SAP tests. In both regions, muscimol interfered with preference for the stressed juvenile and naive adult, indicating that these regions are necessary for appropriate social affective behavior. In male rats, SAP behavior requires insular oxytocin but there are noteworthy sex differences in the oxytocin receptor distribution in rats. Oxytocin (500nM) administered to the insula did not alter social behavior but oxytocin infusions to the BLA increased social interaction. In sum, female rats appear to use the same BLA and insula regions for social affective behavior but sex differences exist in contribution of oxytocin in the insula.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Djerdjaj
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - Nathaniel S Rieger
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - Bridget H Brady
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - Bridget N Carey
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - Alexandra J Ng
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - John P Christianson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
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3
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Controllable and Uncontrollable Stress Differentially Impact Fear Conditioned Alterations in Sleep and Neuroimmune Signaling in Mice. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12091320. [PMID: 36143359 PMCID: PMC9506236 DOI: 10.3390/life12091320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress induces neuroinflammation and disrupts sleep, which together can promote a number of stress-related disorders. Fear memories associated with stress can resurface and reproduce symptoms. Our previous studies have demonstrated sleep outcomes can be modified by stressor controllability following stress and fear memory recall. However, it is unknown how stressor controllability alters neuroinflammatory signaling and its association with sleep following fear memory recall. Mice were implanted with telemetry transmitters and experienced escapable or inescapable footshock and then were re-exposed to the shuttlebox context one week later. Gene expression was assessed with Nanostring® panels using RNA extracted from the basolateral amygdala and hippocampus. Freezing and temperature were examined as behavioral measures of fear. Increased sleep after escapable stress was associated with a down-regulation in neuro-inflammatory and neuro-degenerative related genes, while decreased sleep after inescapable stress was associated with an up-regulation in these genes. Behavioral measures of fear were virtually identical. Sleep and neuroimmune responses appear to be integrated during fear conditioning and reproduced by fear memory recall. The established roles of disrupted sleep and neuroinflammation in stress-related disorders indicate that these differences may serve as informative indices of how fear memory can lead to psychopathology.
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Rieger NS, Varela JA, Ng AJ, Granata L, Djerdjaj A, Brenhouse HC, Christianson JP. Insular cortex corticotropin-releasing factor integrates stress signaling with social affective behavior. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1156-1168. [PMID: 35220413 PMCID: PMC9018766 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01292-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Impairments in identifying and responding to the emotions of others manifest in a variety of psychopathologies. Therefore, elaborating the neurobiological mechanisms that underpin social responses to social emotions, or social affective behavior, is a translationally important goal. The insular cortex is consistently implicated in stress-related social and anxiety disorders, which are associated with diminished ability to make and use inferences about the emotions of others to guide behavior. We investigated how corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), a neuromodulator evoked upon exposure to stressed conspecifics, influenced the insula. We hypothesized that social affective behavior requires CRF signaling in the insular cortex in order to detect stress in social interactions. In acute slices from male and female rats, CRF depolarized insular pyramidal neurons. In males, but not females, CRF suppressed presynaptic GABAergic inhibition leading to greater excitatory synaptic efficacy in a CRF receptor 1 (CRF1)- and cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1)-dependent fashion. In males only, insular CRF increased social investigation, and CRF1 and CB1 antagonists interfered with social interactions with stressed conspecifics. To investigate the molecular and cellular basis for the effect of CRF we examined insular CRF1 and CB1 mRNAs and found greater total insula CRF1 mRNA in females but greater CRF1 and CB1 mRNA colocalization in male insular cortex glutamatergic neurons that suggest complex, sex-specific organization of CRF and endocannabinoid systems. Together these results reveal a new mechanism by which stress and affect contribute to social affective behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel S Rieger
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Juan A Varela
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Alexandra J Ng
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Lauren Granata
- Psychology Department, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 115 Richards Hall, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Anthony Djerdjaj
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Heather C Brenhouse
- Psychology Department, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 115 Richards Hall, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - John P Christianson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA.
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5
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dos Santos Guilherme M, Zevallos VF, Pesi A, Stoye NM, Nguyen VTT, Radyushkin K, Schwiertz A, Schmitt U, Schuppan D, Endres K. Dietary Wheat Amylase Trypsin Inhibitors Impact Alzheimer's Disease Pathology in 5xFAD Model Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21176288. [PMID: 32878020 PMCID: PMC7503408 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21176288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Wheat amylase trypsin inhibitors (ATIs) represent a common dietary protein component of gluten-containing cereals (wheat, rye, and barley). They act as toll-like receptor 4 ligands, and are largely resistant to intestinal proteases, eliciting a mild inflammatory response within the intestine after oral ingestion. Importantly, nutritional ATIs exacerbated inflammatory bowel disease and features of fatty liver disease and the metabolic syndrome in mice. For Alzheimer’s disease (AD), both inflammation and altered insulin resistance are major contributing factors, impacting onset as well as progression of this devastating brain disorder in patients. In this study, we evaluated the impact of dietary ATIs on a well-known rodent model of AD (5xFAD). We assessed metabolic, behavioral, inflammatory, and microbial changes in mice consuming different dietary regimes with and without ATIs, consumed ad libitum for eight weeks. We demonstrate that ATIs, with or without a gluten matrix, had an impact on the metabolism and gut microbiota of 5xFAD mice, aggravating pathological hallmarks of AD. If these findings can be translated to patients, an ATI-depleted diet might offer an alternative therapeutic option for AD and warrants clinical intervention studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malena dos Santos Guilherme
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg-University, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (M.d.S.G.); (N.M.S.); (V.T.T.N.)
| | - Victor F. Zevallos
- Institute of Translational Immunology and Research Center for Immune Therapy, University Medical Center, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (V.F.Z.); (A.P.)
- Nutrition and Food Research Group, Department of Applied and Health Sciences, University of Northumbria, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK
| | - Aline Pesi
- Institute of Translational Immunology and Research Center for Immune Therapy, University Medical Center, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (V.F.Z.); (A.P.)
| | - Nicolai M. Stoye
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg-University, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (M.d.S.G.); (N.M.S.); (V.T.T.N.)
| | - Vu Thu Thuy Nguyen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg-University, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (M.d.S.G.); (N.M.S.); (V.T.T.N.)
| | | | | | - Ulrich Schmitt
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, 55122 Mainz, Germany; (K.R.); (U.S.)
| | - Detlef Schuppan
- Institute of Translational Immunology and Research Center for Immune Therapy, University Medical Center, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (V.F.Z.); (A.P.)
- Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Correspondence: (D.S.); (K.E.); Tel.: +49-6131-177356 (D.S.); +49-6131-172133 (K.E.)
| | - Kristina Endres
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg-University, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (M.d.S.G.); (N.M.S.); (V.T.T.N.)
- Correspondence: (D.S.); (K.E.); Tel.: +49-6131-177356 (D.S.); +49-6131-172133 (K.E.)
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6
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Neural correlates of safety learning. Behav Brain Res 2020; 396:112884. [PMID: 32871228 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Accurate discrimination between safe and dangerous stimuli is essential for survival. Prior research has begun to uncover the neural structures that are necessary for learning this discrimination, but exploration of brain regions involved in this learning process has been mostly limited to males. Recent findings show sex differences in discrimination learning, with reduced fear expression to safe cues in females compared to males. Here, we used male and female Sprague Dawley rats to explore neural activation, as measured by Fos expression, in fear and safety learning related brain regions. Neural activation after fear discrimination (Discrimination) was compared between males and females, as well as with fear conditioned (Fear Only) and stimulus presented (Control) conditions. Correlations of discrimination ability and neural activation were also calculated. We uncovered a correlation between central amygdala (CeA) activation and discrimination abilities in males and females. Anterior medial bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) was the only region where sex differences in Fos counts were observed in the Discrimination condition, and the only region where neural activation significantly differed between Fear Only and Discrimination conditions. Together, these findings indicate the importance of fear expression circuitry in mediating discrimination responses and generate important questions for future investigation.
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7
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Kreutzmann JC, Fendt M. Chronic inhibition of GABA synthesis in the infralimbic cortex facilitates conditioned safety memory and reduces contextual fear. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:120. [PMID: 32332716 PMCID: PMC7182568 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-0788-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate discrimination between danger and safety cues is essential for survival. Recent findings in humans indicate that patients suffering from anxiety disorders cannot reliably use safety cues in order to inhibit fear responses. However, the neuroanatomical pathways of conditioned safety are still unclear. Aim of the present study was to investigate whether chronic inhibition of GABA synthesis in the infralimbic (IL) cortex, a critical region for fear inhibition, would lead to enhanced conditioned safety memory. Male Sprague Dawley rats were equipped with osmotic mini-pumps attached to an infusion cannula aimed at the IL. Mini-pumps were either filled with the glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) inhibitor L-allylglycine (L-AG) or the inactive enantiomer D-allylglycine (D-AG). Previous studies demonstrated that chronic infusions of L-AG lead to lower GABA levels and overall enhanced neural activity. The effect of IL disinhibition on conditioned safety was investigated utilizing the acoustic startle response. Chronic disinhibition of the IL facilitated conditioned safety memory, along with reduced contextual fear and lower corticosterone levels. The present findings suggest that the IL is a key brain region for conditioned safety memory. Because anxiety disorder patients are often not capable to use safety cues to inhibit unnecessary fear responses, the present findings are of clinical relevance and could potentially contribute to therapy optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith C. Kreutzmann
- grid.5807.a0000 0001 1018 4307Institute for Pharmacology & Toxicology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.418723.b0000 0001 2109 6265Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Markus Fendt
- grid.5807.a0000 0001 1018 4307Institute for Pharmacology & Toxicology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.5807.a0000 0001 1018 4307Center of Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
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8
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Kreutzmann JC, Jovanovic T, Fendt M. Infralimbic cortex activity is required for the expression but not the acquisition of conditioned safety. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2020; 237:2161-2172. [PMID: 32363439 PMCID: PMC7306044 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05527-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The ability to discriminate between danger and safety is crucial for survival across species. Whereas danger signals predict the onset of a potentially threatening event, safety signals indicate the non-occurrence of an aversive event, thereby reducing fear and stress responses. While the neural basis of conditioned safety remains to be elucidated, fear extinction studies provide evidence that the infralimbic cortex (IL) modulates fear inhibition. In the current study, the IL was temporarily inactivated with local muscimol injections in male and female rats. The effect of IL inactivation on the acquisition and expression of conditioned safety was investigated utilizing the startle response. Temporary inactivation of the IL prior to conditioning did not affect the acquisition of conditioned safety, whereas IL inactivation during the expression test completely blocked the expression of conditioned safety in male and female rats. Inactivation of the neighboring prelimbic (PL) cortex during the expression test did not affect the expression of safety memory. Our findings suggest that the IL is a critical brain region for the expression of safety memory. Because patients suffering from anxiety disorders are often unable to make use of safety cues to inhibit fear, the present findings are of clinical relevance and could potentially contribute to therapy optimization of anxiety-related psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith C Kreutzmann
- Medical Faculty, Institute for Pharmacology & Toxicology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany.
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University Detroit, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Markus Fendt
- Medical Faculty, Institute for Pharmacology & Toxicology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
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9
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Meyer HC, Odriozola P, Cohodes EM, Mandell JD, Li A, Yang R, Hall BS, Haberman JT, Zacharek SJ, Liston C, Lee FS, Gee DG. Ventral hippocampus interacts with prelimbic cortex during inhibition of threat response via learned safety in both mice and humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:26970-26979. [PMID: 31822612 PMCID: PMC6936350 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1910481116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Heightened fear and inefficient safety learning are key features of fear and anxiety disorders. Evidence-based interventions for anxiety disorders, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, primarily rely on mechanisms of fear extinction. However, up to 50% of clinically anxious individuals do not respond to current evidence-based treatment, suggesting a critical need for new interventions based on alternative neurobiological pathways. Using parallel human and rodent conditioned inhibition paradigms alongside brain imaging methodologies, we investigated neural activity patterns in the ventral hippocampus in response to stimuli predictive of threat or safety and compound cues to test inhibition via safety in the presence of threat. Distinct hippocampal responses to threat, safety, and compound cues suggest that the ventral hippocampus is involved in conditioned inhibition in both mice and humans. Moreover, unique response patterns within target-differentiated subpopulations of ventral hippocampal neurons identify a circuit by which fear may be inhibited via safety. Specifically, ventral hippocampal neurons projecting to the prelimbic cortex, but not to the infralimbic cortex or basolateral amygdala, were more active to safety and compound cues than threat cues, and activity correlated with freezing behavior in rodents. A corresponding distinction was observed in humans: hippocampal-dorsal anterior cingulate cortex functional connectivity-but not hippocampal-anterior ventromedial prefrontal cortex or hippocampal-basolateral amygdala connectivity-differentiated between threat, safety, and compound conditions. These findings highlight the potential to enhance treatment for anxiety disorders by targeting an alternative neural mechanism through safety signal learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi C. Meyer
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
| | - Paola Odriozola
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511
| | | | - Jeffrey D. Mandell
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Anfei Li
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
| | - Ruirong Yang
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
| | - Baila S. Hall
- Department of Psychology, Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | | | | | - Conor Liston
- Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
- Feil Family Brain & Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
| | - Francis S. Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
- Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
| | - Dylan G. Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511
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10
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Li KX, He M, Ye W, Simms J, Gill M, Xiang X, Jan YN, Jan LY. TMEM16B regulates anxiety-related behavior and GABAergic neuronal signaling in the central lateral amygdala. eLife 2019; 8:47106. [PMID: 31482844 PMCID: PMC6746550 DOI: 10.7554/elife.47106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
TMEM16B (ANO2) is the Ca2+-activated chloride channel expressed in multiple brain regions, including the amygdala. Here we report that Ano2 knockout mice exhibit impaired anxiety-related behaviors and context-independent fear memory, thus implicating TMEM16B in anxiety modulation. We found that TMEM16B is expressed in somatostatin-positive (SOM+) GABAergic neurons of the central lateral amygdala (CeL), and its activity modulates action potential duration and inhibitory postsynaptic current (IPSC). We further provide evidence for TMEM16B actions not only in the soma but also in the presynaptic nerve terminals of GABAergic neurons. Our study reveals an intriguing role for TMEM16B in context-independent but not context-dependent fear memory, and supports the notion that dysfunction of the amygdala contributes to anxiety-related behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke-Xin Li
- Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Mu He
- Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Wenlei Ye
- Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Jeffrey Simms
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, United States
| | - Michael Gill
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, United States
| | - Xuaner Xiang
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Yuh Nung Jan
- Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Lily Yeh Jan
- Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
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11
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Sarlitto MC, Foilb AR, Christianson JP. Inactivation of the Ventrolateral Orbitofrontal Cortex Impairs Flexible Use of Safety Signals. Neuroscience 2018; 379:350-358. [PMID: 29604383 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.03.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2017] [Revised: 03/20/2018] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Survival depends on adaptation to shifting environmental risks and opportunities. Regarding risks, the mechanisms which permit acquisition, recall, and flexible use of aversive associations is poorly understood. Drawing on the evidence that the orbital frontal cortex is critical to integrating outcome expectancies with flexible appetitive behavioral responses, we hypothesized that OFC would contribute to behavioral flexibility within an aversive learning domain. We introduce a fear conditioning procedure in which adult male rats were presented with shock-paired conditioned stimulus (CS+) or a safety cue (CS-). In a recall test, rats exhibit greater freezing to the CS+ than the CS-. Temporary inactivation of the ventrolateral OFC with muscimol prior to conditioning did not affect later discrimination, but inactivation after learning and prior to recall impaired discrimination between safety and danger cues. This result complements prior research in the appetitive domain and suggests that the OFC plays a general role in behavioral flexibility regardless of the valence of the CS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary C Sarlitto
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Allison R Foilb
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
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12
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Foilb AR, Bals J, Sarlitto MC, Christianson JP. Sex differences in fear discrimination do not manifest as differences in conditioned inhibition. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 25:49-53. [PMID: 29246981 PMCID: PMC5733464 DOI: 10.1101/lm.045500.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Distinguishing safety from danger is necessary for survival, but is aberrant in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While PTSD is more prevalent in women than men, research on sex differences in safety learning is limited. Here, female rats demonstrated greater fear discrimination than males in a CS+/CS− paradigm. To determine if this sex difference transferred to fear inhibition, rats were tested for conditioned inhibition in a summation test with the CS+ and CS− presented in compound; no sex difference emerged. The results suggest sex differences in the neural mechanisms of discrimination learning but not recall of a fear inhibitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison R Foilb
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467, USA
| | - Julia Bals
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467, USA
| | - Mary C Sarlitto
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467, USA
| | - John P Christianson
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467, USA
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13
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Connor DA, Kutlu MG, Gould TJ. Nicotine disrupts safety learning by enhancing fear associated with a safety cue via the dorsal hippocampus. J Psychopharmacol 2017; 31:934-944. [PMID: 28675115 PMCID: PMC5755391 DOI: 10.1177/0269881117695861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Learned safety, a learning process in which a cue becomes associated with the absence of threat, is disrupted in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A bi-directional relationship exists between smoking and PTSD and one potential explanation is that nicotine-associated changes in cognition facilitate PTSD emotional dysregulation by disrupting safety associations. Therefore, we investigated whether nicotine would disrupt learned safety by enhancing fear associated with a safety cue. In the present study, C57BL/6 mice were administered acute or chronic nicotine and trained over three days in a differential backward trace conditioning paradigm consisting of five trials of a forward conditioned stimulus (CS)+ (Light) co-terminating with a footshock unconditioned stimulus followed by a backward CS- (Tone) presented 20 s after cessation of the unconditioned stimulus. Summation testing found that acute nicotine disrupted learned safety, but chronic nicotine had no effect. Another group of animals administered acute nicotine showed fear when presented with the backward CS (Light) alone, indicating the formation of a maladaptive fear association with the backward CS. Finally, we investigated the brain regions involved by administering nicotine directly into the dorsal hippocampus, ventral hippocampus, and prelimbic cortex. Infusion of nicotine into the dorsal hippocampus disrupted safety learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Connor
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Munir G Kutlu
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Thomas J Gould
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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Foilb AR, Flyer-Adams JG, Maier SF, Christianson JP. Posterior insular cortex is necessary for conditioned inhibition of fear. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2016; 134 Pt B:317-27. [PMID: 27523750 PMCID: PMC5424894 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2016.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2016] [Revised: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Veridical detection of safety versus danger is critical to survival. Learned signals for safety inhibit fear, and so when presented, reduce fear responses produced by danger signals. This phenomenon is termed conditioned inhibition of fear. Here, we report that CS+/CS- fear discrimination conditioning over 5 days in rats leads the CS- to become a conditioned inhibitor of fear, as measured by the classic tests of conditioned inhibition: summation and retardation of subsequent fear acquisition. We then show that NMDA-receptor antagonist AP5 injected to posterior insular cortex (IC) before training completely prevented the acquisition of a conditioned fear inhibitor, while intra-AP5 to anterior and medial IC had no effect. To determine if the IC contributes to the recall of learned fear inhibition, injections of the GABAA agonist muscimol were made to posterior IC before a summation test. This resulted in fear inhibition per se, which obscured inference to the effect of IC inactivation with recall of the safety cue. Control experiments sought to determine if the role of the IC in conditioned inhibition learning could be reduced to simpler fear discrimination function, but fear discrimination and recall were unaffected by AP5 or muscimol, respectively, in the posterior IC. These data implicate a role of posterior IC in the learning of conditioned fear inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison R Foilb
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA.
| | - Johanna G Flyer-Adams
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Center of Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309-0354, USA
| | - Steven F Maier
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Center of Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309-0354, USA
| | - John P Christianson
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Center of Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309-0354, USA
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