Two intra-amygdaloid pathways to the central amygdala exhibit different mechanisms of long-term potentiation
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Updated: Aug 20, 2026

Ex Vivo Optogenetic Dissection of Fear Circuits in Brain Slices
Published on: April 5, 2016
Yu Fu1, Patricia Shinnick-Gallagher
1Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-1031, USA.
Abstract:
Synaptic plasticity in the amygdala is thought to underlie aversive or rewarding learning and emotional memories. In this study, different mechanisms were found to underlie synaptic plasticity in lateral (LA) and basolateral (BLA) amygdala pathways to the primary output nucleus of the amygdala, the central amygdala (CeA). Specifically, 1) long-term potentiation (LTP) at the BLA-CeA synapses was independent of inhibition and mediated through N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) and L-type voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs), and 2) LTP in the LA-CeA pathway was gated by inhibition and mediated through VGCCs but not NMDARs.
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