Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2026
11:17
Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear
Published on: August 24, 2012
Ethanol enhances reactivated fear memories
Hiroshi Nomura1, Norio Matsuki
1Laboratory of Chemical Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. hiro.nomu@f-h.nir.jp
Summary
Ethanol enhances reactivated fear memories by interfering with the memory reconsolidation process. This effect, mediated by GABA(A) receptors, strengthens fear recall for up to two weeks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Ethanol's impact on memory is complex, with known effects on acquisition but unclear effects on consolidated memories.
- Memory retrieval can destabilize consolidated memories, initiating a reconsolidation process.
- Understanding ethanol's effects on reactivated memories is crucial for memory research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of ethanol on reactivated contextual fear memories in rats.
- To determine if ethanol influences memory reconsolidation.
- To elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying ethanol's effect on fear memory.
Main Methods:
- Contextual fear conditioning in rats, followed by memory reactivation (2-min context re-exposure).
- Post-reactivation administration of ethanol or saline, with subsequent fear response testing (freezing behavior).
- Assessment of ethanol's effect specificity and the role of GABA(A) receptors using picrotoxin.
Main Results:
- Ethanol administration after reactivation significantly enhanced fear memory, prolonging freezing behavior for up to two weeks.
- The enhancing effect of ethanol was dependent on memory reactivation, indicating an influence on reconsolidation.
- Picrotoxin, a GABA(A) receptor antagonist, blocked ethanol-induced memory enhancement.
- Ethanol did not induce fear responses on its own but facilitated existing fear memories.
Conclusions:
- Ethanol enhances reactivated contextual fear memories, likely by modulating the reconsolidation process.
- The memory-enhancing effects of ethanol are mediated through the activation of GABA(A) receptors.
- These findings highlight ethanol's potential to strengthen specific, reactivated memories rather than broadly impairing memory.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:16Role of Amygdala in Memory
The amygdala is a small, almond-shaped structure responsible for processing and storing memories, particularly those linked to emotions like fear and stress. It plays an essential role in the brain's response to emotionally significant events and often enhances memory formation by triggering stress hormone release. The amygdala is vital for encoding and retrieving memories associated with fear or stress, a process that is adaptive by helping organisms avoid dangerous situations.
One of the...
One of the...
02:29Ethers from Alcohols: Alcohol Dehydration and Williamson Ether Synthesis
Overview
Ethers can be prepared from organic compounds by various methods. Some of them are discussed below,
Preparation of Ethers by Alcohol Dehydration
In this method, in the presence of protic acids, alcohol dehydrates to produce alkenes and ethers under different conditions. For example, in the presence of sulphuric acid, dehydration of ethanol at 413 K yields ethoxyethane, whereas it yields ethene at 443 K.
Ethers can be prepared from organic compounds by various methods. Some of them are discussed below,
Preparation of Ethers by Alcohol Dehydration
In this method, in the presence of protic acids, alcohol dehydrates to produce alkenes and ethers under different conditions. For example, in the presence of sulphuric acid, dehydration of ethanol at 413 K yields ethoxyethane, whereas it yields ethene at 443 K.
01:20Traumatic Memory
Emotionally traumatic events often lead to memories that are exceptionally vivid and enduring, sometimes persisting with remarkable clarity throughout an individual's life. A classic example of this phenomenon is a person who survives a car accident. Even years later, they may recall every detail of the event with startling accuracy — the screeching of the tires, the jarring impact, and the acrid smell of burning rubber. Such vividness contrasts sharply with how an individual remembers mundane...
02:35Acid-Catalyzed Dehydration of Alcohols to Alkenes
In a dehydration reaction, a hydroxyl group in an alcohol is eliminated along with the hydrogen from an adjacent carbon. Here, the products are an alkene and a molecule of water. Dehydration of alcohols is generally achieved by heating in the presence of an acid catalyst. While the dehydration of primary alcohols requires high temperatures and acid concentrations, secondary and tertiary alcohols can lose a water molecule under relatively mild conditions.
01:27CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Ethanol, a clear colorless alcohol, has been consumed by humans for millennia, but its effects on the body are far from benign. At lower doses, it induces decreased inhibitions and loquaciousness, leading to its social appeal. However, it can cause severe consequences at higher doses, such as coma and respiratory depression, due to its zero-order elimination kinetics. Chronic ethanol abuse wreaks havoc on multiple organ systems, particularly the CNS and the liver. Abrupt cessation of ethanol...