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Related Experiment Video

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Investigating the Neural Mechanisms of Aware and Unaware Fear Memory with fMRI
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The prelimbic cortex directs attention toward predictive cues during fear learning.

Melissa J Sharpe1, Simon Killcross2

  • 1School of Psychology, University of New South Wales Australia, Kensington, New South Wales 2052, Australia m.sharpe@unsw.edu.au.

Learning & Memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.)
|May 17, 2015
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Summary

The prelimbic cortex (PL) guides attention to relevant cues for fear responses. Lesioning the PL causes fear of irrelevant cues when attention is not focused.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Behavioral Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

  • The prelimbic cortex (PL) is traditionally linked to conditioned fear expression.
  • However, appetitive research suggests its role in attentional processing.
  • This study investigates the PL's function in fear conditioning, considering its attentional role.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if the prelimbic cortex modulates attention to cues, influencing fear expression.
  • To examine how the PL's role in fear conditioning is affected by cue competition.
  • To differentiate the PL's involvement in fear learning versus retrieval.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing rodent models with prelimbic cortex lesions or inactivation.
  • Manipulating the competition between contextual and discrete cues during fear conditioning.
  • Assessing fear expression in response to relevant and irrelevant cues after PL manipulation during learning or retrieval phases.

Main Results:

  • The impact of prelimbic lesions on fear expression varied with the level of competition between contextual and discrete cues.
  • In low-competition scenarios, prelimbic cortex inactivation during learning led to fear responses towards irrelevant discrete cues.
  • This effect was specific to the learning phase, not observed during retrieval.

Conclusions:

  • The prelimbic cortex plays a crucial role in directing attention towards cues based on their predictive value.
  • It modulates attention to ensure fear responses are preferentially directed toward relevant stimuli.
  • These findings support an attentional account of prelimbic cortex function in fear conditioning.