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Fear Erasure Facilitated by Immature Inhibitory Neuron Transplantation
Wu-Zhou Yang1, Ting-Ting Liu1, Jun-Wei Cao1
1Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
Neuron
|December 13, 2016
Summary
Transplanting embryonic interneurons into the amygdala did not alter fear memory formation. However, these transplanted neurons later reduced fear renewal and spontaneous recovery, offering a new strategy for pathological fear.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
- Behavioral Neuroscience
Background:
- Embryonic GABAergic neuron transplantation modifies disease phenotypes in rodent models.
- The impact of transplanted interneurons on fear memory modulation is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether transplanted embryonic interneurons modulate fear memory formation and extinction in the host amygdala.
- To explore the functional integration and circuit-level effects of transplanted interneurons.
Main Methods:
- Transplantation of embryonic interneurons into the adult rodent amygdala.
- Fear conditioning, extinction training, and assessment of fear memory.
- Electrophysiological recordings to evaluate synaptic function and maturation of transplanted neurons.
- Analysis of perineuronal net expression and synaptic plasticity.
Main Results:
- Transplanted interneurons did not alter initial fear memory formation.
- Extinction training approximately two weeks post-transplantation significantly reduced spontaneous recovery and renewal of fear.
- Transplanted interneurons formed functional synapses, matured electrophysiologically, reduced perineuronal nets, and modulated host amygdala circuit transmission.
Conclusions:
- Transplanted immature interneurons integrate into the amygdala circuitry and modify host synaptic transmission.
- This approach offers a novel strategy for preventing and treating extinction-resistant pathological fear.
