Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 5, 2026
11:56
Slice Patch Clamp Technique for Analyzing Learning-Induced Plasticity
Published on: November 11, 2017
16.2K
Adaptive disinhibitory gating by VIP interneurons permits associative learning
Sabine Krabbe1, Enrica Paradiso1,2, Simon d'Aquin1,3
1Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.
Nature Neuroscience
|October 23, 2019
Summary
Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) interneurons in the amygdala are crucial for associative learning. These neurons disinhibit circuits, enabling adaptive behavioral changes in response to unexpected, salient events.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Cellular Biology
Background:
- Associative learning is vital for survival and behavioral adaptation.
- While excitatory neuron plasticity is well-studied, the role of local interneurons in learning remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the contribution of local interneurons to associative learning, specifically fear conditioning.
- To elucidate the role of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-expressing interneurons in the basolateral amygdala during learning.
Main Methods:
- Utilized fear conditioning as a model system for associative learning.
- Employed deep-brain calcium imaging and optogenetics to monitor and manipulate neural activity.
- Focused on VIP-expressing interneurons within the basolateral amygdala.
Main Results:
- Identified a local microcircuit involving inhibitory interneurons activated by salient stimuli.
- Demonstrated that VIP interneurons are activated by aversive events.
- Showed that VIP interneurons provide a necessary disinhibitory signal for associative learning.
- Observed that VIP interneuron responses are modulated by expectations during learning.
Conclusions:
- VIP interneurons are essential components of a dynamic circuit for adaptive learning.
- These interneurons facilitate disinhibitory gating, crucial for learning about unexpected, salient events.
- Findings highlight the role of VIP interneurons in ensuring appropriate behavioral adaptations.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism
3.7K
Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that play a vital role in intercellular communication and functions of the nervous system. They allow the influx of ions across the membrane once the neurotransmitter binds, allowing the subsequent transmission of electrical excitation across the neurons. Other ligand-gated ion channels, like the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor, permit anions like chloride into the cells on the binding of the GABA molecule. Their entry into the cell...
3.7K
01:28Integration of Synaptic Events
3.4K
Synaptic integration mainly includes the summation of graded potentials. Graded potentials, regardless of their type, cause subtle alterations in membrane voltage, resulting in either depolarization or hyperpolarization. These incremental changes, when combined or summed, can propel the neuron toward its threshold. Consider, for example, a membrane experiencing a +15 mV shift, causing it to depolarize from -70 mV to -55 mV. In this scenario, graded potentials govern the membrane's ability to...
3.4K
01:25Long-term Potentiation
3.3K
Long-term potentiation, or LTP, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTP is the process of synaptic strengthening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic strengthening of LTP works in opposition to the synaptic weakening of long-term depression (LTD) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
Hebbian LTP
LTP can occur when...
Hebbian LTP
LTP can occur when...
3.3K
01:35Long-term Potentiation
58.1K
Long-term potentiation, or LTP, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTP is the process of synaptic strengthening that occurs over time between pre- and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic strengthening of LTP works in opposition to the synaptic weakening of long-term depression (LTD) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
58.1K
01:29Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters
12.4K
When an action potential reaches the presynaptic axon terminal, it releases neurotransmitters from the neuron into the synaptic cleft at a chemical synapse. The released neurotransmitter can be excitatory or inhibitory. The critical criteria commonly used to determine whether a molecule is a neurotransmitter at a chemical synapse are the molecule's presence in the presynaptic neuron. Second, its release is in response to strong presynaptic depolarization. And lastly, the presence of...
12.4K
01:19The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation
3.6K
A postsynaptic neuron usually receives numerous impulses from several other presynaptic neurons. The axon hillock of the postsynaptic neuron integrates all these signals and determines the likelihood of firing an action potential.
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential....
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential....
3.6K