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Trace Fear Conditioning in Mice
Published on: March 20, 2014
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The GR-FKBP51 interaction modulates fear memory but not spatial or recognition memory
Anlong Jiang1, Chanjuan Zhou1, James Samsom1
1Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, Canada.
Summary
Disrupting the glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-FKBP51 complex may treat PTSD by blocking fear memories. This approach showed no adverse effects on other memory types, indicating its therapeutic potential for psychiatric disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) forms a complex with FKBP51, which is elevated in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and fear conditioning.
- This GR-FKBP51 complex is implicated in the storage and retrieval of fear-associated memories.
- Targeting this complex presents a potential therapeutic strategy for PTSD, but concerns exist regarding off-target memory effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of disrupting the GR-FKBP51 complex on non-fear-related memory functions.
- To assess the therapeutic potential of targeting the GR-FKBP51 interaction for PTSD treatment by evaluating memory side effects.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a synthetic peptide to disrupt the GR-FKBP51 complex.
- Assessed recognition memory using novel object and displaced object recognition tasks.
- Evaluated spatial memory via the Morris water maze and social interaction using Crawley's three-chamber test.
Main Results:
- Disruption of the GR-FKBP51 complex did not impair recognition memory.
- No adverse effects were observed on spatial memory performance.
- Social interaction behaviors remained unaffected by the GR-FKBP51 complex disruption.
Conclusions:
- The GR-FKBP51 interaction is a viable and promising target for developing treatments for psychiatric disorders involving aversive memories, such as PTSD.
- Disrupting this complex offers a potential therapeutic avenue without compromising other essential cognitive functions.
