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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 27, 2025

Trace Fear Conditioning in Mice

Trace Fear Conditioning in Mice

Published on: March 20, 2014

Fear memory recall involves hippocampal somatostatin interneurons.

Krisztián Zichó^1,2, Katalin E Sos¹, Péter Papp¹

¹Laboratory of Cerebral Cortex Research, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.

|June 8, 2023

Summary

Disinhibition of hippocampal somatostatin interneurons and pontine nucleus incertus neurons can recall fear memories. This suggests a novel disinhibition-based memory mechanism involving these brain regions.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Memory Research
Hippocampal Function

Background:

Fear memory is encoded by hippocampal principal neurons.
Reactivation of these neurons recalls the memory.
The precise mechanism remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate the role of disinhibition in fear memory recall.
Explore the involvement of hippocampal somatostatin interneurons and pontine nucleus incertus neurons.

Main Methods:

Optogenetic behavioral experiments in mice.
Selective inhibition and activation of specific neuronal populations.
Recording neuronal activity during memory recall.

Main Results:

Inhibition of hippocampal somatostatin interneurons during fear acquisition led to memory recall upon re-inhibition.
Activity of pontine nucleus incertus neurons, which inhibit somatostatin cells, also mediated fear recall.
Pontine incertus neurons receive input from memory-related neocortical centers.
Nonselective inhibition of these neurons impaired memory recall.

Conclusions:

A novel disinhibition-based memory mechanism in the hippocampus is proposed.
This mechanism is supported by local somatostatin interneurons and pontine brainstem inputs.
Disinhibition plays a critical role in fear memory recall.