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The amygdala is a small, almond-shaped structure responsible for processing and storing memories, particularly those linked to emotions like fear and stress. It plays an essential role in the brain's response to emotionally significant events and often enhances memory formation by triggering stress hormone release. The amygdala is vital for encoding and retrieving memories associated with fear or stress, a process that is adaptive by helping organisms avoid dangerous situations.
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Trace Fear Conditioning in Mice
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The mouse dorsal peduncular cortex encodes fear memory.

Rodrigo Campos-Cardoso1, Zephyr R Desa2, Brianna L Fitzgerald2

  • 1Department of Neurobiology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA.

Cell Reports
|April 13, 2024
PubMed
Summary

The dorsal peduncular cortex (DP) in rodents was thought to suppress fear. However, this study reveals the DP paradoxically encodes fear memories and minimally suppresses fear responses.

Keywords:
CP: Cell biologyCP: Neurosciencedorsal peduncular cortexextinctionfear memoryinfralimbic cortexlearningmedial prefrontal cortexplasticity

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Behavioral Neuroscience
  • Systems Neuroscience

Background:

  • The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in rodents is functionally organized along its dorsoventral axis.
  • Dorsal mPFC subregions are associated with fear promotion, while ventral subregions are linked to fear suppression.
  • The dorsal peduncular cortex (DP), the ventral-most mPFC region, was hypothesized to mediate fear suppression.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of the dorsal peduncular cortex (DP) in fear suppression.
  • To test the hypothesis that the DP functions in fear suppression.
  • To clarify the DP's role in fear learning and memory.

Main Methods:

  • Multimodal analyses of neural activity.
  • Electrophysiological recordings to assess fear-learning-related plasticity.
  • Optogenetic manipulation (activation and silencing) of DP neural ensembles.
  • Behavioral assays measuring freezing responses.

Main Results:

  • DP neurons exhibit plasticity related to fear learning and acquire cue-associated activity.
  • DP neurons activated during fear memory acquisition are preferentially reactivated during retrieval.
  • Optogenetic activation of DP fear ensembles promotes freezing, while silencing suppresses it.
  • The DP plays a minimal role in fear suppression.

Conclusions:

  • The dorsal peduncular cortex (DP) functions as a fear-encoding brain region, not a fear-suppressing one.
  • DP neurons are involved in the acquisition and retrieval of fear memories.
  • Findings challenge the established view of the ventral mPFC's role in fear regulation.
  • This study redefines the functional organization of the rodent mPFC regarding fear processing.