Prefrontal-amygdala plasticity enabled by observational fear

Neuropsychopharmacology. 2019 Sep;44(10):1778-1787. doi: 10.1038/s41386-019-0342-7. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Abstract

Observing fear in others (OF) is a form of social stress. In mice, it enhances inhibitory avoidance learning and causes the formation of silent synapses in the prefrontal-amygdala pathway. Here, we report that OF made that pathway prone to facilitation both ex vivo and in vivo. Ex vivo, OF enabled induction of long-term potentiation (LTP), expressed mostly postsynaptically and occluded by inhibitory avoidance training. In vivo, OF enabled facilitation of the dmPFC-BLA pathway by inhibitory avoidance training. The facilitation persisted during the first 4 h after the training when the prefrontal cortex and amygdala are involved in memory consolidation. Thus, the OF-generated silent synapses likely enable plasticity that may enhance the consolidation of inhibitory avoidance memories.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amygdala / physiology
  • Animals
  • Avoidance Learning / physiology
  • Basolateral Nuclear Complex / physiology*
  • Conditioning, Operant
  • Electrophysiological Phenomena
  • Fear / physiology*
  • Inhibition, Psychological
  • Long-Term Potentiation / physiology*
  • Memory / physiology
  • Memory Consolidation
  • Mice
  • Neural Pathways / physiology
  • Neuronal Plasticity / physiology*
  • Observation
  • Patch-Clamp Techniques
  • Prefrontal Cortex / physiology*
  • Receptors, AMPA / metabolism
  • Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / metabolism
  • Stress, Psychological
  • Synapses / physiology*

Substances

  • Receptors, AMPA
  • Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate