Resistance to extinction is associated with impaired immediate early gene induction in medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala

1. Eur J Neurosci. 2004 Aug;20(3):781-90.

Resistance to extinction is associated with impaired immediate early gene
induction in medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala.

Herry C(1), Mons N.

Author information:
(1)Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives, CNRS UMR 5106, Université de Bordeaux
I, Avenue des Facultés, 33405 Talence, France.

Extinction of classical fear conditioning is thought to involve
activity-dependent potentiation of synaptic transmission in the medial prefrontal
cortex (mPFC), resulting in the inhibition of amygdala-dependent fear responses.
While many studies have addressed the mechanisms underlying extinction learning,
it is unclear what determines whether extinction memory is consolidated or
whether spontaneous recovery of the fear response occurs. Here we show, using a
combined electrophysiological and immunocytochemical approach, that spontaneous
recovery of conditioned fear in mice is associated with a prolonged expression of
long-term depression of synaptic transmission in the mPFC and the failure of
induction of the immediate-early genesc-Fos and zif268 in the mPFC and the
basolateral nucleus of the amygdala. This suggests that coordinated
activity-dependent changes in gene expression in the mPFC and the amygdala may
underlie the formation of long-term fear extinction memory.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2004.03542.x
PMID: 15255988 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Auteurs Bordeaux Neurocampus