Genetic variants in the human ortholog of acid-sensing ion channel-1a subunit (ASIC1a) gene are associated with panic disorder and amygdala dysfunction. Both fear learning and activity-induced long-term potentiation (LTP) of cortico-basolateral amygdala (BLA) synapses are impaired in ASIC1a-null mice, suggesting a critical role of ASICs in fear memory formation. In this study, we found that ASI...

Episodic memories initially require rapid synaptic plasticity within the hippocampus for their formation and are gradually consolidated in neocortical networks for permanent storage. However, the engrams and circuits that support neocortical memory consolidation have thus far been unknown. We found that neocortical prefrontal memory engram cells, which are critical for remote contextual fear me...

Small electrolytic lesions were placed in the basal and lateral amygdaloid nuclei of the dog and the distribution of degenerating fibers was studied with Nauta and Fink-Heimer modifications of the impregnation methods. Degenerating axons were followed into the hippocampal region and entorhinal cortex as well as insular and temporal cortices. The present results suggest that: (i) The hippocampal...

Acid-sensing ion channel-1a (ASIC1a) contributes to multiple fear behaviors, however the site of ASIC1a action in behavior is not known. To explore a specific location of ASIC1a action, we expressed ASIC1a in the basolateral amygdala of ASIC1a-/- mice using viral vector-mediated gene transfer. This rescued context-dependent fear memory, but not the freezing deficit during training or the uncond...

In pyramidal neurons such as hippocampal area CA1 and basolateral amygdala, a slow afterhyperpolarization (sAHP) follows a burst of action potentials, which is a powerful regulator of neuronal excitability. The sAHP amplitude increases with aging and may underlie age related memory decline. The sAHP is due to a Ca(2+)-dependent, voltage-independent K(+) conductance, the molecular identity of wh...

Drinking response to hypertonio saline, a cellular thirst stimulus, and to isoproterenol, probably an extracellular thirst stimulus, was normal in rats with bilateral lesions in the basolateral region of the amygdala. The overnight water intake of the lesioned rats was a little higher than normal. However, the lesioned rats showed a major impairment in learning to avoid ingesting a poisonous so...

The present study tested the prediction that D-cycloserine (DCS), a partial N-methyl-D-aspartate agonist, would facilitate extinction of conditioned freezing in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats received 5 light-shock pairings (conditioning). The following day, rats received 6 light-alone presentations (extinction training). Twenty-four hours later, rats received 1 light-alone presentation (test)....

Ifenprodil is a selective blocker of NMDA receptors that are heterodimers composed of GluN1/GluN2B subunits. This pharmacological profile has been extensively used to test the role of GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors in learning and memory formation. However, ifenprodil has also been reported to have actions at a number of other receptors, including high voltage-activated calcium channels. Here...