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Cited by 18Memory and Neural MechanismsMemory Processes and InfluencesNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

Reactivation of recall-induced neurons in the infralimbic cortex and the basolateral amygdala after remote fear memory attenuation

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Khalaf, Ossama, Gräff, Johannes·2019·Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience
DOI 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00070PMC PMC6481183
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Abstract

Whether the attenuation of traumatic memories is mediated through the suppression of the original memory trace of fear by a new memory trace of safety, or through an updating of the original fear trace towards safety has been a long-standing question at the interface of neuroscience and psychology. This matter is of particular importance for remote fear memories as they lie at the core of stress- and anxiety-related disorders. Recently, we have shown that in the dentate gyrus, the effective attenuation of remote fear memories is accompanied by a reactivation of memory recall-induced neurons, and that the continuous activity of these neurons is critical for fear reduction. However, whether this also applies to other brain areas implicated in the storage of remote fear memories remains to be determined. Here, we show – by cellular compartment analysis of temporal activity using fluorescence in situ hybridization – that such reactivation also occurs in the basolateral amygdala and the infralimbic cortex, two brain areas known to be involved in fear memory attenuation. These results provide further experimental support for effective traumatic memory attenuation likely being mediated by an updating of the original fear trace towards safety.

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  • Extinction learning requires the reactivation of the original memory in both the hippocampus and amygdala.

    “extinction learning requires the reactivation of the original memory in both the hippocampus and amygdala (Khalaf et al., 2018; Khalaf and Gräff, 2019).”

    From Retrieval-Dependent Mechanisms Affecting Emotional Memory Persistence: Reconsolidation, Extinction, and the Space in Between (2020) · cites this paper as Khalaf and Gräff, 2019

    The Discussion reports that reactivation of hippocampal dentate gyrus neurons was essential for remote fear memory attenuation, citing Khalaf et al. (2018). The Results observe reactivation in the basolateral amygdala after extinction, but the Discussion explicitly calls its necessity for fear reduction speculative. The paper therefore does not establish that extinction learning requires reactivation in both regions. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Khalaf, O., & Gräff, J.
Affiliations
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH)
Corresponding author
Gräff, Johannes
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2019-04-17
Volume
12
Pages
70-70
ISSN
1662-5099 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fnmol.2019.00070
PMC
PMC6481183
OpenAlex
W2936546814
Cited by
18
References
10
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 2
FWCI
1.45
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • European Research Council
  • National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression
  • Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
Keywords
memory reactivation, infralimbic cortex, basolateral amygdala, dentate gyrus, traumatic memory, memory updating, anxiety disorders

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