fear memory
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Circuit Mechanisms of Remote Memory
Memories of emotionally-salient events are long-lasting, guiding behavior from minutes to years after learning. The prelimbic cortex (PL) is required for fear memory retrieval across time and is densely interconnected with many subcortical and cortical areas involved in recent and remote memory recall, including the temporal association area (TeA). While the behavioral expression of a memory may remain constant over time, the neural activity mediating memory-guided behavior is dynamic. In PL, different neurons underlie recent and remote memory retrieval and remote memory-encoding neurons have preferential functional connectivity with cortical association areas, including TeA. TeA plays a preferential role in remote compared to recent memory retrieval, yet how TeA circuits drive remote memory retrieval remains poorly understood. Here we used a combination of activity-dependent neuronal tagging, viral circuit mapping and miniscope imaging to investigate the role of the PL-TeA circuit in fear memory retrieval across time in mice. We show that PL memory ensembles recruit PL-TeA neurons across time, and that PL-TeA neurons have enhanced encoding of salient cues and behaviors at remote timepoints. This recruitment depends upon ongoing synaptic activity in the learning-activated PL ensemble. Our results reveal a novel circuit encoding remote memory and provide insight into the principles of memory circuit reorganization across time.
Consolidation of remote contextual memory in the neocortical memory engram
Recent studies identified memory engram neurons, a neuronal population that is recruited by initial learning and is reactivated during memory recall. Memory engram neurons are connected to one another through memory engram synapses in a distributed network of brain areas. Our central hypothesis is that an associative memory is encoded and consolidated by selective strengthening of engram synapses. We are testing this hypothesis, using a combination of engram cell labeling, optogenetic/chemogenetic, electrophysiological, and virus tracing approaches in rodent models of contextual fear conditioning. In this talk, I will discuss our findings on how synaptic plasticity in memory engram synapses contributes to the acquisition and consolidation of contextual fear memory in a distributed network of the amygdala, hippocampus, and neocortex.
Drifting assemblies for persistent memory: Neuron transitions and unsupervised compensation
Change is ubiquitous in living beings. In particular, the connectome and neural representations can change. Nevertheless behaviors and memories often persist over long times. In a standard model, associative memories are represented by assemblies of strongly interconnected neurons. For faithful storage these assemblies are assumed to consist of the same neurons over time. We propose a contrasting memory model with complete temporal remodeling of assemblies, based on experimentally observed changes of synapses and neural representations. The assemblies drift freely as noisy autonomous network activity or spontaneous synaptic turnover induce neuron exchange. The exchange can be described analytically by reduced, random walk models derived from spiking neural network dynamics or from first principles. The gradual exchange allows activity-dependent and homeostatic plasticity to conserve the representational structure and keep inputs, outputs and assemblies consistent. This leads to persistent memory. Our findings explain recent experimental results on temporal evolution of fear memory representations and suggest that memory systems need to be understood in their completeness as individual parts may constantly change.
ROLE OF HIPPOCAMPO-PREFRONTAL CIRCUITS IN FEAR MEMORY CONSOLIDATION
FENS Forum 2026
VIRAL VECTOR MANIPULATION OF THE FEAR MEMORY ENGRAMS IN THE CENTROMEDIAL AMYGDALA
FENS Forum 2026
SEX-DEPENDENT TAC2–NK3R SIGNALING IN THE LATERAL HYPOTHALAMIC AREA REGULATES FEAR MEMORY
FENS Forum 2026
SEX-DEPENDENT MODULATION OF FEAR MEMORY BY TAC2-POSITIVE NEURONS IN THE LATERAL HYPOTHALAMUS
FENS Forum 2026
SLEEP-DEPENDENT EPIGENETIC ENCODING OF FEAR MEMORY ENGRAMS
FENS Forum 2026
POTENTIATING LSD1 AS AN EMERGING THERAPEUTIC APPROACH TO PRESERVE ADAPTIVE FEAR MEMORY UPDATING
FENS Forum 2026
CENTRAL AMYGDALA ASTROCYTES ARE REQUIRED FOR REMOTE FEAR MEMORY
FENS Forum 2026
IMPACT OF JUVENILE STRESS ON HILAR NPY INTERNEURONS AND CONTEXT SPECIFIC FEAR MEMORY
FENS Forum 2026
AMYGDALAR MODULATION OF HIPPOCAMPAL FEAR MEMORY ENGRAMS ACROSS SEXES
FENS Forum 2026
THE CORTICAL CAUDAL ACC-TO-PL PROJECTION SUPPRESSES REMOTE FEAR MEMORY EXPRESSION
FENS Forum 2026
NT3-TRKC SIGNALLING DISRUPTS FEAR MEMORY RECONSOLIDATION AND GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR REORGANIZATION
FENS Forum 2026
FEAR MEMORY UNDER ACUTE PHASE SHIFT: POTENTIAL MODULATION OF PREFRONTAL-HIPPOCAMPAL CIRCUIT BY OREXIN
FENS Forum 2026
ASTROCYTE-MEDIATED CONTROL OF FEAR MEMORY FATE DETERMINATION
FENS Forum 2026
EARLY LIFE STRESS FACILITATION OF FEAR MEMORY ASSOCIATED WITH CELLULAR ENGRAM DYNAMICS IN THE DORSAL DENTATE GYRUS
FENS Forum 2026
TIME- AND SEX-DEPENDENT CHARACTERIZATION OF ENGRAM SPINE MORPHOLOGY IN FEAR MEMORY PROCESSING
FENS Forum 2026
ACUTE CORTICOSTERONE ALTERS FEAR MEMORY CONSOLIDATION AND EXTINCTION IN RODENTS
FENS Forum 2026
HIPPOCAMPAL SOMATOSTATIN NEURONS GATE CONTEXT GENERALIZATION DURING FEAR MEMORY UPDATING
FENS Forum 2026
MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF REMOTE FEAR MEMORY ATTENUATION WITHIN ENGRAM CELLS
FENS Forum 2026
REPRESENTATION OF FEAR MEMORY FEATURES IN THE VENTRAL HIPPOCAMPUS
FENS Forum 2026
OPTOGENETIC ACTIVATION OF ASTROCYTIC CALCIUM SIGNALING REGULATES OBSERVATIONAL FEAR MEMORY IN MICE
FENS Forum 2026
RESTING-STATE OSCILLATORY SIGNATURES OF SUCCESSFUL FEAR MEMORY CONSOLIDATION
FENS Forum 2026
INVESTIGATION OF ASTROCYTE ALPHA-1A RECEPTORS IN DENTATE GYRUS PATTERN SEPARATION AND CONTEXTUAL FEAR MEMORY DISCRIMINATION
FENS Forum 2026
ASTROCYTIC FOXO1 REGULATES HIPPOCAMPAL SPINOGENESIS AND SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY, ENHANCING FEAR MEMORY
FENS Forum 2026
PROTEIN SYNTHESIS BLOCKADE PREVENTS FEAR MEMORY REACTIVATION VIA INHIBITION OF ENGRAM SYNAPSE STRENGTHENING
FENS Forum 2026
TRACE BUT NOT DELAY FEAR MEMORY IN MICE IS SUSTAINED BY PERSISTENT HIPPOCAMPAL NEURONAL ACTIVITY
FENS Forum 2026
BEHAVIORAL AND NEURAL CORRELATES OF CONTEXT-DEPENDENT FEAR MEMORY PROCESSING IN MARMOSETS (CALLITHRIX JACCHUS)
FENS Forum 2026
Sex-specific effects in fear memory generalization in IL-6 knockout mice
FENS Forum 2024
Mechanisms of contextual fear memory suppression and extinction by the Nucleus Reuniens-CA1 pathway
COSYNE 2023
Temporal dynamics of neuronal excitability in the lateral amygdala mediates allocation to an engram supporting conditioned fear memory
FENS Forum 2024
Strong sexual dimorphism in the evolution of fear memory revealed by brain-wide activation analysis
FENS Forum 2024
The activity of phosphodiesterase 4 in the dorsal hippocampus during reconsolidation sustains fear memory over time
Acute insulin administration enhances contextual fear memory independently of adrenaline, through increased hippocampus Bdnf expression
Brain-wide epigenetics mapping of fear memory engram cells
A fear memory engram in the mouse auditory cortex
A midbrain-extended amygdala pathway controls contextual fear memory and predator odor avoidance
Neuropeptidergic modulation of cortical circuits for fear memory
Role of hippocampo-prefrontal circuits in fear memory consolidation
The Temporal Study of Traumatic Stress Related Fear Memory Retrieval in a Rat Model of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Brain Wave and Transcriptome-Level Gene Profiling
Astrocytic Foxo1 regulates hippocampal spinogenesis and synaptic plasticity and enhances fear memory
FENS Forum 2024
Basolateral amygdala activity phase-locked to neocortical slow waves underlies fear memory consolidation
FENS Forum 2024
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