DOI: 10.5061/dryad.280gb5mw3
title: Data from: Network-level changes in the brain underlie fear memory strength

description: The strength of a fear memory significantly influences whether it drives
 adaptive or maladaptive behavior in the future. Yet, how mild and strong
 fear memories differ in underlying biology is not well understood. We
 hypothesized that this distinction may not be exclusively the result of
 changes within specific brain regions, but rather the outcome of
 collective changes in connectivity across multiple regions within the
 neural network. To test this, rats were fear conditioned in protocols of
 varying intensities to generate mild or strong memories. Neuronal
 activation driven by recall was measured using cfos immunohistochemistry
 in 12 brain regions implicated in fear learning and memory. The
 interregional coordinated brain activity was computed and graph-based
 functional networks were generated to compare how mild and strong fear
 memories differ at the systems level. Our results show that mild fear
 recall is supported by a well-connected brain network with small-world
 properties in which the amygdala is well-positioned to be modulated by
 other regions. In contrast, this connectivity is disrupted in strong fear
 memories and the amygdala is isolated from other regions. These findings
 indicate that the neural systems underlying mild and strong fear memories
 differ, with implications for understanding and treating disorders of fear
 dysregulation.
description: # Network-Level Changes in the Brain Underlie Fear Memory Strength
 This data shows the
 behavior and cfos expression patterns across 12 brain structures of rats
 subjected to different fear conditioning protocols. ## Description of the
 data and file structure Wide csv files displaying groups (NS/No shock,
 2S/2 shocks, or 10S/10 shocks), sessions, and measurements.
 JHelife2023_Fig1A_middle: columns '1' to '12' display
 freezing values (in seconds) in each 1-minute bin during the training
 session. JHelife2023_Fig1A_bottom_leftmiddle: columns 'Test A'
 and 'Test B' show freezing values (in seconds) in each test
 session. The column 'Index' shows the calculated discrimination
 index between tests, and NA stands for 'not applicable'.
 JHelife2023_Fig1A_bottom_right: columns show the measured behavior in an
 open field arena (mean velocity in cm/s; distance moved in cm; time in the
 center in seconds; time in corners in seconds; the number of quadrant
 crossings; the number of crossings in the center area). JHelife2023_Fig1B:
 columns 5' to 30' show freezing behavior (in seconds) in each
 5-minute bin during an extinction session. The 'Test' column
 shows freezing behavior (in seconds) in a test session conducted the next
 day. JHelife2023_Fig1C: the column 'TR' informs the group based
 on the conditioning protocol used. the column 'Drug' informs the
 pharmacological treatment applied after a reactivation session (Veh =
 Vehicle; Aniso = Anisomycin). The columns 'React' and
 'Test" show the freezing behavior (in seconds) recorded during a
 reactivation and a test session, respectively. JHelife2023_Fig2: the
 column 'Freezing' shows the freezing behavior (in seconds)
 during a test session conducted 90 minutes before brain collection. The
 columns named with brain areas (eg CA1, CA3, DG, etc) show normalized cfos
 expression in each brain area (for more details, see the methods section
 in the source article). ## Sharing/Access information Haubrich & Nader
 (2023). Network-Level Changes in the Brain Underlie Fear Memory Strength.
 eLife ## Code/Software Code is available at github.com/johaubrich